{"id":5890,"date":"2020-11-03T11:58:09","date_gmt":"2020-11-03T06:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.impact.science\/?p=5890"},"modified":"2025-09-02T13:54:42","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T13:54:42","slug":"academic-podcasts-lets-hear-it-for-a-new-revolution-in-scicomm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cactusglobal.com\/media-center\/academic-podcasts-lets-hear-it-for-a-new-revolution-in-scicomm\/","title":{"rendered":"Academic Podcasts: Let\u2019s Hear It for A New Revolution in SciComm"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

No, I\u2019m not referring to The Joe Rogan Experience<\/em><\/a> or the Elon Musk Pod<\/em><\/a>. Nor am I talking about Armin van Buuren\u2019s A State of Trance (although you have to agree, most of 2020 felt like one). That being said, if you\u2019ve ever followed a podcast or even listened to a couple of episodes, you would agree that it\u2019s just a lot of fun. And, that\u2019s not it. Most importantly, you can listen to a podcast on the go\u2014whether you\u2019re populating that Excel sheet, sweating it out on the treadmill, or even cooking\u2014making it an excellent source of some content consumption without worrying too much about your schedule.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Now for the uninitiated: so, what exactly is a podcast? A podcast is an audio programme, similar to a radio programme, that typically involves an easy-going but engaging conversation among people on a particular topic. A podcast series is usually hosted by one person, with one or more \u201cguest\u201d speakers on each episode. The conversational and (largely) informal style of communication suits the palate of the masses, rendering it among the easiest forms of content consumption. Most podcasts require no subscriptions and are freely available on most internet or app platforms\u2014which means that they\u2019re all readily accessible.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

All of the above metaphorical ingredients make up an impeccable recipe for a public engagement strategy or even thematic content campaigns. One question: is it possible to have an engaging science\/academic podcast, then? The answer is a resounding \u2018YES\u2019. In the following sections, we\u2019ll see exactly how.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Podcasts and the Scientific Community<\/b><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

First let\u2019s look at an example of how a podcast can help the scientific community.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cScientific discourse is often belied as dry and stale; a block of indomitable, indecipherable information buttressed with vague language, passive voice, countless equations, and overly constructed, borderline-run-on statements that seem to drag on and on and on\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Notice the problem with this statement? It suffers from the same issue that it describes. If a scientist communicates their science and no one understands it, has it actually been communicated?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The current pandemic has all but reinforced the long-buried notion: what science needs the most in modern times is effective communication and \u201cstorytelling.\u201d Non-traditional content formats such as podcasts can help bridge this divide by virtue of their multimedia-friendly and conversational format.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

So, the next question: Is anyone doing good science podcasts? If yes, how? The next half of this article attempts to answer these questions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Popular Academic Podcasts<\/b><\/h4>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Ever since the turn of this century, academic podcasts have been explored, to varying extents. Quite a few studies have examined and verified the tremendous utility of podcasts in an academic setting\u2014either from a coursework or discussion-related perspective or as a science communication tool. And over the years, several academic podcasts have gained widespread popularity, some of them even endorsed and run by national organizations and societies.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Here, I attempt to list some of the most popular academic podcasts, most of which are also widely available across popular platforms such as Spotify<\/a>, Apple Podcasts<\/a>, and Google Podcasts<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n