Podcasts bring classrooms, labs to listeners

For links to other podcasting libraries around campus go to www.umich.edu/news/index.html?podcast/podcast

By Laura Lessnau
News Service

A few simple clicks, and listeners can feel like they're standing inside a biology lab or population studies classroom, or perhaps watching a dance class.

The News Service recently began producing weekly news podcasts that feature faculty from across campus explaining their findings, their projects, their programs. Anyone can tune in and listen from a computer or download them onto an iPod or MP3 player. The podcasts reside at www.umich.edu/news/index_nr.html?podcast/podcast2.

"Podcasts make it personal. Listeners can hear firsthand about interesting, important topics, right from the professors themselves," says Nancy Connell, director of the News Service. "We see this as an excellent new way to share the U-M story directly with the public."

Featured podcasts in the past few months: Political scientist Juan Cole discusses U.S. safety five years after 9/11; Museum of Art Director James Steward explains the significance of the museum expansion; and biologist Sean Morrison talks about embryonic stem cells. Jennifer Glass of the Institute for Social Research talks about possible links between IQ and smoking; Amanda Lotz of communications talks about the changing roles of women in television dramas. Peter Sparling demonstrates as well as discusses the dance movements of Martha Graham in a vodcast, i.e., video plus audio.

News Service podcasts are five to 10 minutes long and are hosted by News Service staff who interview faculty about their work, often about items connected to a news release or related to a hot national topic. Subscribers can sign up to receive Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds which download the podcasts automatically onto their iPods.

Among the units creating podcasts across campus are the School of Art & Design (Penny Stamps Lecture Series), the Stephen M. Ross School of Business and the Health System. In addition, the Dental School pioneered the use, creating podcasts of classroom materials for their students.

A Communicators Forum on podcasting held in the fall drew so much interest, the organizers had to limit the number of attendees. Another session about podcasting will be held Nov. 30.

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