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No Such Thing
Morton Arboretum Educators Help Bring In Spring
In addition to a ton of interesting things we discuss about the learning design that happens in a 1,700 acre arboretum, we dig into their new podcast called, "Planted: Finding your roots in STEM careers," an adorable title for an interesting show that's attempting to shed light on the professional world of an entire area of science that, previously, I honestly have no idea how people would've learned about.
Meghan Wiesbrock
Currently at The Morton Arboretum, Meghan Wiesbrock works with students at all places in their journey into STEM. Managing onsite curriculum-based nature programs, her and her team facilitate exposure to the natural world by providing rich, immersive learning experiences with the goal to build environmental affinity to protect trees and nature. She is co-host of the Planted: Finding Your Roots in STEM Careers Podcast. Meghan taught 7th/8th grade science for 6 years in Berwyn, IL. She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Dayton, OH in Middle Childhood Education with endorsements in Science and Language Arts, and a Master's degree in Science Content and Process from Benedictine University in Lisle, IL.
Jessica B. Turner-Skoff
Jessica’s doctorate studying plants took her to the heart of Appalachia and the wilds of the Alaskan Tundra, and it was during this time that she discovered her passion for telling the story of research and science. As The Morton Arboretum’s first science communicator, or ‘Treeologist,’ Jessica supports the Arboretum's mission and vision to be the leading center of tree expertise by communicating and sharing expert knowledge. While centered in the Science and Conservation Department, she works collaboratively with Education and Information to help catalyze tree champions by creatively making tree science, horticulture, and conservation relevant and accessible to target audiences. Currently, she serves as a member of the Board of Directors of The Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST) and President Emeritus of the Auxiliary Board. She is on the Advisory Council of the Seed Your Future, the national movement to improve the public’s perception of horticulture. Jessica is also an adjunct professor for the Associated Colleges of the Chicago Area, teaching ‘Economic Botany’ and ‘Science Communication for Broader Impacts.’
About Morton Arboretum
The mission of The Morton Arboretum is to collect and study trees, shrubs, and other plants from around the world, to display them across naturally beautiful landscapes for people to study and enjoy, and to learn how to grow them in ways that enhance our environment. Our goal is to encourage the planting and conservation of trees and other plants for a greener, healthier, and more beautiful world. The Morton Arboretum is an internationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to the planting and conservation of trees. Its 1,700 acres hold more than 222,000 live plants representing nearly 4,300 species from around the world.
About "Planted: Finding Your Roots in STEM Careers"
Welcome to ‘Planted: Finding your roots in STEM careers,’ we are here to introduce you to some professionals that have interesting and diverse careers and the journey they took to get there. These plant professionals do everything from teaching people about the natural world, unlocking the secrets of DNA, and traveling the world to save unique species. Explore the journey, by listening to the episode that matches your interest, or mirrors your journey towards a STEM career.
Links from this episode:
About Planted: Finding your roots in STEM careers: https://www.mortonarb.org/learn-experience/educators/planted-finding-your-roots-stem-careers
About Sonic Tomography: http://www.newdayarborist.com/tree-diagnostic-services/sonic-tomography/
Aurelie Jacquet on Planted: https://www.mortonarb.org/learn-experience/educators/planted-finding-your-roots-stem-careers/episode-4-merging-interests
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149. The Cross‑Cultural Parenting Playbook
57:06||Ep. 149Sangita Shresthova, PhD is a multilingual scholar specializing in civic participation, popular culture, and the intersections of digital media and intercultural communication. She leads a range of projects examining civic engagement in both digital and physical spaces. Shresthova’s expertise in designing and executing complex qualitative research is exemplified by her leadership in a multi-year study of youth activism in the digital age, which culminated in the publication of By Any Media Necessary: The New Youth Activism.Shresthova’s published works include Practicing Futures: The Civic Imagination Action Handbook and Popular Culture and the Civic Imagination: Case Studies of Creative Social Change, which explore how imaginative practices and popular culture can foster creative social transformation. She is also a co-creator of the Digital Civics Toolkit, a widely recognized resource designed to support educators and community leaders in guiding youth learning in digital environments. The toolkit was named one of the “Best Edtech of 2018” and continues to be a vital resource for fostering digital literacy and civic engagement.Her two recent books, We Are Civic Media (Northwestern University Press) and Connected Cultures: How to Parent Across Borders (Channel View Publications) further expand her contributions to civic media studies and cross-cultural communication.Links:www.sangitashresthova.comWe are Civic MediaTransformative Media PedagogiesPracticing Futures: A Civic Imagination Action HandbookPopular Culture and the Civic Imagination: Case Studies of Creative Social Changehttps://www.multilingual-matters.com/page/detail/the-cross-cultural-parenting-playbook/?SF1=work_id&ST1=CVIEW-684985269b12f
148. Decoding Language of Grief and Joy in Digital Life
56:09||Ep. 148Desmond Patton is the 31st PIK University Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, with joint appointments in the School of Social Policy & Practice and the Annenberg School for Communication, where he is the Waldo E Johnson Jr. Professor of Communication. He also holds secondary appointments in the Department of Psychiatry at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia & Perelman School of Medicine. He is founding director of SAFElab, founding faculty director of the Penn Center for Inclusive Innovation & Technology, and Chief Strategy Officer for the School of Social Policy & Practice.Professor Patton’s groundbreaking research examines the relationship between social media and gun violence, grief, and loss, focusing on how online communities influence offline behavior. His work has made him the most cited and widely recognized scholar in this critical area of social science. Early research focused on detecting trauma and preventing violence on social media has evolved into broader investigations of language analysis and algorithmic bias in artificial intelligence. He currently serves as a member of Spotify’s Safety Advisory Council, the Ethics and Equity Advisory Council (EEAC) at Axon, TikTok’s U.S. Content Advisory Council, and is a trusted advisor to several AI startups.As a social work scientist, Patton identified that traditional data science methods often fail to capture the cultural and linguistic nuances of predominantly Black and Hispanic youth. In response, he developed the Contextual Analysis of Social Media (CASM) framework, which integrates culture, context, and inclusion into machine learning and computer vision analysis. He is also pioneering a new research agenda on joy, developing a practical and theoretical framework for integrating joy into AI model development as a tool for equity, imagination, and human connection.Dr. Patton is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, an Obama Foundation USA Leader, a Mozilla Rise 25 Change Agent, a Presidential Leadership Scholar, and one of RockHealth’s Top 50 in Digital Health.Links:https://sp2.upenn.edu/person/desmond-upton-patton/https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:dxheqqkccc6z5kqgw34shta7https://www.linkedin.com/in/desmond-patton-49a7b59/
147. The Body Digital
43:27||Ep. 147Vanessa Chang builds communities and conversations about art, technology, people, and planet. She writes, curates, and teaches about new and old media, the history and philosophy of technology, design, disability and creative access, cities, comics, animation, circuses, and more. She is Director of Programs at Leonardo, the International Society for the Arts, Sciences, and Technology. She earned a Ph.D. in Modern Thought and Literature from Stanford University, where she was a Geballe Fellow at the Stanford Humanities Center and also ran the Graphic Narrative Project. She's also taught in Visual & Critical Studies at California College of the Arts and was lead curator with CODAME Art & Tech. She grew up in Singapore and Australia and is now based in San Francisco. Her first book, The Body Digital: A Brief History of Humans and Machines, from Cuckoo Clocks to ChatGPT, will be published on 4 November 2025.
146. The Case for Curiosity
56:14||Ep. 146Tinsley Galyean, Author of Reframe is a technologist, designer, and co-founder of Curious Learning, a global nonprofit dedicated to eradicating illiteracy. He holds a PhD from the MIT Media Lab and works at the intersection of education, storytelling, and digital innovation, creating interactive experiences for museums and programing for networks like Discovery Kids, Disney, and Warner Bros.Under Galyean’s leadership, Curious Learning has made its literacy apps available in 60 languages, reaching children in diverse communities worldwide, many with little or no access to formal schooling. By partnering with parents, educators, NGOs, and governments, the organization has helped children in some of the most resource-constrained settings begin their reading journey. Curious Learning’s work is recognized for its commitment to mother-tongue instruction and its focus on data-driven evaluation to ensure real, lasting impact.LInks:https://www.businessexpertpress.com/books/reframe-how-curiosity-and-literacy-can-redefine-us/https://www.curiouslearning.org/https://medium.com/authority-magazine/high-impact-philanthropy-tinsley-galyean-of-curious-learning-on-how-to-leave-a-lasting-legacy-with-1c9b04d7b6fc
145. If Everyone Is a Power User: Matt Dalio on Democratizing Technology
01:00:08||Ep. 145Matt Dalio is the founder of Endless, a visionary initiative dedicated to empowering youth to become creators of technology rather than passive consumers. His work spans three pillars: Endless Studios, a youth game-making studio; Endless Access, which tackles device affordability and connectivity; and Endless OS, an education-focused operating system designed to teach coding and digital skills through games.Matt’s journey began with formative experiences in China, where he founded the China Care Foundation as a teenager to support orphans—an early signal of his lifelong commitment to equity and empowerment. He’s also the son of Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, and credits his father’s ethos of purpose-driven work as a guiding influence, while forging his own path in education and technology.In 2024, Matt announced a major partnership with Arizona State University to launch the Endless Games and Learning Lab, a $5M initiative aimed at scaling personalized, game-based learning for millions of students worldwide.Links:Media Kit / Bio:https://kitcaster.com/matt-dalio/Social:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattdalio/Website:https://www.endlessstudios.com/
144. Greedy Algorithms, Public Goods: Rethinking AI Regulation and Education
58:52||Ep. 144Dr. Julia Stoyanovich is Institute Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, Associate Professor of Data Science, Director of the Center for Responsible AI, and member of the Visualization and Data Analytics Research Center at New York University. She is a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) and a Senior member of the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM). Julia’s goal is to make “Responsible AI” synonymous with “AI”. She works towards this goal by engaging in academic research, education and technology policy, and by speaking about the benefits and harms of AI to practitioners and members of the public. Julia’s research interests include AI ethics and legal compliance, and data management and AI systems. Julia is engaged in technology policy and regulation in the US and internationally, having served on the New York City Automated Decision Systems Task Force, by mayoral appointment, among other roles. She received her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from Columbia University, and a B.S. in Computer Science and in Mathematics & Statistics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.Links:https://engineering.nyu.edu/faculty/julia-stoyanovich https://airesponsibly.net/nyaiexchange_2025/
143. Debugging Efforts in CS Education
01:00:29||Ep. 143Guest Diane Levitt shares how Cornell Tech, in collaboration with the City of New York, is reimagining computer science education through an equity-first approach. From pilot programs that stumble to systems that scale, this episode explores how institutional iteration—especially when it fails—can lead to more inclusive and impactful CS learning.Links:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/2024-state-of-computer-science-education-highlights-growing-investment-from-policymakers-continued-gaps-in-access-302282502.htmledc.nyc/press-release/nycedc-and-cornell-tech-advance-new-new-york-initiative-establish-new-york-cityedc.nyc/program/pilot-new-york-citypar.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10101543https://tech.cornell.edu/about/https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7344464344660811780/https://csteachers.org/what-is-the-state-of-cs-education-in-2024/
142. The Data Beyond Seat Time
45:38||Ep. 142In this episode of No Such Thing, I talk with Laura Slover, Managing Director of the Skills for the Future initiative—a joint effort by ETS and the Carnegie Foundation. We explore what it means to move beyond the century-old Carnegie Unit and toward a system that captures the full spectrum of what learners know and can do.From internships to outdoor leadership, from dashboards to transcripts that actually reflect growth—this conversation is for anyone thinking about how we build a more human, equitable, and future-ready education system.Links:Sasha Bruce Youthwork https://www.sashabruce.org/https://aschoolwithoutwalls.org/https://www.hightechhigh.org/ETS's official Skills for the Future page – This outlines the initiative’s goals, including competency-based learning and skill recognition, backed by ETS’s expertise in educational measurement.Carnegie Foundation’s Skills for the Future initiative – A deep dive into how the program is shifting education from time-based to competency-based learning, with a focus on essential skills beyond traditional academics.Indiana State Board of Education report – A detailed research paper discussing the transition from time-based education models to skill-based insights, highlighting the empirical evidence supporting this shift.Explainer on modern skills-based assessment – A paper from Carnegie Foundation discussing the limitations of traditional assessments and how Skills for the Future is innovating measurement techniques.ETS & Carnegie’s framework for durable skills – A breakdown of the essential skills identified for success across life domains, emphasizing developmental skill progressions and personalized learning.https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/resources/publications/carnegie-unit/https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1057177https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=38https://www.nagb.gov/news-and-events/news-releases/2025/nations-report-card-decline-in-reading-progress-in-math.htmlhttps://christophegaron.com/articles/mind/how-do-kids-change-during-the-summer-insights-on-summer-growth-in-children/https://www.tulsakids.com/brains-on-break/
141. Can Simulation Train Equitable Teaching?
52:53||Ep. 141Exploring how simulations are shaping education research and practice, with insights from the book Promoting Equity through Approximations of Practice in Mathematics Education. It examines how approximations of practice can help educators sharpen their skills while keeping equity at the forefront. It’s not just about improving instruction; it’s about ensuring that all students, regardless of background, have access to high-quality learning experiences.Links:Lee, C., Bondurant, L., Sapkota, B., Howell, H. (2025). Promoting equity in approximations of practice for mathematics teachers. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-1164-6Benoit, G., Barno, E., & Reich, J. (2025). Simulating Equitable Discussions Using Practice-Based Teacher Education in Math Professional Learning. In C. Wilkerson Lee, L. Bondurant, B. Sapkota, & H. Howell (Eds.), Promoting Equity in Approximations of Practice for Mathematics Teachers (pp. 165-200). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-1164-6.ch008 Shaughnessy, M., Boerst, T. A., Garcia, N., & Claiborne, B. (2025). Orienting to Student Sense-Making: Using Simulations to Support the Development of Equitable Mathematics Teaching. In C. Wilkerson Lee, L. Bondurant, B. Sapkota, & H. Howell (Eds.), Promoting Equity in Approximations of Practice for Mathematics Teachers (pp. 253-276). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-1164-6.ch011 Howell, H., Shaughnessy, M., Stengel, B., Lee, C., Bondurant, L., Sapkota, B., Benoit, G., & Lai, Y. (2025). Editorial insights: Reflections on the volume and charge to the field. In C. Lee, L. Bondurant, B. Sapkota, & H. Howell (Eds.), Promoting equity in approximations of practice for mathematics teachers (pp. 395-414). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-1164-6.ch017Ataide Pinheiro, W., Kaur Bharaj, P., Cross Francis, D., Kirkpatrick Darwin, T., Esquibel, J., & Halder, S. (2025). An Investigation of Gender Biases in Teacher-Student Interaction in Mathematics Lessons Within a Virtual Teaching Simulator. In C. Wilkerson Lee, L. Bondurant, B. Sapkota, & H. Howell (Eds.), Promoting Equity in Approximations of Practice for Mathematics Teachers (pp. 201-228). IGI Global Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-1164-6.ch009 MIT’s Teacher Moments digital simulation platform: https://teachermoments.mit.edu/ Becoming a More Equitable Educator https://openlearninglibrary.mit.edu/courses/course-v1:MITx+0.503x+T2020/about Reich, J. (2022). Teaching drills: Advancing practice-based teacher education through short, low-stakes, high-frequency practice. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 30(2), 217-228. https://doi.org/10.70725/023707spaywm Bima’s lit review: https://doi.org/10.1080/14794802.2023.2207088