The HEROIC Podcast

Joseph Isaac - HEROES Fellow

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 12:58:00 GMT

Joe stalked the principal at McKinley Technology High School, then DC’s newest specialty school, because he wanted to be on the faculty at the opening, and it worked! He is a big believer in HBCUs and has deep connections to Howard University that started before his birth. He also produced video games, taught history, made his own ceviche, and worked at the National Science Foundation. He runs a travel agency, and, like many good teachers, he laughs a lot.

Omar Faison - Vice Provost at Virginia State University

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:03:00 GMT

As the Chief Research Officer at VSU, Omar recommends that all of his faculty members keep at least one research idea in their pocket ready to convert into a formal proposal for when an appropriate solicitation appears, which is especially useful today because the time from the posting of a solicitation to the deadline has been shrinking. He also discusses how a fantastic three-day QEM HEROES Fellow workshop yielded one third of his faculty attendees submitting a proposal in just a few months.Also hear about his goals, his career, being a dean and DJ, and just a bit about why calcium is God.

Josh Trapani - HEROES Fellow

Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Josh Trapani has worked in many places, including the front office of the NSF Directorate for Geosciences, which offered him an unusual view of the way decisions are made at the top levels of America’s science agencies. He also has a long-standing love of writing, both fiction and non-fiction, which he discusses with Greg. Other topics include being an NSF program officer, science of science, small schools versus big ones, and his overall take on this administration’s view of science – recorded one day before the White House released Science: A New Golden Age.

Carrie Hall - HEROES Fellow

Fri, 31 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Carrie Hall attended a large diverse high school in Tulsa, OK before joining the Air Force. After eight years in the military, which was also diverse, she found herself surrounded almost exclusively by White students at the University of Tulsa, which got her thinking about society and how education can be an equalizer. In her conversation with Greg, she explores diversity of various sorts and also talks about bugs, fiber arts, the cocktail party problem, and working as a program officer at the National Science Foundation.

Jennifer Riehl - HEROES Fellow

Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:04:00 GMT

In her conversation with Greg, Dr. Jennifer Riehl talks about her meandering career path and how she maintains relationships with former colleagues at the US National Science Foundation and the AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellows Program. She also discusses how she applied biological research within the forensic and environmental science sectors. As you listen, you’ll also learn some fascinating facts about the interspecies mating habits of trees and how the COVID-19 pandemic jump started an enthusiasm for nature journalling.

Toya Jones Frank - HEROES Fellow

Fri, 17 Jul 2026 13:04:00 GMT

Toya Jones Frank made a hurried decision to leave her job as the chair of a high school math department to pursue a doctorate in mathematics education. One might like to say, “She never looked back,” but that couldn’t be further from the truth. To this day, she is a teacher who has branched out into research about teaching while still working with children. In her conversation with Greg, she discusses the role of an NSF program officer (which is synonymous with program director), how she loves reading more than writing, running Camp Mommy, and how teachers need to know themselves.

Chris Atchison - HEROES Fellow

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMT

As a graduate student, Chris Atchison led a group of wheelchair users into Mammoth Cave. The purpose of this trip was to investigate virtual reality in education, but when he emerged from the cave, educating disabled students broadly became the focus of his career. He is currently both a professor of Geoscience Education at the University of Cincinnati and a QEM Network HEROES Fellow. In the past he was a program officer at the National Science Foundation, a cadet at Norwich University, and a UPS delivery driver. Greg and Chris also talk about NSF grants, mentorship, scholarships, and becoming a grandparent.

Gregory Davis - HEROES Fellow

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 13:01:00 GMT

Gregory Davis, our regular host, passes his duties to guest host Amaka Nwankwo so he can be the interviewee. (Amaka was the guest in the very first episode of this podcast.) In this episode Greg talks about researching proton structure, working in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and what it might have been like to travel on an Iraqi fuel convoy with Major Shrimpton. The conversation also touches on his lifelong relationship with education, his love of board games, and his current position as a HEROES Fellow.

Tori Rhoulac Smith - HEROES Fellow

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 13:02:00 GMT

Tori Rhoulac Smith is a civil engineer and HEROES Fellow. In her interview with Greg, she talks about being an NSF Program Director, a faculty member at Howard University – her alma mater, interviewing Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, and wise advice from mom.

Erin Lynch - QEM Network President

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 21:22:23 GMT

After completing her undergraduate degree, Erin spent seven years teaching English and special education in high schools. Since then, her goal has been to improve K-12 education by improving educators and then later by improving the institutions that educate the educators. The fallout from her HBCU themed talk got her banned by TEDx. Her conversation with Greg covers all of this and more in detail and then also talks about various steps in her career, the origin of the HEROES Initiative, and her cake decorating and custom dressmaking hobbies.

Emily Davis - HEROES Fellow

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 13:59:58 GMT

Greg Davis interviews HEROES Fellow Emily Davis (no known relationship) in a wide ranging conversation. They begin with working at the National Institutes of Health and then move on to a range of topics including DNA in mice and humans, supporting researchers through the early stages of their careers, board games, and more.

Christine Wood - Assistant Program Director, HEROES Program

Fri, 29 May 2026 13:05:17 GMT

Greg interviews Christine Wood, the Assistant Program Director, HEROES Program. Christine was almost a HEROES Fellow herself before being selected for this managerial role. She talks about her working at the NSF, research in sociology, tennis, living in DC, and romance novels from the era of the Kinsey Report.

Quincy Brown - HEROES Fellow

Fri, 22 May 2026 12:13:16 GMT

Before becoming a HEROES Fellow, Quincy Brown built up broad experience in the private sector, academia, The National Science Foundation, and the White House. In her interview with Greg, she discuessed all of these places along with astronaut autographs and baking cakes in unusual shapes.

Ken Wright - HEROES Fellow

Fri, 15 May 2026 14:25:05 GMT

Ken Wright is an electrical engineer with a long career at NASA before becoming a HEROES Fellow in 2026. In addition to NASA, he also served in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under both President Obama and President Trump. Ken's interview with Greg includes stories of meeting a president, recording sounds in the desert at night, and fighting cancer in microgravity.

Bradley Lusk - HEROES Fellow

Fri, 08 May 2026 13:07:34 GMT

Brad Lusk has done an amazing array of things. In his interview with Greg he discussed a few including running a company, educating children, educating seniors, traveling the world, studying imposter syndrome, and exploring caves. He also has done top end research in biochemistry including winning a National Science Foundation STTR award.

Amaka Nwankwo - HEROES Fellow

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:07:49 GMT

Greg Davis interviews fellow HEROES Fellow Amaka Nwankwo. Amaka has experience in education and public health with a focus on communicable diseases. Her varied career included representing the United States government in many countries including Nigeria, Angola, and Vietnam. Today she is excited about her role as a HEROES Fellow.