REPORT FROM SANTA FE IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY GRANTS FROM THE NEW MEXICO MUNICIPAL LEAGUE, A BETTER NEW MEXICO THROUGH BETTER CITIES AND FROM HELLO, I'M LORENE MILLS AND WELCOME TO REPORT FROM SANTA F.<br/> OUR GUESTS TODAY ARE TWO REMARKABLE WOMEN SCIENTISTS, SAVANNAH SCHAUM, WHO IS A STEM STUDENT BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT STEM AND JESSICA COWAN, JESSICA COWAN, WHO IS A GRADUATE IN BIOLOGY.

SO WE HAVE TWO WOMEN SCIENTISTS BECAUSE OUR ISSUE THAT I WANT TO LOOK AT TODAY IS THE ISSUE OF STEM, CAPITAL S CAPITAL T CAPITAL E AND CAPITAL M, WHICH STANDS FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATH.

AND IT'S BEEN A VERY MALE BRANCH OF THE SCIENCES, THEY SAY THAT IN 2021 ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THE PEOPLE EMPLOYED IN THE STEM BUSINESSES WERE MALE AND THE OTHER THIRD WERE WOMEN.

AND EVEN THOUGH IN THREE YEARS FROM 20 WELL, TEN YEARS FROM 2011 TO 2021, THE NUMBER OF WOMEN INCREASED BY 3% AND SO I'M TALKING TO YOU ABOUT HOW WHEN YOU FIRST DISCOVERED THAT THAT THE SCIENCES DREW YOU AND WHAT SUPPORT YOU HAD BECAUSE I'M HOPING THAT AS A CULTURE AND AS A COMMUNITY, WE CAN BE MORE WELCOMING TO INVITE MORE WOMEN INTO STEM, BECAUSE IT WAS ALWAYS CONSIDERED A MALE FIELD AND WE DON'T THINK SO.

SO, FIRST OF ALL, TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND, SAVANNAH, WHEN DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO GO INTO THE SCIENCES AND HOW WAS THAT RECEIVED?

WE LIVE IN A VERY LIBERAL COMMUNITY, SO IT MIGHT BE DIFFERENT ELSEWHERE, BUT WE ARE IN SANTA FE AND SO WHEN DID YOU FIRST FEEL THAT THIS WAS YOUR CALLING AND WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT DID YOU GET?

>> SAVANNAH: WELL, LUCKILY I HAVE KNOWN YOU FOR QUITE SOME TIME, SO I GOT TO MEET JANE GOODALL.

>>LORENE: YES.

>> SAVANNAH: FIRST WHEN I WAS TEN YEARS OLD AND SHE INSTILLED THIS STORY ABOUT WANTING TO KNOW WHERE AN EGG CAME FROM A CHICKEN, SO SHE LAID IN THE CHICKEN COOP ALL NIGHT.

AND THAT STORY HAD STUCK WITH ME FOR YEARS TO COME AND EVER SINCE I'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO SCIENCE, MOSTLY BECAUSE OF HER.

>>LORENE: WELL, THAT'S A WONDERFUL ORIGIN STORY.

AND JESSICA, HOW ABOUT YOU, WHEN DID YOU FIRST KNOW, I KNOW YOU KIND OF HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A HEALER AND INVOLVED IN MEDICINE, BUT WHERE WERE YOU FIRST CALLED AND WHAT KIND OF SUPPORT DID YOU GET?

>>JESSICA: SO I ACTUALLY HAVE A PRETTY BIG FAMILY AND QUITE A FEW OF THEM ARE IN MEDICINE.

MY GRANDMOTHER WAS A NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE NURSE, MY GODMOTHER WORKED WITH HER AS A NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE NURSE.

MY UNCLE IS A CARDIOLOGIST IN FLORIDA, MY AUNT, HIS WIFE, WAS A MICROBIOLOGIST, SHE TEACHES NOW.

SO MY UNCLE ON MY DAD'S SIDE WAS A CARDIOLOGY NURSE.

SO MEDICINE HAS BEEN AROUND FOR QUITE A BIT.

I NEVER WANTED TO DO ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN MEDICINE, THERE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A BRIEF MOMENT WHERE I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE FUN TO SWIM WITH DOLPHINS.

>>LORENE: YES, OF COURSE.

>>JESSICA: BUT I'VE ALWAYS, I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO SOMETHING WITH MEDICINE, WHETHER TREAT PEOPLE OR RESEARCH MEDICINE OR SOMETHING.

MEDICINE WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE WHAT I DID.

>>LORENE: WELL, YOU'RE LUCKY YOUR FAMILY WAS ALREADY, YOU KNOW, SCIENTISTS AND HEALERS AND DOCTORS AND NURSES, SO YOU HAD A SUPPORT SYSTEM BUILT IN.

>>JESSICA: YES.

>>LORENE: ONE OF THE ISSUES, WELL LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR WORK FIRST, BECAUSE YOU'RE DOING SUCH INTERESTING WORK, I DON'T KNOW.

SAVANNAH, YOU WANT TO TELL US WHAT YOU'RE DOING WITH A HYPOGLYCEMIC AND BREAST CANCER WITH BLOOD SUGAR AND BREAST CANCER.

DO YOU WANT ME TO READ THE TITLE OF IT OR YOU WANT TO?

>> SAVANNAH: GO AHEAD.

>>LORENE: OKAY.

SAVANNAH'S PROJECT, ONE OF HER MANY FASCINATING PROJECTS, IS "HYPOGLYCEMIA RESPONSIVE IMMUNE MODULATION BY TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER STEM CELLS, WHICH PROMOTES AN IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT," TADA!

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THAT, THIS COULD BE LIFE CHANGING.

THANK YOU.

>> SAVANNAH: IT'S BEEN QUITE FASCINATING.

SO AS YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN OBSESSED WITH WHAT METABOLISM HAS BEEN FOR MOST OF MY LIFE AND WHAT IT IS, SO WHEN DR. NANDY ASSIGNED ME TO LOOK INTO THE CYTOKINE DATA OF THE TRIPLE NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER CELLS THAT WE GROW AT NORTHERN, I WAS OVERCOME WITH EXCITEMENT, I WAS LIKE, THIS IS GOING TO BE REALLY COOL.

SO I'VE BEEN LOOKING INTO WHICH KIND OF CYTOKINES HAS BEEN SPECIFICALLY THERE WAS A PANEL OF 17 CYTOKINES THAT ARE PROTEIN CHEMICAL SIGNALS WITHIN THE TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT AND OF THOSE I TOOK THREE OF INTEREST AND RAN THEM AGAINST CLINICAL DATA AND MADE A SEMI-CONCLUSION, VERY SIMPLE TEST.

IT WAS A LOT OF FUN THIS YEAR.

>>LORENE: GOOD, GOOD.

CAN YOU TELL US THERE'S ANOTHER PROJECT THAT YOU DID RECENTLY THAT WAS ALSO INTRIGUING TO ME BESIDES THE ELMS >> SAVANNAH: I DID THE, I WAS WITH JESSICA.

>>LORENE: YES, I KNOW, THAT'S GOING TO BE OUR BRIDGE.

ONE OF YOU TALK ABOUT IT.

>> SAVANNAH: SHE PUT ME ON HER, SHE PUT MY NAME ON HER POSTER.

>>LORENE: AND WHAT WAS IT?

>>JESSICA: SO I WAS DOING "BIOPROSPECTING FOR WILD BACTERIAL SAMPLES AND FUNGAL SAMPLES, LOOKING FOR ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES IN SOIL."

SO, SAVANNAH, SHE MAKES IT SOUND LIKE I MADE HER DO SOMETHING REALLY GREAT.

UNFORTUNATELY, SHE WAS MY GRUNT, SHE DID QUITE A BIT OF LITTLE BITS OF WORK FOR ME WHEN I WAS OVERWHELMED WITH DIRT, ESSENTIALLY.

>>LORENE: YES, YES.

BUT THAT'S THE COLLABORATIVE NATURE OF WOMEN IN SCIENCE IS REALLY AN IMPORTANT THING.

YOU'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, STEALING THE OTHER PERSON'S RESEARCH, PUBLISHING IT FIRST UNDER YOUR NAME, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A REAL COLLABORATIVE THING.

ALSO, THE WORD IN YOUR POSTER AND IN YOUR WORK, "BIOPROSPECTING" TELL ME WHAT THAT IS, I JUST LOVE IT.

>>JESSICA: I LOVE THAT TERM.

SO BIOPROSPECTING IS PRETTY MUCH EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE, IT'S JUST INSTEAD OF PROSPECTING FOR GOLD, IN OUR CASE, THE GOLD IS GOING TO BE ANTIBACTERIAL, ESSENTIALLY.

WE ARE HUNTING AROUND IN THE DIRT AND OUR GOLD IS LOOKING FOR ORGANISMS THAT GIVE US ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTIES THAT WILL HOPEFULLY BECOME MEDICINE LATER ON DOWN THE LINE.

>>LORENE: RIGHT, RIGHT.

AND SO SOME OF THESE THINGS ARE SO EASY TO, I MEAN, IT'S AS COMMON IS DIRT, YOU DON'T REALIZE IT'S A GOLD MINE.

>>JESSICA: IT REALLY IS.

>>LORENE: EVERYTHING IN THERE.

>>JESSICA: ABSOLUTELY.

>>LORENE: AND DIDN'T YOU DO SOME WORK WITH ALGAE?

YOU FOUND AN ALGAE THAT MIGHT BE PERHAPS HAVE POSSIBLY ANTIMICROBIAL, DID I READ IT WRONG?

>>JESSICA: I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S ON THE ALGAE WORK, BUT WE, THIS WAS A COUPLE OF SOIL SAMPLES FROM STUDENTS.

>>LORENE: AND SO AND THEN THERE'S CERTAIN ELEMENTS IN THOSE AREAS WHERE THE EARTH IS REALLY VOLCANIC AND THERE'S ALL SORTS OF MINERALS THERE, FOR EXAMPLE, COFFEE GROWN IN AREAS OF VOLCANOES, IT'S MUCH REALLY STRONGER COFFEE.

BUT PEOPLE DON'T RESPECT DIRT ENOUGH, I'M SO GLAD THERE'S A MARTHA STEWART AD SAYING I'M A DIRT NERD, LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL, ORGANIC AND TO FEED YOUR SOIL, NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, THE TOPSOIL BLOWS AWAY A LOT AND WE HAVE TO INVEST IN OUR DIRT.

BUT ONE OF THE THINGS I'D LOVE YOU TO ADDRESS IS HOW ARE WE GOING TO PERHAPS ALTER OR MODIFY THE MALE DOMINATION IN STEM, SO WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT, EITHER ONE OF YOU, HOW CAN WE FIX THIS, HOW CAN WE MAKE MORE ROOM FOR NOT JUST WOMEN, BUT PEOPLE, MORE PEOPLE OF COLOR BY ANYBODY THAT'S NOT A WHITE MALE?

WE NEED TO OPEN UP THE DOORS BECAUSE WOMEN HAVE A DIFFERENT WAY OF THINKING ABOUT THINGS, A DIFFERENT WAY OF PUTTING THINGS TOGETHER THAT IS REALLY NEEDED IN OUR FRAGMENTED WORLD AND EVEN IN OUR FRAGMENTED SCIENCES, SO PLEASE, EITHER ONE OF YOU.

>>JESSICA: SAVANNAH IS LOOKING AT ME BECAUSE SHE KNOWS THIS IS DEFINITELY MY SOAP BOX.

>>LORENE: GOOD, OKAY.

>>JESSICA: YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD A VERY NONTRADITIONAL LIFE GROWING UP AS PROBABLY A LOT OF PEOPLE IN NEW MEXICO, ESPECIALLY WOMEN, HAVE.

AND SO I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN OF THE OPINION THAT EDUCATION HAS TO BE MORE READILY AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE, PEOPLE OF COLOR, PEOPLE IN LOWER INCOMES, PEOPLE COMING FROM THE PUEBLO, PEOPLE COMING FROM INNER CITY, WOMEN WHO ARE SINGLE MOTHERS AND ON THEIR OWN.

EDUCATION REALLY SEEMS TO BE THIS NICHE AREA AND WHILE IT SEEMS TO BE SLOWLY GETTING BETTER, IT'S STILL SO HARD TO HAVE ANY SORT OF SUPPORT GOING INTO THAT.

I AM MARRIED NOW, BUT I WAS A SINGLE MOTHER, BEFORE THIS MY HUSBAND, FOR A VERY LONG TIME AND WHILE I HAD MY PARENTS, WE GREW UP LOW INCOME IN MISSOURI AND SO I KNEW FROM A YOUNG AGE THAT I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO PUT MYSELF THROUGH COLLEGE.

THERE WAS GOING TO BE NO ONE THERE TO HELP ME THROUGH IT, THEY WERE GOING TO GIVE ME THE EMOTIONAL SUPPORT, THE EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT I NEEDED, BUT THE FINANCES WERE NOT GOING TO BE THERE.

AND THAT'S A VERY TRUE INSTANCE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, WHETHER THEY END UP BECOMING SINGLE MOTHERS OR NOT.

YOU BECOME VERY BLESSED AND LUCKY TO HAVE SOMEBODY SUPPORT YOU IN FINDING AND GAINING EDUCATION AND WE NEED PEOPLE TO LOOK AT SOMEBODY WHO WANTS THAT EDUCATION, WHO DESPERATELY IS BEGGING FOR SOMEONE TO REACH OUT THEIR HAND AND SAY YOU CAN DO THIS, WE WILL HELP YOU DO THIS.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED, PEOPLE OUT THERE NEED, EVEN IF IT'S JUST ONE PERSON OR A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE, TO SAY, WE WILL HELP YOU, WE WILL GET YOU THERE.

THEY'LL DO THE WORK, THEY WANT TO DO THE WORK, PEOPLE WANT TO DO THE WORK.

I DID THE WORK, I STRUGGLED.

I SAT HOME, I YOU KNOW, I TOOK CARE OF OUR KIDS AND I DID THE HOUSEWORK AND I STUDIED MY BUTT OFF.

WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS ILL AND I WAS STILL IN SCHOOL, I TOOK CARE OF ALL OF THAT AND STILL WENT TO SCHOOL.

SAVANNAH HAD TO HOLD MY HAND A FEW TIMES AS I TOED THAT LITTLE LINE OF I THINK I'M GOING TO LOSE IT JUST A TINY BIT.

BUT IT WAS HARD, BUT THERE WAS STILL THOSE PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT SAID, YOU CAN DO THIS, WE WILL HELP YOU DO THIS.

WE JUST NEED TO TREAT THE STATE, THE COUNTRY, LIKE WE'RE A SMALL COMMUNITY.

DON'T THINK THAT PERSON ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTRY, IT DOESN'T MATTER TO YOU, THEY'RE NOT YOUR NEIGHBOR.

THEY'RE SOMEONE'S NEIGHBOR, SO JUST REACH OUT A HAND, GIVE THEM A PUSH, THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO.

>>LORENE: I SEE, BECAUSE I LOOKED, YOU MAKE THESE BEAUTIFUL POSTERS ABOUT YOUR WORK, BUT YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THE WOMEN THAT SUPPORTED YOU, INTELLECTUALLY, SCIENTIFICALLY, BUT ALSO EMOTIONALLY AND LITERALLY PHYSICALLY.

>>JESSICA: YES.

>>LORENE: AND THAT'S WHAT IS SO LOVELY ABOUT YOUR FRIENDSHIP AND THAT YOU CAN SUPPORT EACH OTHER BECAUSE IT'S REALLY HARD.

NOW, I KNOW THAT THE STEM SANTA FE DOES OFFER SOME SCHOLARSHIPS AND I THINK PEO.

>>JESSICA: YES THEY DO.

>>LORENE: WE BOTH KNOW THEY OFFER MONEY AND THERE'S A LOT OF CONTESTS AND COMPETITIONS TO GET SMALL SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS, BUT EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS AND EVERYTHING THAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP SOMEBODY ON THE WAY, WHO'S IN SCHOOL, TO SAY, "WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP YOU?"

AND ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO DO BECAUSE YOU ARE HELPING ME, I LIKE TO INTRODUCE OUR GUESTS AGAIN, OUR GUESTS TODAY, JESSICA COWAN, THANK YOU AND SAVANNAH SCHAUM, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

SO YOU NEED TO CHANGE THE FACT THAT THESE FIELDS ARE CONSIDERED STEREOTYPICALLY AND BIASEDLY AS MALE FIELDS.

YOU KNOW, AND I THINK NURSING WAS A REAL BREAKTHROUGH, BECAUSE IT WAS SCIENTIFIC AND WOMEN WERE IN IT AND NOW WE HAVE A LOT OF MALE NURSES, TOO AND THAT'S WONDERFUL.

BUT WHAT ARE OTHER WAYS THAT WE CAN ENCOURAGE WOMEN AND GIRLS TO THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT LOOKS KIND OF COOL, YOU KNOW, I'D LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THAT AND THEN BOOM, HAVE THEIR BACK AND JUST SAY, BECAUSE ONE THING THAT I KNOW AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE HERE IN SANTA FE, THERE ARE FREE WEEKLONG WORKSHOPS IN ALL SORTS OF STEM THINGS, HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN ROBOT, YOU KNOW, JUST A LOT OF FUN SCIENCE THINGS THAT A CHILD OR YOUNG PERSON WHO WOULDN'T BE THINKING THAT HAS SO MUCH FUN DOING IT.

THEY THINK I WANT TO DO MORE, I WANT TO MAKE A HEDGEHOG ROBOT, I WANT TO DO SOMETHING, BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK SAVANNAH?

>> SAVANNAH: I TOTALLY AGREE.

I LOVE THAT NORTHERN HAS SO MANY, I MEAN JESSICA AND I BOTH KNOW THAT WE'VE VOLUNTEERED SO MANY TIMES WHEN THERE WAS STEM DAY AT OUR SCHOOL, THERE WAS A COME AND SEE THE LABORATORY.

SO LIKE WE HAD A STEM DAY WHERE KIDS CAME AND SAW THE LAB, GOT TO SEE THE CANCER CELLS, GOT TO SEE THE MICROBIOLOGY LAB, I HAD THE PETRI PLACED WITH E.COLI AND BACILLUS LIKE, IT BECAME REALLY INTERACTIVE AND HAVING MORE OF THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, HAVING MORE EXPERIENCES, BUT THEN ALSO HAVING BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL WOMEN WHO ARE ALSO MOMS AND INCREDIBLE PEOPLE, JUST SAYING, I DID IT, I CAN DO IT.

AND HAVING THOSE ROLE MODELS, THEY ARE TRULY THE INSPIRATION TO HELP US GET THROUGH.

>>LORENE: AND ONE OF THE OTHER ALMOST GIVEN TO THIS IS THAT THE KIDS WATCH THEIR MOM AND SHE'S DOING A HARD THING AND IT MEANS SHE'S NOT THERE ALL THE TIME AND THEN THEY SEE, LIKE YOU JUST GRADUATED AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S A GLORIOUS ACCOMPLISHMENT.

AND, YOU KNOW, FOR YOUR CHILDREN TO SEE ALL THE WORK THAT YOU PUT IN BEING A SINGLE MOM AND, YOU KNOW, ENDLESS SCHOOL, BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO STOP SOMETIMES AND THEN PICK IT BACK UP AGAIN.

BUT FOR THE KIDS TO KNOW THAT YOU, YOU KNOW, THEY WERE PROBABLY THE PROUDEST IN THE AUDIENCE.

>>JESSICA: YES, DEFINITELY MY ELDEST, HE'S 14.

THE TWO-YEAR-OLD WAS HAPPILY CLAPPING, HE LOVED EVERYTHING THAT WAS HAPPENING.

BUT THE 14-YEAR-OLD WHO COULD ACTUALLY QUANTIFY EVERYTHING THAT WAS OUT THERE SEEMED VERY PROUD.

THERE WAS, HE ACTUALLY WROTE OUT A CARD FOR ME AND WE HAD A PARTY THAT EVENING.

HE HAD EVERYBODY THAT CAME TO THE PARTY SIGN IT FOR ME.

>>LORENE: THAT'S BEAUTIFUL.

>>JESSICA: I KNOW, IT'S LIKE GOSH, IT'S SO NICE WHEN THE SWEET COMES THROUGH THE TEENAGE YEARS.

I REALLY THOUGHT THAT SINCE HE HIT HIS TEENAGE YEARS, HE WAS A LITTLE BIT MORE CUT OFF FROM EVERYTHING, BUT THEN HE DOES THINGS LIKE THAT, IT WAS JUST, I UGLY CRIED, I SQUEEZED HIM BUT HE'S FIVE EIGHT NOW, SO I HAD TO REACH UP TO SQUEEZE HIM.

BUT IT WAS, IT WAS GREAT.

WE DID HAVE A SMALL LIKE MOM HEART TO HEART TALK AT ONE POINT BECAUSE HE DIDN'T REALIZE, YOU KNOW, WHEN I WAS TELLING PEOPLE, IT TOOK ME 14 YEARS TO GET THIS DEGREE.

THAT EVENING HE SAT WITH ME AND HE SAID, MOM, DID I RUIN YOUR LIFE, I BROKE, I MEAN, WITHOUT MISSING A BEAT, I SAID, NO, NOT EVEN FOR A SECOND, YOU DID NOT RUIN MY LIFE.

THINGS JUST GOT A LITTLE START AND STOP THERE FOR A SECOND.

BUT IN NO WAY SHAPE OR FORM DID HE EVER RUIN MY LIFE.

BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT WAS THE FIRST THING HE THOUGHT WAS THEN SOMETHING HE DID WAS KEEPING ME FROM DOING THIS.

IT WASN'T THAT HE DIDN'T THINK MOM WAS SMART ENOUGH OR THAT MOM WASN'T CAPABLE OF DOING IT, HE THOUGHT IT WAS BECAUSE OF HIM AND IT WASN'T.

>>LORENE: WELL, THERE'S A LOT OF STOPPING AND STARTING.

I KNOW SAVANNAH YOU'VE BEEN AT THIS FOR A WHILE.

>> SAVANNAH: JUST AS LONG, WITHOUT A KID, ONE EX-HUSBAND LATER, THANK GOODNESS FOR THAT, THAT CHAPTER AND DONE.

SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES HAVE ARISEN FROM THE FACT THAT YOU JUST KEEP GOING.

>>LORENE: RIGHT AND YOU HAVE BEEN AWARDED SOME INTERNSHIPS, SOME WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THEM.

>> SAVANNAH: I JUST GOT OFF THE PHONE WITH THEM.

>>LORENE: GOOD.

>> SAVANNAH: THEY'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING ME, 8:30 STARTING TIME AND IT WILL BE IN ALBUQUERQUE, I TOLD JESS TO BRING THE BOYS BY FOR THE WEEKEND, SO I DON'T FEEL LIKE I'M DOING A LITTLE LOOPY.

BUT I'LL BE STAYING AT UNM AND I'LL BE COMMUTING TO FIORE INDUSTRIES, AND I'M WORKING ON BUILDING A BIOSENSOR.

>>LORENE: DO YOU KNOW, SPECIFICALLY WHAT THIS SYMPOSIUM OR SEMINAR OR INTERNSHIP IS WITH I MEAN, WHAT WILL YOU BE WORKING WITH?

>> SAVANNAH: NO, NOT YET.

SO I THINK IT'LL BE KIND OF, THEY SAID YOU'LL BE BORED SOME DAYS AND THEN YOU'LL BE GO, GO, GO.

SO IT SOUNDS LIKE I GET TO DO KIND OF A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT JESS IS GOING INTO, SHE'S TAKING HER TEST FOR PA SCHOOL, SO IT'S NOT LIKE IT ENDS FOR HER.

IT'S LIKE WE FINISH ONE TEST AND... >>LORENE: WHAT ARE YOU TAKING?

>>JESSICA: SO I'M GOING TO START APPLYING FOR PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT SCHOOL.

SO THAT'S GOING TO BE THE NEXT STEP ON MY ROAD TO TRYING TO DO CLINICAL RESEARCH MUCH LATER.

BUT I WANT TO TAKE SOME TIME AND GET BACK IN AND PHYSICALLY TREAT PATIENTS AND SEE WHAT THEY NEED.

CLINICAL RESEARCH IS SO WONDERFUL, I'VE DONE IT BEFORE WITH A WOMAN WHO'S HERE IN SANTA FE, DR. LINDA GORGOS, WHO IS AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE CLINICAL RESEARCHER.

AND, YOU KNOW, I LOVE BEING ABLE, I LOVE THE IDEA OF BEING ABLE TO TREAT PATIENTS TO HELP A NEW DRUG OR PIECE OF EQUIPMENT COME OUT ONTO THE MARKET AND HELP PATIENTS, BUT NOT HAVE TO DEAL WITH INSURANCE.

>>LORENE: THAT'S A REAL PROBLEM.

WHY WE'RE LOSING A LOT OF DOCTORS AND SCIENTISTS HERE IS THE INSURANCE.

>>JESSICA: SO MY NEXT STEP IS GOING TO THE PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT SCHOOL AND GETTING MY HANDS DIRTY WITH REGULAR WORK FOR A LITTLE WHILE AND THEN GO BACK TO SCHOOL AGAIN.

>>LORENE: YEAH, YEAH, WELL, "HE NOT BUSY BEING BORN IS BUSY DYING," THAT'S A LINE FROM BOB DYLAN.

>>JESSICA: YES, IT IS.

>>LORENE: AND I KNOW THAT ALL THREE OF US, BUT MOST OF THE WOMEN I KNOW HAVE THAT CURIOSITY AND YOU KNOW, THE DESIRE TO FIND OUT MORE AND TO FIGURE OUT HOW THINGS WORK AND THEN TO SHARE IT.

SO, SAVANNAH, START WITH YOU.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A YOUNG WOMAN WHO'S WATCHING THIS AND WHO'S KIND OF INTERESTED IN GOING INTO STEM, HOW CAN WE ENCOURAGE THEM?

>> SAVANNAH: MY GOSH, JUST BELIEVE, HARNESS YOUR LIGHT INSIDE THAT NO ONE ELSE CAN TOUCH AND KNOW THAT YOU BELONG SOMEWHERE IN STEM.

YOU WILL END UP IN SO MANY DIFFERENT SPOTS AND SO MANY PLACES, I MEAN, I WAS A LANDSCAPER, A PERSONAL TRAINER, AND THEN I WORKED IN DR. NANDY'S LABORATORY, RIGHT?

SO I WENT FROM ONE BIOLOGICAL ASPECT TO ANOTHER BIOLOGICAL ASPECT TO WORKING WITH BREAST CANCER.

I MEAN, YOU JUST DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'LL END UP AND YOU WILL END UP IN THE RIGHT POSITION WHETHER YOU WANT TO GO INTO ENGINEERING, MATHEMATICS, ANYTHING TO DO WITH TECHNOLOGY WILL LEAD YOU INTO, LIKE YOU DON'T HAVE TO JUST DO ONE THING, LIKE HAVING ALL YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW IS NOT THE IDEA, JUST BELIEVE THAT YOU WILL DO SOMETHING AND YOU WILL DO IT.

>>LORENE: THAT'S BEAUTIFUL, THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

I'M INSPIRED AND WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO YOUNG WOMEN?

>>JESSICA: YOU KNOW, MY ADVICE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, LIFE IS GOING TO THROW SO MANY DIFFERENT CURVEBALLS AT YOU, DON'T WORRY ABOUT TAKING THE PATH THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO TAKE.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHAT YOU SEE ON TV AND MOVIES, DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE TELL YOU, THIS IS HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE DONE WHEN YOU'RE IN HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE SCHOOL.

MY MOM LIKES TO SAY THAT AS LONG AS YOU HUSTLE, IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW YOU GOT THERE, THAT'S THE END RESULT.

SO I WOULD JUST TELL WOMEN, YOUNG GIRLS, JUST HUSTLE, FIGURE IT OUT, ASK QUESTIONS, LOOK AROUND ONLINE, GO TO YOUR LIBRARY AND USE THE COMPUTER.

GOOGLE IS AN AMAZING THING, AS SOMEONE WHO GREW UP BEFORE GOOGLE WAS A THING, GOOGLE IS AN AMAZING PIECE OF EVERYTHING.

>>LORENE: I GOOGLE EVERYTHING.

>>JESSICA: GOOGLE IT, LOOK IT UP AND ASK PEOPLE.

YOU KNOW, PEOPLE KNOW PEOPLE KNOW PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY IN NEW MEXICO, AND YOU WILL FIGURE OUT WHAT YOUR HUSTLE NEEDS TO BE TO GET TO WHERE YOU WANT TO GO.

>>LORENE: ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY.

SO JUST TELL ME YOUR NEXT STEP AND YOUR NEXT STEP, WE GLOSS OVER, BECAUSE SPEAKING OF THE ETERNAL HUSTLE AND PROGRESS AND CURIOSITY AND GROWTH, YOUR NEXT FLAMING HOOP YOU'RE JUMPING THROUGH IS.

>> SAVANNAH: YEAH.

FIORE AND GETTING THROUGH MY LAST SEMESTER, I'M RIGHT BEHIND YOU.

I'M LIKE BRING ON THE 16 CREDIT HOURS NEXT SEMESTER AND WILL BE GRADUATING IN DECEMBER AND THEN OFF TO THE AIR FORCE.

>>LORENE: OH GREAT!

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM ULTIMATELY?

>>JESSICA: TELL THEM.

IT'S A GREAT DREAM.

>> SAVANNAH: TO BE AN ASTRONAUT.

>>LORENE: OH YES, OH YES, WELL, ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP YOU.

>> SAVANNAH: THANK YOU.

>>LORENE: AND YOU, WHAT IS YOUR NEXT STEP, YOU'RE DOING THE PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT?

>>JESSICA: YES, I'M PUTTING IN APPLICATIONS NOW AND APPLYING FOR DIFFERENT PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT SCHOOLS AND IN CASE PEOPLE DON'T KNOW, HYBRID PROGRAMS ARE BECOMING A MORE POPULAR THING FOR PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT SCHOOLING.

SO YOUR BOOKWORK IS DONE ONLINE IN YOUR COHORT, BUT YOU SHOW UP TO THE CAMPUS FOR ONE, TWO WEEKS AT A TIME HERE AND THERE TO DO YOUR HANDS-ON WORK.

OBVIOUSLY, YOU CANNOT DO ONLINE WORK AND LEARN HOW TO SUTURE SOMEBODY, BUT YOU WILL DO IT IN PERSON ON THAT CAMPUS AND THEN YOU COME BACK HOME AND YOU DO MORE BOOKWORK.

AND THEN YOUR SECOND YEAR IS DOING CLINICAL ROTATIONS, WHICH, DEPENDING ON THE SCHOOL, CAN HELP YOU FIND CLINICAL ROTATIONS IN YOUR STATE.

SO IF SOMEBODY IS THINKING THAT THEY CAN'T GO TO PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT SCHOOL, THEY DON'T WANT TO GO TO UNM, THERE'S JUST NO WAY THEY CAN COMMIT THAT KIND OF TIME, THERE ARE HYBRID PROGRAMS.

>>LORENE: THAT'S WONDERFUL.

>>JESSICA: YOU CAN DO THIS PART.

YOU CAN DO BOOKWORK ONLINE AND LEARN TO DO THE HARD STUFF IN-PERSON FOR A WEEK OR SO AT A TIME.

>>LORENE: THAT IN-PERSON PART, THERE'S JUST ONE OTHER ELEMENT I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT.

HAVE YOU BEEN BLESSED TO HAVE MENTORS ALONG THE WAY AND HOW CAN A PERSON FIND THE MENTOR, I MEAN, IN A WAY, IT'S FATE.

YOU KNOW, YOU END UP, THE RIGHT TEACHER APPEARS AT THE RIGHT TIME.

BUT JUST GIVE ME A MINUTE ABOUT MENTORING.

>> SAVANNAH: I'M JEALOUS OF JESSICA'S LAB, THEY HAVE A BOOMBOX, MUCH MORE LAID BACK, DR. NANDY IS LIKE DOT YOUR IS AND CROSS YOUR TS.

>>JESSICA: HER PEOPLE COME OUT SUPER, LIKE SMART AND STRAIGHT.

BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, VERY STRICT.

>> SAVANNAH: I MISS THE LAIDBACKNESS WITH JESSICA.

I HAVE TO SAY NORTHERN AND I HAVE TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT NORTHERN NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY.

YEAH, WE BOTH WENT TO UNM AND IT WHILE IT WAS GREAT, JESSICA AND I BOTH FELT LIKE YOU'RE JUST ONE OF THE MANY MEMBERS AND DEALT WITH SO MANY TAS.

WHEN WE WERE AT NORTHERN AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG HERE, BUT LIKE AT NORTHERN, THE TEACHERS REALLY WANT YOU TO SUCCEED, BUT YOU HAVE TO DO THE WORK, YOU HAVE TO PUT IT IN, BUT THEY'RE WILLING TO MEET YOU HALFWAY.

AND THAT ONE ON ONE THAT YOU GET FROM NORTHERN IS I MEAN, IT MIGHT START BOOMING NOW THAT WE'VE DONE THIS.

>>LORENE: YEAH, YEAH, YEAH.

>> SAVANNAH: I MEAN THEY'RE JUST INCREDIBLE.

I MEAN DR. SILVER GRADUATED FROM YALE AND HE'S BEEN MY TUTOR.

>>LORENE: WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO, WE'RE ALMOST OUT OF TIME.

I WANT TO SAY THAT'S NORTHERN NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY IN ESPANOLA.

>> SAVANNAH: CORRECT?

>>LORENE: YES, GOOD, BECAUSE THEY DESERVE A PLUG.

SO I'M JUST SO GRATEFUL THAT WE'VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION.

I'M MUCH MORE ENCOURAGED ABOUT WOMEN IN STEM, AND I WANT TO THANK OUR GUESTS TODAY, JESSICA COWAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH AND SAVANNAH SCHAUM, IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO TALK WITH YOU.

THIS HAS BEEN A GREAT SHOW, THANK YOU.

>> SAVANNAH/JESSICA: THANK YOU.

>>LORENE: AND I'M LORENE MILLS, I'D LIKE TO THANK YOUR, OUR AUDIENCE, FOR BEING WITH US TODAY ON THIS SPECIAL EDITION OF REPORT FROM SANTA FE .

REPORT FROM SANTA FE IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY GRANTS FROM THE NEW MEXICO MUNICIPAL LEAGUE, A BETTER NEW MEXICO THROUGH BETTER CITIES AND FROM