Triplicates

By Triplicates

Who says getting your PhD can't be fun? The Triplicates Podcast features bi-weekly discussions from three first-generation WOC pursuing their doctoral degrees. We document our academic journeys and also tackle fun topics in science! Lennice Castro, Asama Lekbua, and Amanda Wacker are first year PhD students at University of California, San Diego who keep it real when it comes to the scientific world. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter @triplicatespod.

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She Survived (a PhD) - Interview with Dr. Rachel Kandel

TriplicatesJan 20, 2023

00:00

01:13:03

She Survived (a PhD) - Interview with Dr. Rachel Kandel

The Triplicates bring on their first post-PhD guest, recent UCSD grad, Dr. Rachel Kandel. Together, they take an educational journey through home schooling, CSU Channel Island, to sunny San Diego, and Rachel shares her secrets to success for in and out of grad school.

Want to share your experiences? Email us at triplicatespod@gmail.com. Connect with us on twitter and instagram @triplicatespod. Like us? You can support us on patreon.com/triplicatespod or on ko-fi.com/triplicatespod!

Watch the video versions of our podcast here or by searching "Triplicates Podcast" on YouTube!

Sponsors and Affiliate links:

Sainted Factory: TRIPLICATESPOD10 for 10% off.

Chegg: Use code: ‘CHEGGAFF5’ for $5 off first month of Chegg Study.

Canva: Get a 30day free trial with Canva Pro! - partner.canva.com/TRIPLICATES

Jan 20, 202301:13:03

3rd times the charm - getting ready for our third year!

**** This episode was recorded a little bit before 48,000 UC grad students, post docs, and academic student employees went on strike. It has been a wild time, and (as of 12/4/22) we are about to enter our 4th week on strike. We will do an episode our experience during this time once we get a contract. You can learn more about whats going on here.

Join the Triplicates as they recap their summer and get ready for their THIRD year (!) in grad school.

Watch the video versions of our podcast here or by searching "Triplicates Podcast" on YouTube!

Sponsors and Affiliate links:

Sainted Factory: TRIPLICATESPOD10 for 10% off.

Chegg: Use code: ‘CHEGGAFF5’ for $5 off first month of Chegg Study.

Canva: Get a 30day free trial with Canva Pro! - partner.canva.com/TRIPLICATES

Dec 09, 202201:00:05

Getting through our first committee meeting: the meeting after the meeting

The Triplicates sit down to chat about how their committee meetings went and if they passed their second year exam! I guess that means they're almost officially third years now????

Watch the video versions of our podcast here or by searching "Triplicates Podcast" on YouTube!

Sponsors and Affiliate links:

Chegg: Use code: ‘CHEGGAFF5’ for $5 off first month of Chegg Study.

Canva: Get a 30day free trial with Canva Pro! - partner.canva.com/TRIPLICATES

Jul 08, 202248:25

Special episode: Triplicates take the Enneagram personality test

The Triplicates take a break to wind down before their committee meetings to take the enneagram test and compare numbers.

Some of the websites we referenced during the show:

https://www.truity.com/test/enneagram-personality-test

https://www.crystalknows.com/enneagram-test

Watch the video versions of our podcast here or by searching "Triplicates Podcast" on YouTube!

Sponsors and Affiliate links:

Chegg: Use code: ‘CHEGGAFF5’ for $5 off first month of Chegg Study.

Canva: Get a 30day free trial with Canva Pro! - partner.canva.com/TRIPLICATES

Jun 17, 202237:52

Getting ready for our first committee meeting: the meeting before the meeting

The Triplicates come together to talk about how they've prepared for their first committee meeting! They break down how they chose a committee, their writing process, and how they tackle preparing a presentation.

Watch the video versions of our podcast here or by searching "Triplicates Podcast" on YouTube!

Sponsors and Affiliate links:

Chegg: Use code: ‘CHEGGAFF5’ for $5 off first month of Chegg Study.

Canva: Get a 30day free trial with Canva Pro! - partner.canva.com/TRIPLICATES

Jun 03, 202246:52

PhD in Parenting w/ Amira Noeuv

The Triplicates sit down with fellow PhD Student and PARENT(!!) Amira to discuss what it's like having a baby during grad school.

Watch the video versions of our podcast here or by searching "Triplicates Podcast" on YouTube!

Sponsors and Affiliate links:

Chegg: Use code: ‘CHEGGAFF5’ for $5 off first month of Chegg Study.

Canva: Get a 30day free trial with Canva Pro! - partner.canva.com/TRIPLICATES

May 20, 202247:10

Triplicates Tackle Self-Care!

The Triplicates check in after spring-break and break down different aspects of self-care in grad school.

Watch the video versions of our podcast here or by searching "Triplicates Podcast" on YouTube!

Sponsors and Affiliate links:

Chegg: Use code: ‘CHEGGAFF5’ for $5 off first month of Chegg Study.

Canva: Get a 30day free trial with Canva Pro! - partner.canva.com/TRIPLICATES

May 07, 202201:00:22

Science and Salsa - w/ Amanda Wacker

This week, The Triplicates take a deep dive into Amanda's journey through life, science, and salsa dancing.

Content warning: mention of death, cancer, surgery

Watch the video versions of our podcast here or by searching "Triplicates Podcast" on YouTube!

Sponsors and Affiliate links:

Chegg: Use code: ‘CHEGGAFF5’ for $5 off first month of Chegg Study.

Canva: Get a 30day free trial with Canva Pro! - partner.canva.com/TRIPLICATES

Mar 25, 202258:33

From Surat Thani to San Diego: Asama’s Journey

The Triplicates take a deep dive into Asama’s circuitous journey through growing up in Thailand, emigrating to the US, and finding her way to graduate school.

Watch the video versions of our podcast here or by searching "Triplicates Podcast"!

Sponsors and Affiliate links:

Sainted Factory: Use Code: TP10 for 10% off your order on saintedfactory.com!

Chegg: Use code: ‘CHEGGAFF5’ for $5 off first month of Chegg Study.

Canva: Get a 30day free trial with Canva Pro! - partner.canva.com/TRIPLICATES

Mar 11, 202252:07

Under the lens - with Lennice Castro

Today, the Triplicates take a deep dive into the life and psyche of host, Lennice Castro. Join us for a ride through little Lennice's life at the aquarium and her journey through K-12, undergrad, and into grad school.

Sponsor/Affiliate links:

Sainted Factory: Use Code: TP10 for 10% off your order on saintedfactory.com!

Chegg: Use code: ‘CHEGGAFF5’ for $5 off first month of Chegg Study.

Canva: Get a 30day free trial with Canva Pro! - partner.canva.com/TRIPLICATES

Feb 25, 202201:00:38

Winter Quarter Check In!

The Triplicates are back from winter break with updates with all that has happened since the last episode! Teaching, pushing projects forwards, finding a new home, mentoring, and our favorite icebreaker questions all get attention this week as we get back into the swing of things.

Sponsor/Affiliate links:

Sainted Factory: Use Code: TP10 for 10% off your order on saintedfactory.com!

Chegg: Use code: ‘CHEGGAFF5’ for $5 off first month of Chegg Study.

Canva: Get a 30day free trial with Canva Pro! - partner.canva.com/TRIPLICATES

Feb 11, 202254:32

Reflections: Roses, Buds, and Thorns of 2021

The Triplicates gather round one last time in 2021 to reflect on the past year of personal and professional growth. They share their roses, buds, and thorns of the year and look forward to where they will be a year from now.

Dec 10, 202142:49

Pursuing a PhD from a Non-Traditional Background

The Triplicates talk to Asama and Chris about going back to school for a graduate degree after working in the real world.

Nov 26, 202101:05:40

Tips and Tricks for Applying to Grad School

The Triplicates share their experiences and advice on applying to grad school from picking schools, to writing personal statements, to asking for letters of rec.

Correction: Científico Latino's twitter handle is actually @cientificolatin.

Nov 12, 202156:13

Spooky Science Stories

Join the Triplicates around the proverbial campfire and share scary stories in the spirit of Halloween!

Oct 29, 202138:34

Give me a sec(ond year)

The Triplicates sit down to break down what second year looks like, including classes, teaching, applying for fellowships, and fighting 50mL conical tubes.

Want to share your experiences? Email us at triplicatespod@gmail.com. Connect with us on twitter and instagram (and now tik tok!) @triplicatespod. Like us? You can support us on patreon.com/triplicatespod or on ko-fi.com/triplicatespod!

Oct 15, 202141:28

Summer School and First Year Exams!

The Triplicates are back for year 2! The Triplicates get together to discuss spending summer in school, tackling first year exams, and settling into their second year.

Check out our sponsor at saintedfactory.com!

Oct 01, 202143:34

Triplicates' Declassified First Year Survival Guide

The Triplicates are wrapping up their first year! We share our biggest tips to help you through first year hurdles: rotations, classes, and making friends.

Learn more about the Student Researcher’s Union and sign a card here: studentresearchersunited.org

Jun 17, 202154:55

Triplicates Thesis Lab Reveal!

The Triplicates are back to reveal where they each have chosen to complete their PhD journey and give some advice to those choosing labs in the near future. The question this week asked if the Triplicates would change anything about their rotations. Hmm, tune in to find out!

Learn more about the Student Researcher’s Union and sign a card here: studentresearchersunited.org

May 29, 202138:15

FAQ: Grad Student Unions and Rent Strikes

The Triplicates host Zachary Goldberg and Dillon Travis to break down serious issues affecting graduate students at UCSD and across the UC system. Graduate student researchers are in the process of forming a union. Hear more about why this is necessary, and what YOU can do right now if you are a graduate student researcher at a UC school. We also break down the #RentStrike happening at UCSD’s graduate and family housing.

Learn more about the Student Researcher’s Union and sign a card here: studentresearchersunited.org

Get involved with the housing action happening now by emailing freezetherentucsd@gmail.com

Apr 29, 202101:08:37

A DACA Recipient's Path to a PhD w/ Omar Lujano

The Triplicates host Omar Lujano to discuss his academic journey as a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program recipient. Omar is a first year PhD student in the San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego joint doctoral program in the House lab studying the tumor microenvironment. He shares some of the hurdles he's had to overcome while navigating higher education, his philosophies for others in his position, and some of the things he likes to do outside of science.

Omar mentioned during the show that he had a list of funding opportunities for graduate students. Here is the resource he shared: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pTtAwNLWPKOAiTJ3LFSZO6DkE76wslGB/view?usp=sharing.

Apr 15, 202101:08:35

How to: Be in Two Labs at Once w/ Saroj Gourkanti

The Triplicates host Saroj Gourkanti to get some advice on getting co-mentored during your PhD. Saroj is a second-year PhD student in the Neal and Madigan Labs at UCSD. He shares some of his journey that lead to co-mentorship and how that whole process has panned out as his PhD journey (and the pandemic) has progressed.

Apr 01, 202145:48

How to: Find a Forever Home (Choose a Thesis Lab) w/ Sumedha Ravishankar

The Triplicates host their first guest, Sumedha Ravishankar, to get some advice on choosing a thesis lab. Sumedha is a third-year PhD student in the Madigan Lab at UCSD, and a fellow women of color in STEM. She shares some grad school gems and a bit of her experiences that made a difference in the final lab decision making process.

Mar 16, 202140:29

Womentoring: Past, Present, and Future

The Triplicates celebrate Women’s History Month by reflecting on their own Women in STEM mentor relationships. They discuss pivotal moments in their journey thanks to their past female mentors, who is supporting them now, and what they would do for their own mentees.

Mar 04, 202148:07

Recruitment Weekend Behind the Scenes

This week the Triplicates take give an inside look of what recruitment weekend is like for the grad students running the show behind the scenes. We check in with the Triplicates about what their favorite parts, what they would do differently next year, and things they are excited for in the near future.

Feb 18, 202140:09

How watching dating shows made us better PhD students

This week the Triplicates take a deep dive into how dating TV shows (think Love Island, The Bachelor/Bachelorette) somehow provided them with the skills they need to succeed as a first year PhD student. Also, how watching all of those cheesy apocalypses movies in 2012 actually could help you through this pandemic. I know what you're thinking, but if you don't believe us, listen to the episode to learn more! We check in with the Triplicates about their third rotations, how classes are going, and Amanda's three favorite Irish men.

Extras:

The study mentioned in todays show can be found here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7492010/

Feb 04, 202137:08

How to: PhD Interview Weekend

Our Triplicates break down what you need to get through (and succeed in!) your PhD interviews/recruitment weekends. We've been there, and we do NOT want you to go in unprepared. We give you some do's, some don't's and some good luck!
Want to share your experiences? Email us at triplicatespod@gmail.com. Connect with us on twitter and instagram @triplicatespod. Like us? You can support us on patreon.com/triplicatespod or on ko-fi.com/triplicatespod!
Extras: This is the tweet Lennice mentioned during the show with questions you can ask during your interview: twitter.com/PaolaVFigueroa/status/1349512549734240263?s=20

Jan 21, 202101:04:44

Being True to Yourself from Head to Toe

The Triplicates tackle being true to yourself (and toes?) in academia. They talk about why professionalism is a scam and little things they do to bring a bit of themselves into their workspace.
Next time, they'll be sharing some interview tips and tricks!
Want to share your experiences? Email us at triplicatespod@gmail.com. Connect with us on twitter and instagram @triplicatespod. Like us? You can support us on patreon.com/triplicatespod or on ko-fi.com/triplicatespod!

Jan 07, 202101:11:59

One quarter down, 5ish years to go

Our Triplicates sit down to judge (a la Holiday Baking Championship) the metaphorical baked good that was their first quarter. Our criteria was unique, just like our experiences in the first 5.55555% of this journey.
Want to share your first quarter experiences? Email us at triplicatespod@gmail.com. Connect with us on twitter and instagram @triplicatespod. Like us? You can support us on patreon.com/triplicatespod or on ko-fi.com/triplicatespod!

Dec 24, 202032:02

PhD during a pandemic?

Our Triplicates sit down to spill the tea on their first quarter in the middle of a global pandemic. They break it all down from bootcamp to rotations to grad courses to the complete lack of free food.

Want to share your first quarter experiences? Email us at triplicatespod@gmail.com. Connect with us on twitter and instagram @triplicatespod. Like us? You can support us on patreon.com/triplicatespod or on ko-fi.com/triplicatespod!

Dec 10, 202052:34

Triplicates Introduction

Welcome to Triplicates! Today, we are introducing ourselves and what this podcast is going to be all about. Can't wait to hang out with you in future episodes!

Follow us on @triplicatespod on Instagram and Twitter. Support us on ko-fi.com/triplicatespod and patreon.com/triplicatespod.

Nov 26, 202015:48