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Welcome to the fourth episode of the "Humans of JILA" podcast, where we delve into the captivating world of scientific illustration. Today, we're thrilled to have Steven Burrows, JILA's esteemed Director of Science Communications and a renowned Scientific Illustrator, as our special guest. With a career at JILA that spans almost a decade, Steven has been at the forefront of blending art and science, bringing complex scientific concepts to life through his illustrations. 

JILA's commitment to excellence and inclusivity was recently celebrated with the presentation of the JILA JEDI (JILA Excellence in Diversity and Inclusivity) Awards.JILA Postdocs Rachael Merritt and Jake Higgins were honored for their exemplary leadership of the recently founded JILA Postdoctoral Group. Additionally, JILA graduate student Sinéad Ryan also received a JILA JEDI Award, recognizing her outstanding leadership of the 'Life after JILA' group and her pivotal role in organizing the successful Life After JILA Alumni mixer.

On a cold November evening at the Rayback Collective in Boulder, JILA hosted its inaugural "Life After JILA" Alumni Mixer. As hosted by the Life After JILA group within the institute, the Mixer invited alumni from the Colorado and Front Range areas to a night of networking and reconnecting. Over 40 individuals came for the event, including alumni now employed at NIST, DU, Quantinuum, Infleqtion, FormFactor, and LASP.

The postdoctoral position, or “postdoc” as it is colloquially called, can span between one to three years, as a researcher focuses on their next career steps after their Ph.D. During this time, individuals develop unique research projects while considering where to transition to next. To understand this position better, the “Humans of JILA” podcast interviewed the two Co-Chairs of the JILA Postdoc Group: Rachael Merritt and Jake Higgins.

Every year, the JILA community celebrates the passions and interests of its individuals through the JILA-X talks, a series of three-minute talks given by ten individuals of JILA. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the talks were hosted virtually in 2021 and postponed until 2023 since then. This year, reprising this tradition, the JILA-X speakers faced a full auditorium as staff, Fellows, postdocs, and graduate students shared their interests, ranging from bat ecology to Oreo cookies to pottery making.

In the early morning hours at JILA, before most of the laboratories are up and running, a team of custodians diligently works to ensure the building is clean and safe for use. Because each laboratory has different requirements for what can and cannot be cleaned, the challenge of tidying JILA’s many facilities is far from straightforward. However, the team of six custodians, Boua Sayavong, Nouan Saengdara, Beatriz Soto, Irma Bernard, Gabriela Soto, and Gabriela Mora, who have had years of experience dealing with JILA’s unique requirements, handle these challenges in stride.

For postdoctoral researchers looking to pursue a career in academia, understanding and writing faculty applications can be far from straightforward. To assist in this process, the JILA Postdoc Group, a group within JILA designed to support the postdoctoral community, held a “Write-in,” led by JILA’s Science Communicator Kenna Hughes-Castleberry.