"Dope Labs" is a podcast that mixes “hardcore science with pop culture and a healthy dose of friendship." For hosts (and friends) Titi Shodiya and Zakiya Whatley, the goal is to make science appealing, and visible, to everyone.
“One of the things that’s really important for Zakiya and I, is bringing science to the people,” said Shodiya on Boston Public Radio on Monday. That idea is the driving force behind a feature length planetarium film in development by "Dope Labs" and Boston’s Museum of Science. The film will feature stories and scientific contributions of BIPOC scientists who audiences may not have heard about before. Funding for the film will come from NASA and Science Sandbox, an initiative of the Simons Foundation.
Shodiya, a materials scientist and engineer, and Whatley, a molecular biologist, created "Dope Labs" in 2019. The two met in graduate school while getting their respective Ph.D.s at Duke University. In a nod to their academic background, seasons of the podcast are called “semesters,” episodes are called “labs” and each show begins with a “recitation.”
But topics are far from technical and dry. "Dope Labs" digs into a range of topics from the material and social science of shapewear, to a two-part episode on maternal health.
“Let us find what you’re already interested in and tell you about the history of this … We’re just showing people that we’re engaging with science everyday, all the time. And it’s in places that you might not think about,” said Whatley.
Whatley and Shodiya are not discouraged by the political polarization of science. They’ve done episodes on COVID-19 vaccines, birth control and even science denial. Some people’s minds may never be changed about a science topic, said Shodiya. But for those people who want to learn more about what is true, "Dope Labs" is there. “The work that we do on 'Dope Labs' is to give them a resource with friendly voices that are going to talk to them and meet them right where they are,” she said.
Part of meeting people where they’re at includes showing audiences there are “many ways to be involved in STEM that don’t require you to get a Ph.D.,” said Whatley. “And that’s what we hope to shed light on with this film.”
"Dope Labs" wrapped its fourth season in October 2022. The fifth “semester” is currently in pre-production with a launch date to be announced. People can listen to past episodes on all podcast platforms.
