alpha
Named for the beginning, the first, alpha elevates the voices of women in STEM: science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and the fields shaping what comes next.
From early-career scientists and engineers to founders, researchers, and policy leaders, alpha features women who are asking harder questions, sharing what they’ve learned, and clearing the path for those who follow.
Each episode goes beyond the achievement and into the story behind it: the choices, risks, failures, breakthroughs, and moments of becoming that shape a career at the edge of discovery.
This podcast is for the firsts. The onlies. The originals. And the women rising next.
Welcome to alpha.
alpha
The World Needs Scientists with Dr. Gretchen Goldman
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Meet Dr. Gretchen Goldman.
She’s been the student, the scientist, the watchdog, the White House advisor, and now she’s the President of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
30 years ago, Gretchen was presented with a question by her 11th grade chemistry teacher:
Where would science be if we changed data?
This is a conversation about what happens when the facts become inconvenient, who pays when science is under attack, and Catharine presents Gretchen that very same question again.
What Gretchen wants you to know:
“We need you. The world needs scientists. We need truth tellers. We need people that see hard problems and run toward them.”
Rapid fire:
- One book all non-scientists should read: Doubt is Their Product by David Michaels
- Scientist everyone should know by name: Veronica O. Davis / LinkedIn
- Gretchen’s small ritual that keeps her steady: Going hard on the Peloton!
Going beyond the episode:
For all resources and links mentioned in this episode, read the full guide here: https://www.alphapodcast.studio/gretchen-goldman
With gratitude to the organizations whose archival materials and recordings helped bring alpha to life:
- New Mexico PBS, Critical Mass: Women in Science (audio)
- NASA Image & Video Library
- American Archive of Public Broadcasting
