This week, we will be joined by Niba Nirmal (she/her).
Niba's video, 10 Stories on Leaving Grad School + Why I Left premiered on April 15th, 2021!
"Last year, I made a choice to leave Duke University -- not with a PhD as I had originally planned, with a masters degree. Though it was the right choice for me, I was not prepared for the backlash of that decision. Leaving has a weird stigma around leaving and assumptions about being able to “succeed” or not being "smart enough". In dealing with the repercussions of my decision, I felt alone and reached out to others who had left to learn from their experience. This video is their perspectives, experiences, and thoughts on leaving." - Niba
Niba is a multimedia science communicator based in Ramaytush Ohlone land (San Francisco, CA). Niba creates scientific content through articles, photos, social media, and primarily through science video hosting. She received a science film making fellowship from Jackson Wild and has created videos for platforms such as Stanford and Seeker. As a visible and invisible minority, Niba strives to be inclusive of all minority statuses.As a model turned scientist turned content creator, Niba explores the science in cosmetics, fashion, and skincare through YouTube and Instagram as @NotesByNiba. One of her favorite videos blends her Indian heritage, plants, and the science of henna body art. As an undergraduate at UC Davis, Niba investigated the effects of climate change on crops and pursued diversity studies. Her graduate work at Duke researched the genetics, form, and function of plant roots. Find out more on Niba's Website.
A full-text transcript of this episode is available via google doc.
Join us each Saturday at 3 pm EDT/12 pm PDT for the YouTube live stream where we talk about maintaining mental health and balance in grad school. The podcast episodes are posted the Tuesday after the live stream!
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