Shine Bright Like the Firmament

In this episode, Madeline chats with her friend Fernanda Psihas, a particle physicist with a background in AI and also a professor at Franciscan University. During their conversation, growing up in Mexico City, her ministry where she speaks at local parishes about science and faith, her fascination with English, the post-Christian age in the West and Latin America, her undergrad education at a Jesuit university in Mexico, the intercession of St. Jude on Fernanda’s grad school acceptance, Made...

In this special birthday episode, Madeline celebrates turning 27 by reading her second published short story, Spooky Action at A Closeness. It is in an anthology of Christmas ghost stories called There'll Be Scary Ghost Stories. It is edited by Inkwells and Anvils, a Catholic writing community she spends much of her time in when not podcasting. If you enjoyed Madeline's Christmas ghost story, she highly recommends reading the other ghost stories in the anthology, which you can buy here. You c...

In this episode, Madeline chats with Fr. Zach Glick, a priest of the Diocese of Gary and a military chaplain in the Air Force. During their conversation, they discuss the podcast he co-hosted with as a seminarian, his mechanical engineering degree at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Air Force ROTC, why he chose Rose-Hulman, coming back to and owning his faith in college, the power of personal invitations, what a come-and-see retreat is like, St. Francis of Assisi, why he chose to become a...

In this episode, Madeline chats again with Bob Smith, a blind computer programmer. During their conversation, they discuss the connection between coding and mechanical things, his degree in sociology from UIUC, community college, how he got into college, how he became blind, the accommodations that allow him to do his job, his love of COBOL, the story of him almost drowning, things that have inspired his faith, and so much more!During the course of their conversation, they make many reference...

In this episode, Madeline chats again with her friend Adria Kamm, who has a background in biological anthropology. During their conversation, they discuss her unique education, sports, how she got interested in science and fascinated with death, what anthropology is, her own journey with mental health, her time in community college, biological anthropology, her reversion, respect for the dead, the importance of community and faith learning resources, and so much more!During the course of thei...

In this episode, Madeline chats again with her friend Melissa Ring, a recent graduate of Valparaiso University with a degree combining geography and meteorology. During their conversation, they discuss the event that made her love weather, how she ended up at VU, what you learn as a meterology major, what happens when science doesn’t love you back, the interdisciplinary nature of geography, storm chasing, growing up in a mixed faith household, how she came to embrace her faith, and so much mo...

In this episode, Madeline chats with Fr. Joseph Shenosky, a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia with a degree in mechanical engineer. During their conversation, they discuss his time at Penn State University, spending a few years in the industry and learning important life skills, his discernment process, his love of Mary, the importance of having supportive bosses, the influence of his college Newman Center, why he became a diocesan priest, his time in seminary, the importance of getti...

In this episode, Madeline chats with Dan Kuebler, a professor of biology at the Franciscan University and the vice president of the Society of Catholic Scientists. During their conversation, they discuss his undergrad at Catholic University of America, the importance of great mentors, how he discovered he loved teaching, PhD at Berkley, how he came into his faith at University of California at Berkley, getting to know the church through her documents, how science and faith keep each other fro...

In this episode, Madeline chats with Steve Barr; an author, a professor emeritus of theoretical physics at the University of Delaware, and the founding president of the Society of Catholic Scientists. During their conversation, they discuss the isolation religious scientists sometimes feel in academic historically, the great Catholic scientists, his own faith journey, the role model of his father, letting your ideas germinate for a good amount of time, and so much more!During the course of th...

In this episode, Madeline chats with her friend Hannah Bernstein, a landscape architecture student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. During their conversation, they discuss the Pacific Northwest and Spain, UIUC’s Newman Center, what landscape architecture is, how our expertise gets embedded in us, living at a residential Newman Center, American accents, her study abroad and research trip, Dominican cloister gardens, going beyond the surface level, the King of Itineraries, and...

In this episode, Madeline chats with her friend Caroline George, a quality process engineer in manufacturing. During their conversation, they discuss what a quality process engineer does, her undergrad at Auburn, how she ended up in Pennsylvania, her internship at Honeywell, her reversion, discovering the TLM, being challenged, praying for others, fasting, the TLM, the validity of all Catholic liturgical rites, knowing why things are the way they are, evangelization in the work environment, a...

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, becoming who God sees us as, how she met her husband Slater, her conversion, the importance of confession, her advice for fellow survivors of sexual assault, the difference vengeance and justice, and so much more!Content Warning: There are occasional ...

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 marketing, his unconventional path to education, music and math, what Indiana’s transition to teaching program is like, his advice for future teachers, how he got involved in teaching Earth and space sciences, incorporating science and faith in the cla...

In this episode, Madeline chats with 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 Colorado at Denver, changing your trajectory, learning lessons, his atheist phase, Madeline’s trip to Switzerland, an impactful REU and symbolic logic professor and Byzantine Catholic priest, imperfection, good role models for marriage, his work in atmospheric ...

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 episode by discussing their respective favorite sci-fi novels: Markmaker by Mary Jessica Woods and A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. They discuss the plots of the two novels, their respective reactions, and much more!Content Warning: This episode includes spoilers for...

In this episode, Madeline chats with Pat Schloss, a microbiologist/biology professor at University of Michigan who studies the microbiome. During their conversation, they discuss data science, his postdoc at University of Wisconsin-Madison, undergrad and grad school at Cornell in agricultural and biological engineering, farm life, his large family and how having families should be normalized, the opportunity to be a role model and being good steward of the power you’re given, his three year a...

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 writing, his undergrad at Kentucky, the importance of great friends, famous Catholics, what his general work life is like, Spencer Clavin, quantum physics, college culture vs. church culture, confession, the shackles of shame, the importance of having f...

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 and engineering, undergrad in chemical engineering at UIUC, taking ownership of your faith, choir, grad school Catholic groups, philosophy, and so much more!Feel free to like, subscribe, and share the episode! Follow us on Instagram! @sbltfpodcastDon't f...

🎉 🎉 🎉 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 music! During their conversation, they discuss how he got into composing, what goes into composing, how the intro music was created, paradoxes, counter point and music theory, the importance of being able to share your work with others, how beauty will save the wor...

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 to faith, organic chemistry, solidarity in suffering, conforming to God’s will, how meaningful it is to be a mother, gratitude, her additional faith-related masters degrees, being financially responsible, how she came to Catholicism, holiness is for ever...