Peter Weng is the host for The Gastronauts Podcast. Peter is currently an MD-PhD student at the Duke University School of Medicine, where he studies how cells in the gut have developed the ability to rapidly communicate information about nutrients to the brain in the laboratory of Dr. Diego Bohórquez. During his medical training, Peter learned the value of effectively communicating a patient’s story to the entire healthcare team. Peter hopes to share his experiences and provide additional resources for prospective graduate students. He serves as an undergraduate mentor in the American Physician Scientists Association and was an editor for the Duke Science Review.
Reem Hasnah is the co-host for The Gastronauts Podcast and is currently a Master’s student in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences program at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. She received her B.Sc. in Biological Sciences from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar. In 2019, she joined the laboratory of Dr. Luis Saraiva at the Research Branch of Sidra Medicine, where she is working on characterizing nutrient sensing gut cells along the intestine. To date, she has co-authored 4 original peer-reviewed articles.
Meredith Schmehl is the editor, producer, and theme music composer for The Gastronauts Podcast. She has science communication and science storytelling experience from several other projects involving writing, policy, and outreach. She has written for Scientific American and Massive Science, was an associate editor for the Duke Science Review, and is a member of the NPR Scicommers program. She also writes for the Duke SciPol.org Writers Studio and is a member of the Communications Committee of the National Science Policy Network. She organizes outreach events for the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and has participated in outreach with groups such as Nu Rho Psi, the Research Triangle chapter of Graduate Women in Science, the Duke Science Olympiad, and the North Carolina Science and Engineering Fair. Finally, she is on the organizing committee for ComSciCon-Triangle, a science communication conference for STEM graduate students. Meredith is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Neurobiology at Duke University, where she studies how vision and hearing work together in the monkey brain. Find Meredith on her website (meredithschmehl.com) or on Twitter (@MeredithSchmehl).