by Helena Mello If you could sum up the time you spend per day doing the following: commuting, eating, working on tissue culture, pipetting… how many minutes would that be? How about using that seemingly wasted time to further your scientific knowledge? This article will (hopefully) convince you to listen to podcasts while performing all those activities. From quick tasks such as cell splitting to hour-long microscope analyses, you will find episodes that fit your interest and your available time! Podcasts are a fast-growing media in the United States, with one-third of Americans from ages 25-54 listening to it monthly. Why are they so popular? Podcasts are free and easily accessible, you can listen to them on various platforms such as Apple Podcast, Google Play, Podcast Addict, Spotify, etc. Podcasts are easy to engage with, as you don’t need to focus your eyes on a screen when you have the episode on. Moreover, there is a sense of connection given by the human voices, and the pauses and silences in it. You can find podcasts in virtually any topic, from learning a new language to the story of a person you really admire. Podcasts also come in different formats such as storytelling, interviews, or even roundtable discussions. Each style will give you a different feel and you might have to listen to many of them to see what you like better. Personally, I like discussions and interviews for biology-related topics and storytelling for themes such as psychology and human behavior. I have put together a short, but hopefully compelling, list of reasons on why you should listen to podcasts – and how they might help you further your career in science:
- Get informed
Instead of bookmarking dozens of articles (and never finding the time to read them) you can subscribe to news-related podcasts such as NPR Politics Podcasts, The Economist, or BBC Podcasts. If you are interested in up-to-date science topics you can listen to This Week in Science. The knowledge you will gain from these will help you break the ice on that networking session, or even help you in a job interview.
- Get inspired
If you have a passion for science communication, you should start listening to science podcasts right now. From science digests to technical discussions, there is definitely an episode out there that will pick your interest. My current favorites are Hidden Brain and Science Vs. In each episode, they dig into the science behind a specific topic to either prove or disprove it (or just say there is no consensus yet). They target the general public without getting too simplistic and are a great tool to help you get better at explaining your thesis project at that family dinner.
- Career development
There are great podcasts out there focused on sharing the stories of established professionals. Such is the case of People Behind the Science, in which seasoned scientists discuss their paths and share career advice. However, even if the focus is not on the career but on the field of work itself, you can still use that information to grow professionally. Imagine that you are listening to a medical writer of an advertisement firm. You will likely learn about that person’s tasks and responsibilities, the company’s processes, their portfolio, and much more. Now imagine that the interviewee is an alumnus from your school, isn’t that just a great way to connect to that person? “I listened to you on podcast XYZ and am really interested in learning more from your perspective on medical writing. Could we set up a phone call someday?” and you might land a great informational interview!
- Get relaxed
If I haven’t convinced you yet, here is the fourth reason that does not involve any “take-home message”. It is pure and simple entertainment. Podcasts are great at that too! Maybe you just want a break from science-related topics. Maybe you just want to listen to a nice and captivating story while you commute or pipette all of your PCR samples. There are thousands of podcasts for that purpose, such as Stuff Mom Never Told You, Serial, How I Built This, and many more. In conclusion, podcasts are an excellent source of curated information in virtually any topic. They can keep you updated on global news, help you learn from someone else’s experiences, and make you dive deep into topics you haven’t yet thought about. I hope this article has helped you see the value on this ever-growing media, which I benefit from immensely. If you are not completely convinced by it, get your headphones on and listen to any of the ones I have suggested! Please, comment below if I should try any podcast you are already a fan of! This article was edited by Andrew Petryna and Maryam Alapa.