What on Earth?! Podcast

Aim

What on Earth?! is coming to you this summer to fulfill your curious mind about your favourite planet!

Have you ever wanted to know what it feels like being on a fieldwork in Antarctica? Did you know that the African continent is rifting into two continental landmasses? Have you thought about how the Himalayan mountains tell about the history that spans millions of years? Our Earth is an exciting and dynamic planet, so where is the best place to find out about the latest stories that scientists have been able to “unearth”?

Jazmin Scarlett (University of Hull) and Nuzhat Tabassum (University of Bristol)  are joining forces to bring you an Earth Sciences themed podcast to fulfil all your curiosity about the most loved planet in the solar system. So here we propose to you the “What On Earth?!” Podcast!

Why create a podcast?

Despite how visibly prevalent Earth Science is and the impacts it can have on communities, it is one of the least accessible science. The school curriculum has very little exposure to geological studies and even among students that choose to study Earth Sciences at a degree level, the student population is not representative. Earth Science is just underrated!

Podcasts are an effective means of science communication, as it offers a way to enhance the interactive character of communication and increase the speed of dissemination of information. In science communication, they can be used as a ‘trailer’ of information found in scientific papers, news reports and/or interviews on current and recent research projects. With the simplicity of automatically having a new episode available via subscription, it allows you to learn something new on the go and by combining Twitter, our podcast will allow the audience to interact and get more out of each podcast by facilitating the expression of a user’s opinion and interests in earth science.

What does the podcast aim to do?

We want to show all the exciting studies that are going on in Earth Sciences – that’s our top priority!

The main theme of the episodes will be to touch current news – we will invite researchers who are working in a relevant subject to come and discuss the science of the topic. By allowing our podcast to become interactive with the use of Twitter, we will allow the audience to directly have their questions answered and their curious minds satisfied (or buzzing with even more questions!). We also would like to put a spotlight on topics that are never touched by the media to show how diverse the subject is!

This podcast isn't just for non-Earth Scientists, we want to cater to researchers too. We will tackle the big questions in becoming a scientist and encourage guests to share their route to their career choice. We will also explore the themes of science communication, academia, industry and the media.

We also want to celebrate and encourage inclusivity within Earth Sciences. We will encourage speakers from marginalised backgrounds and hope to bring in guests from outside of Europe and US – the “international” science community extends beyond that.

If there is something you would like to hear – let us know!

Your donation covers

·        The cost of the equipment

·        The cost of recording and editing software

·        Launching a website with our own domain

Show your support

Monetary donations aren’t the only way you can show support for the project. Please follow us on our social media (@WhatOnEarthPod on twitter) and spread the message of the podcast by sharing this crowdfund or our twitter.

This project successfully funded on 16th July 2018