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The Iowa Idea: Mary Cohen

Who we are as people helps us relate to others.

In this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Mary Cohen who is an Associate Professor and Area Head of Music Education at the University of Iowa. Mary researches music-making and wellness with respect to prison contexts, writing and songwriting, and collaborative communities. Mary discusses her journey to explore the idea of prison choirs and creating a community prison choir in Iowa. The Oakdale Community Choir is comprised of inside singers, those in the prison, and outside singers, community volunteers from outside of the prison.

Mary talks about the community benefits of looking at justice through the lenses of transformative and restorative justice. Exploring the healing that might take place as we look to improve outcomes for all involved in these complex issues. We discuss the problematic incentive system associated with the U.S. prison system.

As of May 2020, 154 original songs have been created, and they have had 174 inside singers and 149 outside singers participate in the choir.

This episode highlights the importance of community, collaboration, and creativity, especially the notion of social cohesion through creativity.

I’d like to thank Mary for joining me for this discussion. I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Mary

Mary L. Cohen, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and Area Head of Music Education at the University of Iowa with a joint position in the College of Education and the School of Music. She researches music-making and wellness with respect to prison contexts, writing and songwriting, and collaborative communities. Since 2009, she has led the Oakdale Prison Community Choir, comprised of male inmates and women and men from the community.

She facilitates songwriting with choir members. As of May 2020, 154 original songs have been created, and we have had 174 inside singers and 149 outside singers participate in the choir. Some of these songs along with the choir newsletters are available at http://oakdalechoir.lib.uiowa.edu/. Her research is published in venues such as the International Journal of Research in Choral Singing, Journal of Research in Music Education, the Australian Journal of Music Education, Journal of Historical Research in Music Education, Journal of Correctional Education, the International Journal of Community Music, and the International Journal of Music Education, and numerous book chapters.

 Education, Journal of Correctional Education, the International Journal of Community Music, the Choral Journal, and a number of edited books.

Credits

Additional resources mentioned in this episode:

• Equal Justice Initiative https://eji.org/
• Justice Arts Coalition https://thejusticeartscoalition.org/
• Oakdale Choir http://oakdalechoir.lib.uiowa.edu
• “Redemption Songs: A Year in the Life of a Community Prison Choir”

Choir performance at the beginning of the episode is “The Light That Shines Within” by Paul Soderdahl. © 2017 Paul Soderdahl, licensed under Creative CommonsAttribution-ShareAlike 4.0

Episode produced by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/)

The Iowa Idea Podcast music was written and performed by Paisley Bible.

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The tragedy of the commons.

In this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Nicki Limoli, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at The University of Iowa. Our conversation covers Nicki’s journey to becoming a research scientist and complex systems of communication that can be found in bacteria, as well as approaches to learning, creativity, collaboration, and community.

Bacterial genomes have allowed us to see a broader picture of bacterial communities and how those communities thrive on diversity and yet can collapse through cheating and “the tragedy of the commons” -and how we see an “arms race” between pathogens and humans.

We dig deeper into culture and collaboration among scientists and across labs and the role of mentors and mentorship including ways to generate and test good hypotheses, including the importance of synthesis and the ability to ask interesting questions. We explore how a focus on perfection can impede research and learning. Nicki shares the importance of persistence and belief in your ability to contribute something special — “it’s on purpose, it’s not an accident.”

I really appreciated Nicki sharing how her personal cancer diagnosis, in a time of pandemic, is shaping and reshaping her relationship with her peers and community.

I’d like to thank Nicki for joining me for this discussion. I hope you enjoy the episode.

About Nicki

Dr. Limoli is an Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at The University of Iowa.

Research Summary

(from her University web page) Our research focuses on understanding interactions between microbial species during airway infection in individuals with cystic fibrosis. Data from our lab and others reveal interspecies interactions can alter microbial metabolism, motility, antibiotic tolerance, and production of virulence factors. We seek to understand the cellular mechanisms driving these interactions in order to modulate polymicrobial community behavior and improve patient outcomes. We utilize live-cell imaging, bacterial genetics, and molecular biology approaches to interrogate polymicrobial interactions at the population and single-cell level, in both in vitro models of infection and in ex vivo patient samples.

Education

BS, Biological Sciences, Ohio University

PhD, Biomedical Research, Emphasis in Microbial Pathogenesis, Ohio State University

Postdoctoral Fellow, Emory University

Postdoctoral Fellow, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth

Education/Training Program Affiliations

Medical Scientist Training Program

Credits

Episode produce by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/)

The Iowa Idea Podcast music written and performed by Paisley Bible.

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“Be sure to laugh today”

I think improv is an essential mindset for innovation and design. In this episode of The Iowa Idea Podcast, I sit down with John Sweeney. John, along with wife Jenni Lilledahl, are the co-owners of The Brave New Workshop (BNW). The Brave New Workshop is the nation’s longest running satirical and improv comedy theatre. John and the Brave New Workshop have developed corporate training and education programs that help leverage an improv mindset to develop an innovative mindset.

I’m a big fan of improv as a way to cultivate better social-emotional intelligence in organizations. John and I explore his journey to innovation, how he helps organizations utilize improv, and how he prepares for his keynote speeches.

From a design and craft perspective, I really appreciated how the Brave New Workshop developed new lines of business by listening to their customers and how John continues to work on his craft. Taking a “humbly serve” attitude to approaching his business and performance. By not taking himself too seriously, he’s able to extend the work and vision of Dudley Riggs. The spirit of service and support from Dudley’s philosophy of providing a “safe haven for the freaks.”

I’d like to thank John for joining me for this discussion. I hope you enjoy the episode.

About John

John Sweeney is changing the face of business through powerful, interactive keynotes that wow every single time. John shines a light on the important role mindset and everyday behavior play in an organization’s ability to capitalize on change, drive employee engagement, and build customer relationships. For 18+ years he has been helping forward-thinking global companies look beyond the skills and tools they invest in and truly move the needle by including mindset and behavior in their strategy. John shines in front of executive level audiences, and is consistently ranked as the top speaker – both in style and substance. Not to mention that he is hilarious. You can see clips from some of John’s talks here.

About The Innovative Mindset

The Innovative Mindset calls the accepted definition of innovation into question, urging you to consider how innovation might function as a behavior that you perpetuate, rather than an inflexible theory or corporate-defined initiative. By asking yourself what it takes to be innovative—and by being honest with yourself about the answer—you can incorporate innovation into your life much in the same way that you would a behavior to help you lose weight, increase your strength, learn to play the piano, or improve your relationships.

About The Brave New Workshop

Founded in 1958 by Dudley Riggs, the Brave New Workshop (BNW) has grown to include the longest running satirical and improv comedy theatre in the U.S., a pioneering institute for personal development, a thriving corporate training business, and top business speakers. BNW’s unique and interactive learning experiences transform people’s thinking and behavior for the better through a laughter-filled methodology stemming from 20+ years of helping Fortune 500 clients deliver meaningful training that moves the needle for their people. More and better ideas, more collaboration, more discovery, less fear — that’s what the BNW stands for. Their world-class facilitators deliver live and virtual thought-provoking sessions helping professionals discover how to increase their organizations’ ability to perform and thrive in complex, unpredictable, business environments.

Credits

John’s character and fundraising for Smile Network International – Jiggly Boy

Brave New Workshop’s overview of improv – https://vimeo.com/164371000

Episode produce by Spark Consulting Group (www.inspiredbyspark.com) in Iowa City, with support from Executive Podcast Solutions (https://www.executivepodcastsolutions.com/)

The Iowa Idea Podcast music written and performed by Paisley Bible.