Students in Dr. Adrienne Brundage’s Veterinary Entomology class are now on the air as the first set of podcasts from the ENTO 208 class recently became live.
This fall, the students created a site with various podcasts talking about insects and veterinary entomology and other things entomological.
Brundage got the idea for this podcast series after seeing a disconnect between science students learned in class and trying to translate it into something that non-scientists could understand. She wanted to come up with something that would help them to translate scientific knowledge into an interesting, understandable format.
“I’ve noticed in the past several years that there’s a disconnect between the science students learn in class, and the ability of students to translate that knowledge into language that anyone can understand,” she said. “I think this ability to explain complex concepts is critical for any student in the sciences, and I wanted to come up with a method to help my students achieve that end.”
Brundage also wanted to give the students a way to be creative while using what they had learned in her class.
“I am also a firm believer in giving students ownership of their work and giving them the opportunity to show that work off beyond turning it in to me or my TAs,” she said.
Some of the topics that were added since the launch ranging from different insects that affect horses to a first-person account of Dengue fever.
“I try to give students a lot of creative control over the process,” Brundage said.
Brundage said the podcasts can also be a great way for students to add to their resumes after they graduate.
“Podcasting is a free and easy way for students to practice their public speaking while giving them experience in recording, script writing and production,” she said. “It also gives them something to show off either to future employers or friends or family. The fact that they might get published on a world-wide podcast stream gives them the extra boost they need to put in the effort and be proud of what they make.”
The podcasts are free to listen to and are located at https://soundcloud.com/entomology208.