“Now at Ohio State” is a university podcast produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications. The first episode premiered on May 31. Credit: The Ohio State University
Ohio State students have a new way to learn — this time, outside of the classroom.
“Now at Ohio State,” a university podcast produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications, was introduced to listeners last month. New episodes are set to release every other Wednesday on both Apple and Google podcasts, with the ultimate goal of reaching audiences all across the globe.
“Ohio State researchers are experts in their fields, and providing research-based information about important issues is a key part of Ohio State’s land-grant mission,” Chris Booker, associate director of media relations, said in an email.
According to the podcast’s webpage, there are currently four episodes available, featuring researchers, innovators and bold thinkers who provide solutions to real-life challenges.
Episodes typically feature two different experts to offer unique insight into the discussion topic, Booker said.
“A team of writers, interviewers and producers choose relevant topics and make connections with the university experts best equipped to provide the answers our audience needs to hear,” Booker said.
The first episode, “Artificial Intelligence: From the Lab to Real Life,” features Ayanna Howard, the dean of the College of Engineering, and Dhabaleswar K. Panda, a professor of computer science and engineering, as they discuss artificial intelligence’s current state and how it can be harnessed and improved, according to the episode summary.
The second episode, “The Power of Creativity,” features Angus Fletcher, an English professor and practitioner of story science and Carmen Winant, an associate professor in the Department of Art. According to the summary, the episode focuses on nurturing creativity and how it can help to change our society and world.
Winant said the fact that the podcast was interdisciplinary felt really exciting to her.
“Even on the episodes they were really mindful to bring on people not just from different fields, but different corners of the university and cross-college,” Winant said.
Winant said she is often called to talk about her professional trajectory and work, but she appreciated that this conversation felt different.
“There’s often a lot of professionalization that happens in these conversations, and I really appreciated that it was a different inroad,” Winant said. “And my hope is that that will be really exciting for people and not feel intimidating, but the opposite.”
There are currently four episodes available for listening.
Booker said while “Now at Ohio State” highlights the depth and breadth of the university’s research and innovation, it is not the only podcast Ohio State has to offer.
“Other colleges and units at Ohio State produce their own podcasts to focus on the work in the area of their expertise,” Booker said.
