Iterated is a podcast about tech innovation from unexpected people in underestimated places hosted by Cathy Chen-Arriaga. To iterate is to repeat steps as a means of obtaining closer and closer results to the solution of a problem. In this show, we celebrate early to mid-career professionals and the idea that innovation isn’t always disruptive and radical, but more often, incremental and adjacent – a constant “work in progress” at the borders and periphery.
#1 – Amaris Castanon, 3D Bioprinting Scientist, on Teaching the FDA, NASA Printing Brains, and Hometown Hero on the Border
In our inaugural episode, we have a special speaker Amaris Castanon, a field application scientist working in 3D bioprinting with Fuji Film and previously at biotech startup CELLINK. Amaris has worked at prestigious and renowned research institutions such as The University of Sheffield (UK), Graz University of Technology (Austria), University of Pennsylvania (USA), University of Texas Medical Branch (USA), Universidad Autonoma de Mexico (Mexico), Fraunhofer Institute of Applied Optics and Precision and Engineering (Germany), and University of Barcelona (Spain). Her diverse background has allowed her to obtain significant experience in many research fields including those of stem cell culture, biomaterials, and biochemistry –all fields vital to the interlaced environment that is 3D bioprinting today.
#2 – Jerome Morrison, Creative Technologist on Experience Design, Learning Programming, Adapting to Change, and Meow Wolf Worker’s Collective
Jerome Morrison is a digital technologist, new media designer, and experiential creator. His fascination with the use and adoption of emerging technology propelled him to create new and unique experiences. He is currently working as Product Manager of Technology Innovation for Meow Wolf, an immersive arts and entertainment company based in Santa Fe with sites also in Las Vegas, Denver, and near Austin. Jerome strives to bridge the gap between the fleeting “neat factor” of cool tech and the deeper meaningful moments it can facilitate and enable. Jerome has been featured on Code.org as a speaker on creative computer science career pathways.
Furthermore, Jerome is a founding member of the Meow Wolf Worker’s Collective, which advocates and arbitrates for creative worker’s rights.
About the Host
Cathy Chen-Arriaga is the Co-founder and Executive Director of Fab Lab El Paso, a digital design, fabrication, and innovation hub at the interaction of technology, education, and community. She oversees strategy, planning, public relations, and programming—in addition to curating industry 4.0 around diversity, equity, and inclusion in 21st century tech economies. With her expertise in the socialization and democratization of technology, she aspires to combine a community-led, experience-driven, and service-based model with education, digital design, and creative innovation. Cathy has successfully implemented programs in El Paso, Texas with funding from local and national stakeholders such as NASA, Microsoft, U.S. Economic Development Administration, Mark Cuban Foundation, League of United Latin American Citizens, Google for Startups and more.
She is also the producer behind documentary short film “Disrupted Borders” (2021), a story about first-gen Latinx inclusion in tech and winner of Cleveland International Film Festival Jackson Spaulding Audience Choice Award, National Association of Latino Arts and Culture Adan Medrano Film Legacy Award, El Paso Film Festival Reel South Documentary Award, and El Paso Film Festival Filmmaker Award.