Sustainably Speaking

Author: APM

To make sustainable change, protect our environment and create a lower-carbon future, we need to have a dialogue with everyone involved. Join us on Sustainably Speaking, as we talk with innovators, policymakers, academics, and scientists to discuss the most critical issues of our time and innovative ways to create a brighter future through the lens of sustainability. Visit: https://plasticmakers.org/education-innovation/podcast/.
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Language: en

Genres: Earth Sciences, Science, Technology

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Opening Doors In STEM with Vaishali Udupa and Jennifer Ronk
Episode 55
Monday, 23 March, 2026

What does a career in STEM—science, technology, engineering and math—really look like today? It might mean managing thousands of employees at a federal agency, protecting breakthrough inventions through patents, or helping redesign the materials that power modern life. The common thread isn’t a straight line. It’s curiosity, adaptability and the willingness to say yes to new opportunities. Host Mia Quinn sits down with Vaishali Udupa, Chief IP Counsel at Verizon and former Commissioner for Patents at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and Jennifer Ronk, a plastics and sustainability expert at Dow, to explore how the next generation can build meaningful careers in science, technology, and sustainability. Together, they talk candidly about mentorship, overcoming challenges, embracing leadership, and why you don’t need your entire future mapped out at 18. Along the way, they share candid stories about mentorship, leadership and resilience—and explain why curiosity and problem-solving are at the heart of every STEM career. You’ll also hear how patents and intellectual property fuel innovation and how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping careers across science, engineering and manufacturing.