Now I can definitely say one thing about my blog posts, the topics are never consistent. From my own research, to talking about how to cope with paper rejection, and to cooking posts, I never seem to stick to a particular topic. It makes a lot of sense for people who know we quite well, because they know that I am not about consistency when it comes to work and extra-curriculars. I always want to try and learn new things, even when I should be focusing on the topic at hand. It is part of who I am, and for the past couple of years, I always hated that part of me because I thought it would hold me back and prevent me from becoming the best version of myself. Now, I see that it makes me who I am, and I don't want to change that side of me. It has led me to where I am now, to a world of science communication I never thought I would be a part of, podcasting.
I created the podcast The Diaries of Space Explorers to find a way to make space more accessible for everyone and to bridge the gap between the space sector and the public. I wanted to give people in the space sector the opportunity to share their journey on how they found their path to the field of space and to use a podcasting platform to talk about how space exploration and research has benefited everyone on Earth. I still see comments online and overhear conversations from people outside of the space sector picturing members of the planetary science community as individuals who only think, live, and breathe about their work, and question whether space exploration actually has any benefit for humanity. It pains me to read these comments and hear these conversations, because I know they are not true. Main stream media does show the incredible accomplishments of people in the space sector, but they never share the story about how those people got to where they are now. Media and most space agencies and companies also don't take the time to communicate with the public and explain why we are launching certain satellites or conducting certain missions. The science and engineering goals are important yes, but people outside of the space sector want a practical answer. If they don't hear one, then they question why they should care. I thought to myself that there must be a podcast out their that really highlights the importance of space exploration and humanizes people in the space sector. Very few do, and the ones that do only cover these topics in certain episodes and don't make it a recurring theme throughout the podcast. I wanted to change this.
After setting up a podbean account (podcasting site to manage episodes and download statistics), gmail account, and written structure for my podcast, I got to work. I started reaching out to people slowly to get used to working on a podcast on my own. I wasn't new to using programs to record and edit audio files, but I was still new to introducing myself to people I had never met before. It took some time, but I started to get the hang of it. In fact, at the time of writing this post, I have published 17 episodes! I wanted to take the time to mention what I have learned since starting this podcast and what I hope to improve on in the future.
What I Have Learned
In addition to working on a side project I enjoy, I wanted to use the podcast as a way to practice my communication skills. During my time as an undergraduate and the years spent being a PhD student, I had always felt more comfortable presenting posters or oral presentations than writing an essay or paper. I remember even in school I hated critical and creative writing, but loved visual presentations and PowerPoints (yes, I know, I am weird but I am embracing it). However, I always wanted to improve on how I commune with people during conversations and construct questions to help build discussions. A podcast is the perfect environment to practice this because as a host I need to constantly think of questions to guide the conversation, support the guest, and ensure the episode is focused on them and their story. Thinking of questions that are inline with the guests story all while giving them my undivided attention sounds daunting, and I will admit, at first, it was. I did have to pause during a few episodes while recording to really think what I would say next, but after each episode it slowly got easier and easier for me. It sounds trivial thinking how hard could it be to carry a conversation during a podcast recording, but once you press record and the guest begins talking, you now have to ensure you make the episode about them and their story. I have noticed since starting the podcast that I feel a lot more comfortable talking with early-career scientists and professors over Zoom during meetings and asking more questions during conference presentations. Before, I would struggle to even open my mouth because I could not think of questions in time or I was afraid that my question or comment would be considered irrelevant or unworthy of an answer. Now, I hesitate less, ask more questions out of curiosity, and I have learned a lot more about active listening.
Overall, I would say chatting with guests on my podcast and talking about their journey to discovering the field of space has given me the chance to really hone in on my listening ability and focus on the conversation at hand and not day dream about other topics that are unrelated. Maybe one day I will talk about the importance of active listening, because is definitely a skill I started learning more about while chatting with my guests.
What I Want To Improve On In The Future
One thing that has been on my mind to improve the podcast in the future is to make sure I am representing all groups and communities in the space sector and planetary science community (e.g., race, ethnicity, socioeconomic statue, degree, level of employment, etc). One of the things I feared when starting the podcast was I would unintentionally invite guests who represent a single or only a couple of different backgrounds. If you look at the collection of images below you will notice that a majority of my guests so far have been women. I am quite proud of this since I did not want the guest list to be male dominated (I have seen too many podcasts where the invited guests are almost entirely male), but I know I need to do better and branch out even more. I have a few upcoming guests who represent people of colour and the LGBTQ community, and I have been chatting with a couple of new friends who have contacts in the space sector who might be interested in coming on as guests. I have also been trying to reach out to members of the space community who study or work in fields that are still very young or not the most representative in space exploration. I have been looking for space lawyers, urban planners, psychologists, historians, artists, musicians, and fields of science that are new to space such as kinesiology. I do hope to make my podcast a more inclusive platform, and ensure I am meeting my own personal goal, to make space more accessible for everyone!
P.S. Before I sign off, I wanted to wish everyone a happy astronaut day! On May 5th every year, we celebrate the accomplishment of the first U.S. human spaceflight performed by NASA astronaut Alan Shepard on May 5th, 1961. I wanted to celebrate this year by telling you all who my favourite astronaut - Dr. Jenni-Sidey Gibbons
Image credit: The Canadian Space Agency
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