"Dope Labs" Podcast Season 4 Finale Released

 Dope Labs is a Spotify Original podcast that aims to make science more accessible for everyone by serving up scientific principles with a healthy dose of tea as the hosts dive into trending topics. 

In essence, it's about science and definitely a lot of fun. 

The Dope Labs season final episode was released on October 27, and the hosts Dr. Titi Shodiya and Dr. Zakiya Whatley wanted to share some of the highlighted moments from Season four.

 Host Dr. Titi Shodiya shares her top 3 moments from Dope Labs Season 4:

●      “I loved our episode with Xavier Jernigan on the HBCU experience. This was such a special episode because Xavier and Zakiya got to reminisce about their experiences that made them who they are today.” - Dr. Titi Shodiya (Check out the episode HERE)

●      “There are a lot of rich people and famous people going to space right now. So we talked to space historian, Dr. Jordan Bimm about what this means for the future of space exploration and if we should start thinking about vacationing in space. I’m down!” - Dr. Titi Shodiya (Check out the episode HERE)

●      “We did a follow up episode on the science of friendship to talk about attachment styles. This is an episode that resonated with so many people because as we get older it is REALLY hard to make new friends / maintain our friendships, but we learned that friendship is actually more important than romantic relationships!” - Dr. Titi Shodiya (Check out the episode HERE)

Host Dr. Zakiya Whatley shares her top 3 moments from Dope Labs Season 4:

●      “Our two episode dive into sleep and the importance of it with Dr. Giardin Jean-Louis was one of my favorite moments from the semester. I personally struggle to keep a healthy sleep routine, and with everything I learned about the effects of poor sleep in that episode, I know that I have to work harder to prioritize my rest every night.” - Dr. Zakiya Whatley (Check out Part I HERE and Part II HERE)

●      “In December we highlighted HIV awareness month by exploring the biology and the broader societal context around HIV, AIDS, and the public health response over the past 40 years. This episode featured Dr. Christine Daniels, who is an expert with experience working in immune-based therapeutics. She really painted a full picture to help us understand how public opinion, the media, and more influence scientific advances and sometimes scientific failures too.” - Dr. Zakiya Whatley (Check out Part I HERE and Part II HERE)

●      “This season we had our first in-person live show at the Great Northern Festival where we talked about the science of all things winter. It was great meeting long time listeners and taking Dope Labs on the road.” - Dr. Zakiya Whatley (Check out the episode HERE and a photo of the hosts from their live show at the festival HERE)

 The podcast is co-hosted by Dr. Titi Shodiya and Dr. Zakiya Whatley, Duke University graduates, rising star experts and women of color disrupting the STEM space (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) --- who self-identify as "two of the dopest scientists and best friends you will ever meet."

 Zakiya believes in science education for all, formal or informal, across multiple platforms. Her efforts focus on broadening access to and persistence in STEM careers. Much of her work targets populations historically underrepresented in the sciences.

Shodiya works in the National Voluntary Lab Accreditation Program as a Program Manager for Calibration labs. She manages accreditation and accreditation activities for over 150 labs that cross disciplines all over the US and internationally.

In each episode, the hosts serve up scientific principles with a healthy dose of tea---- unpacking pop culture through the black lens. From cuffing season to Cardi B, they’ll take what’s trending and put it under the microscope with the help of some very smart (and cool) scientific friends. 

The podcast reinforces its mission: "At Dope Labs, we believe “science is for everybody” and our mission is to bring out the inner scientist in YOU (especially communities typically left out of the science field, many of which are women and people of color)."

Dope Labs is a product of Spotify’s Sound Up podcast accelerator program, educating and supporting women of color in the podcasting space, offering tools and resources to turn participants’ creative ideas into fully-developed podcasts. Through programs like Sound Up, Spotify provides curated listening experiences to connect users with culture in a visceral and personal way, while inspiring a new wave of cultural and socially-minded podcasts. 

This podcast is definitely worth a listen for several reasons. First, it’s entertaining and fun for a "science" show. Second, the co-hosts have an easy rapport that makes the podcast "ear worthy" and third, the show targets an underserved audience, especially dealing with STEM issues.