Changes in career aren't a divergence from a path. The common thread is you, your experience, and how you can apply what you know in a difference space.

Zaneta Mascarenhas is Member of the Australian House of Representatives for Swan. Join us as we speak about Zaneta's journey through engineering and resources, climate action, and politics -- and hear about how community and impact ties all of that together.

About Zaneta Mascarenhas MP

Zaneta Mascarenhas MP is the Federal Member for Swan and sits in the House of Representatives in the Australian Parliament. Zaneta, a chemical engineer, was elected to Parliament in 2022 and serves on the Industry, Science and Resources Standing Committee, the Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water Standing Committee, and the Joint Statutory Committee on Corporations and Financial Services.

Prior to her election, Zaneta managed the West Australian team for Energetics, Australia’s leading carbon and energy consultancy, where she provided energy efficiency and climate change advice to the resources industry and various WA ASX200 companies, access to the Emissions Reduction Fund, and the development of emissions inventories and audits. She was selected to be trained by Al Gore to deliver Climate Reality Project presentations in 2009 and has also worked for the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Community Led Total Sanitation as part of AusAid’s Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development Program. Zaneta has a strong track record in not-for-profit governance, having served six different boards including education institutions and a community legal centre.

As the first engineer elected as the Member for Swan and the 28th in the Parliament of Australia, Zaneta applies her planning and problem-solving skills to developing policy, including the transition to a less carbon intensive economy and developing Australia’s high tech industrial capacity.

Show Notes (link)

[00:00:48] Zaneta's childhood experiences and exposure to sciences and the world around her.

[00:04:00] How your environment shapes your perceptions of an industry.

[00:07:27] The evolution of culture and safety in the workplace in the mining industry.

[00:12:04] Observations about organisational culture in an organically culturally diverse industry.

[00:14:48] The impetus and shift to climate change.

[00:18:16] Working in the climate change space and perspectives of impact and timescales.

[00:23:49] Policy and politics.

[00:26:33] Working not just for now, but for the future.

[00:31:19] Systems thinking and transferrable experience.

[00:38:28] What advice would you give someone who'd like to do what you do and what advice should they ignore?

Connect with STEAM Powered

Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Patreon

Hosted and produced by Michele Ong.

Music is "Gypsy Jazz in Paris 1935" by

Having a penpal can be a life-changing experience. You can connect with someone over shared and unique experiences, and learn about a life or environment different from your own. It can even give you the opportunity to broaden your perspective about the world and your place in it.

Jennifer Payne is a research scientist in the area of antimicrobial resistance and founder of STEMPals, an initiative that connects kids with STEM professionals. Join us as we chat about Jen's journey to microbiology, superbugs, and how having a penpal can create connection and change lives through a mutual love of Pokémon, being a Swifty, and STEM.

About Dr Jennifer Payne

Have you ever wondered how we can outsmart infections that resist even our most potent drugs? Dr Jennifer Payne delves into this challenge daily as a research scientist. Growing up in a small country town, she had no idea what a scientist was. Today, she’s tackling antimicrobial resistance, a global problem by unraveling the complex interactions between our immune system, microbes, and antimicrobials.

Jen’s groundbreaking work includes fellowships at Harvard University, where she used “infections on a chip” to observe the real-time battle between superbugs and our immune defenses. Passionate about STEM literacy for all, she founded a not-for-profit that runs STEMpals—a pen pal program inspired by her upbringing, ensuring the next generation can see who they can become. When not battling microbes, and inspiring the next STEM generation, Jen fosters greyhounds and has represented Australia in ultimate frisbee on the world stage.

Show Notes (link)

[00:01:16] The story of Little Jen.

[00:03:44] What did Michele want to be when she grew up?

[00:06:04] From microbes to immune systems.

[00:08:22] The diabolical beauty of golden staph and how to combat it.

[00:10:47] Putting golden staph up in neon lights.

[00:14:23] The complexity of drug research and development and getting solutions from bench to bedside.

[00:17:54] Perspectives on the value of medicines and the cost to keep them available.

[00:21:49] Jen and Michele: wearers of many hats.

[00:24:18] Keeping momentum and balance.

[00:28:28] All about STEMpals.

[00:32:01] The engagement, outcomes, and experience of being part of STEMpals.

[00:37:43] Getting a STEMpal.

[00:40:16] Cultivating positive STEM experiences and scientific literacy in 10-13 year olds for their futures.

[00:42:52] Who can be STEMpals and the breadth of scope of STEM.

[00:46:09] How the community can support STEMpals.

[00:47:12] What advice would you give someone who'd like to do what you do, and what advice should they ignore?

Connect with STEAM Powered

Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Patreon

Hosted and produced by Michele Ong.

Music is "Gypsy Jazz in Paris 1935" by Brett Van Donsel.

Nurses don't get enough credit for what they do. Despite being an essential role in healthcare, it's still an often misunderstood and underrated field, but one that has immense scope for professional development and medical specialisation.

Ellen Yeo is a Clinical Nurse Consultant specialising in Renal Medicine and Kidney Transplantation Clinical Trials. She's also a nursing education and career pathway advocate. Join us as we speak about Ellen's journey to clinical trial nursing, supporting professional and career development of nurses, and the STEMM of nursing.

About Ellen Yeo

Ellen Yeo (BN, MPH, MHM) is a Clinical Nurse Consultant (CNC) in Renal Medicine and Kidney Transplant Research at Royal Prince Alfred (RPA) Hospital in Sydney. With over a decade of nursing experience in both private and public sectors, her recent focus has been on addressing critical gaps in standardised education, workforce engagement, and career progression within the clinical trials nursing specialty.

Emphasising the belief that "it takes a village" to enact systemic change, she has brought the community together within the Sydney Local Health District to develop practical solutions to these challenges.

Show Notes (link)

[00:01:27] Ellen's path to nursing.

[00:03:50] Taking a career 'leap year' to travel around her field.

[00:05:10] Exploring beyond specialty knowledge and job criteria.

[00:07:29] Ellen's road to renal medicine and a chance appointment.

[00:09:50] The difference between ward nursing and clinical trials nursing.

[00:12:08] The pathway from ward nursing to clinical trials nursing.

[00:14:09] The clinical trial nursing environment.

[00:15:55] The misconceptions around the role of nurses in clinical trials.

[00:19:04] Developing a program to smooth the transition.

[00:21:54] Research and nursing go hand in hand.

[00:24:04] The opportunity to see how education in healthcare works in other countries.

[00:25:39] Educational placement opportunities in nursing.

[00:26:29] The roles in clinical research nursing.

[00:28:29] Specialis ations, remuneration, and industry recognition in nursing.

[00:31:54] Formalising the pathway to clinical trials nursing benefits nurses and patients.

[00:35:10] Commonality in clinical trials nursing practice.

[00:36:47] The wish to be able to provide the best care for clinical trial patients who are helping to advance treatments for others like them.

[00:37:36] Nursing is STEM.

[00:41:18] Ellen the artist and composer.

[00:43:50] What advice would you give someone who wants to do what you do, and what advice should they ignore?

Connect with STEAM Powered

Website | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Patreon

Hosted and produced by Michele Ong.

Music is "Gypsy Jazz in Paris 1935" by Brett Van Donsel.