This week I talk to Don Dixon in the first of a two parter. Don is an astrophysics PhD candidate attending Vanderbilt University. He is also a member of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Bridge program and alumnus of the Cal-Bridge program in California. His research interests are primarily in stellar evolution, particularly on interacting binaries and stellar rotation. Outside of working on his own research Don spends time mentoring and addressing issues of diversity and racial injustice. He currently leads the BLack Academic Support and Advisory gRoup (BLASAR), which is a Black networking group initiated from Cal-Bridge and has worked as a volunteer programmer to develop a web scraping pipeline for the Code for Nashville organization. In leisure time Don likes to play video games, listen to music, read and occasionally play the piano and make Blender animations.

Don's Email: don.m.dixon@vanderbilt.edu

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Show Notes:
Cal-Bridge Program: https://www.cpp.edu/calbridge/index.shtml
Fisk-Vandy Bridge Program: https://www.fisk-vanderbilt-bridge.org/

Cover Art: iritmogilevsky.com, Instagram: irit.mog
Theme Tune: Omar Chakor - https://www.fiverr.com/ch6k0r

Land Acknowledgement:
This podcast was recorded in Hawai'i. I recognize that her majesty Queen Liliʻuokalani yielded the Hawaiian Kingdom and these territories under duress and protest to the United States to avoid the bloodshed of her people. I further recognize that generations of indigenous Hawaiians and their knowledge systems shaped Hawaiʻi in a sustainable way that allows me to enjoy her gifts today.
This episode was funded by the Curb Center in Nashville and we recognize that this land belonged to the Indigenous People before it came to be known as the state of Tennessee, or as the United States of America. We recognize that that Indigenous Peoples were the first residents of what we now know as the State of Tennessee and that Nashville is built upon the homelands and villages of the Indigenous Peoples of this region including the Shawnee, Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Yuchi tribal nations. Our ability to live and work in this state is the result of direct coercion, forced dispossession, and deliberate colonization. To ignore that is to perpetuate injustice to populations of people that continue to seek redistribution of land that was once theirs. We provide this land acknowledgement in recognition and respect of the indigenous people to whom this land truly belongs. We recognize that acknowledgment by itself is a small gesture, and that it becomes meaningful when coupled with authentic relationship and informed action.

Inclusivity Statement:
I wish for this podcast to be a safe space for those of every gender expression, sexual orientation, ability, race, religious group and age group. I am always trying to learn and improve on my unconscious bias. Any suggestions for improvement will be gratefully received at astronomerand@gmail.com.