With some exceptions, universities rarely teach STEM undergrads how to communicate science to a general audience. This is our initial step towards undergrad science education and teaching them how to communicate science to a wider audience.
I collaborated with Dr. Melissa McCartney and Amy Acosta at Florida International University to teach biology undergrads how to read and annotate research papers. We used papers from the Journal of Animal Ecology. I trained the students (from Evolution class and QBiC Genetics journal club) on how to script a podcast, based on the papers they annotated, for a general audience.
None of the students had experience in science communication through audio, and most of them did not have a habit of listening to science podcasts before.
The results of our short training, I think, are amazing! Take a listen.
For more details about the stories, please refer to the papers under each podcast.
Episode 1. Diversity of skin microbiome on salamanders depends on the environment they live in
Paper– Effects of host species and environment on the skin microbiome of Plethodontid salamanders
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.12726
Episode 2. Restoration of Florida’s cat from an imminent danger
Paper– A cat’s tale: the impact of genetic restoration on Florida panther population dynamics and persistence
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2656.12033
Episode 3. Metabolic rate in ants is adapted to the elevation they live at
Paper–Evidence for locally adaptive metabolic rates among ant populations along an elevational gradient
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.13007
Episode 4. GPS tracking helps uncover bull elephant reproductive tactics during Musth
Paper–Movement reveals reproductive tactics in male elephants
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2656.13035
Episode 5. Size of the fish we catch affects the species’ sexual behavior
Paper–Size‐selective harvesting fosters adaptations in mating behavior and reproductive allocation, affecting sexual selection in fish
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2656.13032
Episode 6. Can bacteria help manage environmental stress in aphids?
Paper-The influence of symbiotic bacteria on reproductive strategies and wing polyphenism in pea aphids responding to stress
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.12942
Episode 7. Diet-dependent gut microbe diversity in pikas
Paper–Gut microbial communities of American pikas (Ochotona princeps): Evidence for phylosymbiosis and adaptations to novel diets
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.12692
Episode 8. The buzz about urban bee adaptations
Paper–Urban bumblebees are smaller and more phenotypically diverse than their rural counterparts
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.13051
Episode 9. Inbreeding badgers prone to age and sex-dependent diseases
Paper– Inbreeding intensifies sex-and age-dependent disease in a wild mammal
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.12878
Episode 10. The effect of fishing and climate change on marine fish
Paper–Fishing constrains phenotypic responses of marine fish to climate variability
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2656.12999
Episode 11. The effect of plant diversity on the genetic structure of aphids
Paper–Effect of plant chemical variation and mutualistic ants on the local population genetic structure of an aphid herbivore
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2656.12995
Episode 12. Early-life environments in bank voles affect their next generation!
Paper–Intergenerational fitness effects of the early life environment in a wild rodent
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2656.13039
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Music credits: Cinematic Digital – AShamaluevMusic. https://soundcloud.com/ashamaluevmusic/sets/documentary-music
Special thanks to Dr. Alessandro Catenazzi and Mr. Tommy Fieldsend for supporting their students in this process.
If you like this, please share it. And if you like to implement this in your class, please contact me (Ravindra, rpalaval@fiu.edu or rvndrpn@gmail.com).
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