Shine Bright Like the Firmament
Conversations with science professionals who are practicing Catholics to show that faith and science don't need to be mutually exclusive.
Episodes
62 episodes since 2022
Know Your Body
In this episode, Madeline chats with her friend Maddie Smith, a wife, mom, and former pharmacy technician. During their conversation, they discuss what a pharmacy technician does, the importance of patience and customer service, the golden rule...
September 11, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 62
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46:54
Don't Turn Your Brain Off
In this episode, Madeline chats with her friend Matt Nelson, a high school math and science teacher at Cardinal Ritter High School in Indianapolis. During their conversation, they discuss the prep that goes into teaching, his original degree in...
August 28, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 61
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1:11:38
Don't Fear The Random Walk
In this episode, Madeline chats with her Paul Rimmer, a professor at the University of Cambridge studying the origins of life. During their conversation, they discuss eclipses and the April 2024 eclipse, Colorado, his time at University of Colo...
August 14, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 60
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59:00
The Literature Tangent
In this special tangent episode, Madeline chats again with her friend Ben Stapleton, an electrical engineer for a utility company. During their conversation, they expand on the literature tangent of their previous
July 31, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 59
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1:34:23
Conversion is Constant
In this episode, Madeline chats with her Pat Schloss, a microbiologist/biology professor at Michigan who studies the microbiome. During their conversation, they discuss data science, his postdoc at University of Wisconsin-Madison, undergrad and...
July 17, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 58
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1:01:55
Tangents Are Welcome Here
In this episode, Madeline chats with her friend Rob Singler, a mechanical engineer. During their conversation, they discuss the funny story about how Rob got on Madeline’s radar, putting people in boxes, a link between engineering and creative ...
July 03, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 57
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57:53
To Know God Better Is To Love God Better
In this episode, Madeline chats with her friend Briana Sobecks, a 2nd year chemical engineering PhD student at Stanford. During their conversation, they discuss her research, how her high school and family ignited her fascination with biology a...
June 19, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 56
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45:53
You Have To Know The Rules In Order To Break The Rules
🎉 🎉 🎉 It's been TWO years since the start of this podcast! 🎉 🎉 🎉In this special anniversary episode, Madeline chats with her friend Gregory Woods, a Byzantine Catholic composer and writer and the mind behind the podcast's new intro musi...
June 05, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 55
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47:17
"Dear Jesus, It's Me, Stacy..."
In this episode, Madeline chats with Stacy Trasancos, research chemist turned adjunct and author. During their conversation, they discuss how to treat those we disagree with, growing up Baptist in Texas, what led to her atheist phase and back t...
May 22, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 54
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57:29
All Roads Lead to Home
In this episode, Madeline chats with Mike Gamba, a civil engineer with his own firm. During their conversation, they discuss the perks of living in mountains, his faith life growing up, what lead to his borderline atheist phase, the class the c...
May 08, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 53
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1:02:22
More Than Just A Farmer
In this episode, Madeline chats with Zephyr Thomas, a software developer by day and self-published author by night. During their conversation, they discuss what software development is, slower-paced stories, attention span, knowing your audienc...
April 24, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 52
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39:05
People Are More Important Than Papers
In this episode, Madeline chats with Anne Marie Snoddy, a biological anthropologist research fellow working (at time of recording) at the University of Otago in New Zealand. During their conversation, they discuss biology and anthropology under...
April 10, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 51
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37:43
God Can Arrange Your Martyrdom
In this episode, Madeline chats with her friends, LC Douglas and Ellie McGhee, sisters who are undergrads studying computer science and plasma physics respectively. During their conversation, they discuss geography, sleep, what got them into th...
March 27, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 50
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52:00
Another Trip Down Memory Lane
In this episode, Madeline chats with her friend and optometrist Randy Fortkamp. During their conversation, they discuss the many different ways to be an optometrist, why he ended up at IU, how his degrees worked, his time at a pharmacy plant, h...
March 13, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 49
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48:17
Two for The Price of One
In this episode, Madeline chats with two friends: Matt Kresich, a parish youth and adult ministry professional at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Cedar Lake, Indiana and George Jurincie, a computer engineer working in HVAC manufacturing. ...
February 28, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 48
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45:27
You're Mine Now
In this episode, Madeline chats with her Srishti Gupta, a FOCUS missionary at Kennesaw State University. During their conversation, they discuss went her undergrad at Georgia Tech for aerospace engineering, growing up Hindu, her atheist phase, ...
February 14, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 47
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1:15:08
Spoiler Free Sci-Fi
In this special birthday episode, Madeline celebrates turning 26 by going off on a slightly unhinged tangent chatting with Melissa Ring, her friend and geography and meteorology student at Valparaiso University, about her sci-fi writing hobby. ...
January 31, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 46
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53:53
Called Home and Blessed
In this episode, Madeline chats with her friend Sofia Bilder, a quality engineer for a steel mill in Northwest Indiana. During their conversation, they discuss her undergrad at Colorado School of Mines, what lead her to Catholicism, why she mov...
January 17, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 45
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33:50
A Canticle of Live Research
In this episode, Madeline chats with her friend Ben Stapleton, an electrical engineer for a utility company. During their conversation, they discuss his summer camp and Kairos experiences, his undergrad at Penn State University, a glimpse...
January 03, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 44
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57:07
Flourishing
In this episode, Madeline chats with Cara Buskmiller, an OB/GYN and consecrated virgin for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. During their conversation, they discuss what is was like growing up in her family, a fateful Girl Scouts trip, her ...
December 20, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 43
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1:22:43
A Spiritual Enemies to Lovers Arc
In this episode, Madeline chats with her friend Grace Van Hare, a medical student at Case Western Reserve University. During their conversation, they discuss her relationship with her younger sister, veiling, her conversion, humility, her paren...
December 06, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 42
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56:27
A Steward of Hope and Light
In this episode, Madeline chats with Bill Patenaude, a retired mechanical engineer who used to work for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. During their conversation, they discuss his bachelors degree at the University of R...
November 22, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 41
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47:08
Mushrooms, Moral Compasses, and Mental Health
In this episode, Madeline chats with her friend Raden Bowerman, a research and development manager for a mushroom company. During their conversation, they discuss his degree in sustainable biomaterials, an overview of non-timber forest products...
November 08, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 40
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1:03:52
Always More to Discover
In this episode, Madeline chats with her friend Thomas Salerno, a freelance writer, editor, and fellow podcaster with a background in paleontology and anthropology. During their conversation, they discuss his bachelor’s in anthropology from SUN...
October 25, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 39
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1:13:15
Rooted in Relationship
In this episode, Madeline chats with her friend Megan Bullock, a FOCUS missionary serving at Valparaiso University. During their conversation, they discuss how she started to love chemistry and science, why she chose to go IU over Purdue, the l...
October 10, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 38
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51:45