PODCASTING AS AN OUTREACH AND TEACHING TOOL: LESSONS LEARNED FROM YEAR ONE OF DON'T PANIC GEOCAST

Increasing use of digital technologies gives people options on how to consume news of interest to them. Podcasts are increasingly popular as a means of entertainment as well as infotainment, and their importance as an outreach tool should not be overlooked. Podcasts can convey more information than short print articles or tweets, and often with more enthusiasm, which may then encourage listeners to subscribe to the podcast to learn more about the subject matter.

The geoscience and technology focused podcast “Don’t Panic Geocast” was created to serve as an outreach tool that would combine current geological and technological research by the co-hosts, as well as bring in guests that are geoscientists. This serves to not only promote geoscience in general, but as a more relaxed way to disseminate the newest research available. Combining the science with the tools used to create it also promotes technological literacy among the listeners and can help save significant amounts of their time through automation. We will present the technological aspects of set-up, recording, and production of Don’t Panic Geocast, as well as past shows and listener feedback.

The podcast is a perfect medium as an outreach tool because it enables listeners to send in feedback in the form of emails, audio comments, or tweets. The hosts then incorporate this feedback into follow-up shows, additional information, or possibly collaborations. Some listeners contribute their own research to the show, field photos of their research areas, and suggest new show ideas based on their personal interests. The forging of new collaborations is extremely important in STEAM fields, and podcasts are good electronic forums for building a wider collaborative network to advance research.