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Dr. Joanne Manaster is a Biology Professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She teaches cell biology, including the human genome, and is a well-known public speaker and supporter of science education. She is active in mentoring young people, especially young women, interested in a career in STEM. I first became aware of her on Twitter where she is @sciencegoddess. We chatted about her early life as a U.S. Air Force brat living on Guam where she first became interested in Nature and biology. Later she obtained her Ph.D. at age 23, went on to marry a research programmer and raise four children—all of whom have an emerging interest in science. Any young person who is interested in becoming a scientist will want to listen to this inspiring interview.

• Joanne Manaster on Twitter, @sciencegoddess
• Dr. Manaster's Univ. of Illinois U-C Faculty page
• Publication: "11 Ways Women See STEM As A 4-Letter Word"
• New York Times article by Hope Jahren we discussed: "She Wanted to Do Her Research. He Wanted to Talk ‘Feelings.’"
• Reflections on her blog at Scientific American.
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