Further Together, the ORAU podcast

Further Together, the ORAU podcast, covers all things ORAU, through interviews with our experts who provide innovative scientific and technical solutions for our customers. Learn about ORAU’s storied history, how we’re impacting an ever-changing world, as well as our commitment to our community.

Listen to all 150+ episodes of Further Together on Blubrry.com. You can also find Further Together on the Apple Podcasts app for iOS devices, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SiriusXM, Pandora, TuneIn, and Amazon Music.

Latest Episodes

Episode 159 Leave no one behind: A conversation with Jody Hoyos, CEO of Prevent Cancer Foundation

In our continuing series of conversations with leaders in the oncology and cancer space, Further Together host Michael Holtz sits down with Jody Hoyos, president and CEO of the Prevent Cancer Foundation. The Prevent Cancer Foundation is the largest non-profit organization in the country solely dedicated to the prevention and early detection of cancer. As part of the conversation, Hoyos says companies like ORAU can help prevent cancer by educating and encouraging employees to get tested for colorectal cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer and others and help them understand when they are eligible to get those tests. Holtz and Hoyos also discuss the foundation's latest early detection and prevention survey, and how Hoyos became the leader of the foundation.

Listen to Episode 159 Transcript for Episode 159

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Episode 158 Men need to take charge of their health: A conversation with Mike Leventhal of the Tennessee Men's Health Network

As Men's Health Month (June) comes to a close, Further Together host Michael Holtz sits down with his friend and fellow health advocate Mike Leventhal, executive director of the Tennessee Men's Health Network, for a conversation about men and their health. Men are great about many things, like taking care of their families and their careers, but are not always great about taking care of themselves, which can be detrimental. The discussion includes the importance of seeing a doctor and a dentist for regular for checkups, and those all-important screening tests for colorectal and prostate cancers. Mike talks about how the Tennessee chapter of the Men's Health Network got started and some of the initiatives underway to help men better focus on their health.

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Episode 157 Find the thing that gets you out of bed in the morning: A conversation with David Burtt, Ph.D., NASA NPP Fellow

David Burtt, Ph.D., is in his second year as a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow, studying martian geology using data from the Mars rover at the Goddard Space Flight Center. Burtt wound his way through several scientific disciplines before focusing on extraterrestrial geology. He discusses the pivotal moment where he had the courage to talk to an advisor about research he was working on. It wasn't exciting to him, so he pivoted. Burtt talks about working on the Mars rover in preparation for the Artemis project, the value of mentorship, the importance of collaborating with hundreds of people on one of the world's biggest, most important projects and the importance of connection to other people. Check out the conversation. Learn more about the NASA Postdoctoral Program fellowship, visit https://npp.orau.org/index.html.

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Episode 156 Of rugrats, plant water usage and climate change: A conversation with Zoe Pierrat, Ph.D., NASA Postdoctoral Fellow

Understanding how plants use water resources and how they're responding to changes in climate and the resulting feedbacks on the climate system is important, and challenging. Zoe Pierrat, Ph.D., a NASA Postdoctoral Fellow at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, says that while there are great models for some aspects of climate and climate change, plants adapt to the changes in their environment making understanding their impact more uncertain. Host Michael Holtz talks to Pierrat about all aspects of her NPP Fellowship, including how she got interested in science, how the NASA NPP has impacted her life and career, the value of mentorship and collaboration, and how being a curious rugrat started everything!

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Episode 155 Leadership is about the people, not the leader: A conversation with Ken Tarcza, ORAU chief of staff

Ken Tarcza has served as a leader in several capacities, from the military to the U.S. Department of Defense to the U.S. Department of Energy. One thing he knows to be true is this: leadership is not about the leader. Leadership is about people: meeting them where they are and creating conditions where they can be successful. In this episode of the Further Together podcast, hosts Michael Holtz and Matthew Underwood unpack Tarcza's role as chief of staff, his commitment to meeting every new employee during their onboarding process, his role in ORAU's strategic planning process, and the life lessons he's learned over the course of his career. Learn why he retired twice and why he has an affinity for the statue known as "Iron Mike."

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Previous Episodes

Like just about any kid, Abhishek Desai grew up in India with dreams of becoming an astronaut. While that dream didn't come true, Desai is a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow studying space from Earth. His project at NASA focuses multimessenger and multiwavelength astronomy to explain processes happening inside an Active Galactic Nuclei. In this conversation with Further Together's Michael Holtz, Desai talks about coming to the United States for his education, the importance of collaboration and mentorship, the value of the NASA NPP program, and more.

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Shipra Sinha, Ph.D., is a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow living in India and conducting research with the Goddard Space Flight Center. Shipra's research focuses on auroras, which occur at both the North and South Poles. Studying auroras is fascinating, as most people in the West know about the Aurora Borealis. Shipra says the biggest challenge with studying South Pole auroras is Antarctica. Getting there is a challenge, so she often has to make estimates about southern aurora behavior based on what is known about their northern counterparts. Throughout this conversation, Shipra talks to host Michael Holtz about how she became an NPP Fellow (this conversation took place before her official start date in January), the importance of surrounding herself with supportive people, the value of mentorship and collaboration, and more.

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James Rogers, Ph.D., is an astrobiologist in the NASA Postdoctoral Program. He studies exoplanets (extra-solar bodies like planets, asteroids, etc.). Rogers says scientists have detected thousands of exoplanets orbiting stars throughout the galaxy. Studying exoplanets and planet formation can help us piece together how our solar system fits into the galaxy and the universe. In this conversation, Rogers talks to host Michael Holtz about his fellowship, making the transition from England to the United States, the role of mentorship and collaboration in his work, and what comes next during his fellowship.

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Kelly Luis, Ph.D., is a NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Water and Ecosystems Group. A native of Hawaii, Luis studies what the color of water can tell us about the health of aquatic ecosystems. During her conversation with host Michael Holtz, Luis talks about the trajectory of her career, how she is contributing to science at NASA, obstacles she's overcome to get to where she is, and so much more. To learn more about the NASA Postdoctoral Program, visit https://npp.orau.org/index.html.

Listen to Episode 151 Transcript for Episode 151
As Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month 2024 comes to a close, Further Together host Michael Holtz, a 12-year survivor of stage IIIB colorectal cancer, talks to Eric Mayer and Jessica Etheridge, CEO and director of marketing and branding, respectively, for Knoxville-based New Day Diagnostics. This March, New Day launched ColoHealth, a screening blood test for people at average risk of developing colorectal cancer. They talk about the importance of prevention and early detection, the rise in colorectal cancer rates among people under age 50, and the changing scientific landscape for early detection tests.

Listen to Episode 150 Transcript for Episode 150

View the full Further Together Podcast Archive

Further Together, the ORAU podcast

Latest Episodes

Episode 159 Leave no one behind: A conversation with Jody Hoyos, CEO of Prevent Cancer Foundation

Episode 158 Men need to take charge of their health: A conversation with Mike Leventhal of the Tennessee Men's Health Network

Episode 157 Find the thing that gets you out of bed in the morning: A conversation with David Burtt, Ph.D., NASA NPP Fellow

Episode 156 Of rugrats, plant water usage and climate change: A conversation with Zoe Pierrat, Ph.D., NASA Postdoctoral Fellow

Episode 155 Leadership is about the people, not the leader: A conversation with Ken Tarcza, ORAU chief of staff

Previous Episodes

Episode 154: Every kid wants to be an astronaut: A conversation with Abhishek Desai, NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow

Episode 153: Being in the right place at the right time: A conversation with Shipra Sinha, Ph.D., NASA NPP Fellow

Episode 152: Moving across the world to follow his passion: A conversation with James Rogers, Ph.D., NASA NPP Fellow

Episode 151: The right mentors can change your life: A conversation with Kelly Luis, NASA Postdoctoral Program Fellow

Episode 150: Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month: New test for prevention and early detection

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