VandyVox showcases the best of student-produced audio at Vanderbilt University. Each episode features student work from a curricular or co-curricular project, including audio documentaries, radio dramas, spoken word essays, and ongoing podcasts.
VandyVox is a production of the Vanderbilt Center for Teaching and Vanderbilt Student Media. To find show notes and past episodes, visit vandyvox.com.
Episode 9: Episode 39 - "Human Bioenhancement: When Superhuman Becomes Ordinary" by Maya Reddy
Runner-up in the Undergraduate Category of the Excellence in Podcasting CompetitionThe industrial revolution defined the 1800s and the green revolution defined the 1900s. Some experts believe that the genetic revolution will be the defining feature of the 2000s. So what does that mean for us? In this episode, Maya Reddy explores the technical possibilities and ethical dilemmas of human bioenhancement.What was your process for structuring this episode? Did you plan out the entire episode first or did you just experiment with audio until you found something that you liked?“I tend to plan out the entire episode, at least the gist of it, before I start recording. Sometimes interviewees say things that are unexpected that change my plans, but for the most part, I have a direction before I go about gathering audio”How much research did you do and how did you decide what information to include?“I did a LOT of research. I typically do about 5-6 hours of research prior to conducting interviews and then more if needed after that. I had a difficult time deciding what information to include! I was submitting this piece to a competition that required it to be under 8 minutes, which made it difficult. I ended up cutting some stuff that wasn’t exactly relevant to the topic and will likely use it for another episode some other time.”How long did it take for you to produce this episode?“This episode took me a long time, especially because it had two large interviews and little voice notes at the beginning. I would say it took upwards of 20 hours total when you factor in interviews, research, audio work, etc.”What were you most proud of?“I was very proud of the voice notes at the beginning and the end. I thought that audio engineering was some of my best work so far.”What advice would you have for students that are interested in producing something similar?“I think you just have to take your time. It isn’t something that comes quickly, and it is obvious when people rush podcasts. Just pick a topic that interests you, and take your time! You’ll produce something wonderful.”
12 Nov 2022
Episode 8: Episode 38 - "The Misinformation Spread By Our Immigrant Parents" by Shaun Karakkattu and Sophia Yan
Created for the Exploring Disinformation in Media and Society Buchanan FellowshipIf you’ve ever used WhatsApp you’ve probably been added to a group chat with dozens of distant relatives and what seemed like a great way to reconnect with the family often becomes a tool to spread misinformation. In this episode, Sophia Yan and Shaun Karakkattu address this global phenomenon and what you can do about it.What was your process for structuring this episode? Did you plan out the entire episode first or did you just experiment with audio until you found something that you liked?“During the Buchanan Fellowship, the cohort had discussions about misinformation in different historical and cultural contexts, including the AIDs epidemic, Japanese incarceration camp during WWII, and anti-blackness media. At some point, the group brought up the fact that non-English-speaking immigrants in America tend to be more vulnerable to misinformation on social media due to the limited content monitoring and lack of credible news sources in their home language. I think that topic really clicked with me and Shaun due to our shared immigration and multicultural backgrounds. So we decided to produce this episode together on immigrants' experience of misinformation in the US.” - Sophia YanHow much research did you do and how did you decide what information to include?“Because of the knowledge we accumulated during the Buchanan Fellowship, we did not spend a lot of additional time researching for this episode beyond identifying personal anecdotes. We spent some time watching the Last Week Tonight with John Oliver episode on immigrants and misinformation in the recording studio together, and we ultimately decided to include our favorite clip in our episode.” - Sophia YanHow long did it take for you to produce this episode?“We took about a semester to develop our idea using the lessons we learned from the different weeks of the Buchanan fellowship, but once the idea was developed we filmed and produced the podcast in about two weeks. We spent the first-week planning and refining the script. Then, we proceeded to record the podcast at the Curb center which took about two days.” - Shaun KarakkattuWhat advice would you have for students that are interested in producing something similar?“For students who want to produce something similar, I would recommend finding an idea that they are passionate about or just something different they notice in their day-to-day lives. Sometimes the most interesting conversations are about how the little things people do that impact our system as a whole.” - Shaun Karakkattu
Created for CSET 2100: Scientific Communication Tools and TechniquesDid you know that whale feces are an important part of the marine iron cycle? No? Neither did we until we listened to this incredibly well-researched episode about exactly that by Karan Mirpuri. This piece is a great example of how you can use audio to explain a scientific concept!What was your process for structuring this episode? Did you plan out the entire episode first or did you just experiment with audio until you found something that you liked?“I created this podcast for CSET 2100: Scientific Communication Tools and Techniques with Prof. Stephen Ornes (highly recommend)! While we did not have a specific structure we had to follow, he required that we conduct three interviews with individuals related to the topic we were pursuing. For this reason, I conducted my interviews first, looked through the audio for anecdotes and comments that I liked, and created a narrative structure around these segments that felt cohesive and was able to cover the content I felt would be the most informative and engaging.”How much research did you do and how did you decide what information to include?“So I actually learned about this topic first while attending the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. I had the opportunity to spend a week in Glasgow through an honors seminar in the College Scholars Program about global responses to climate change through an interdisciplinary lens. During a lecture hosted by the WWF Chile, I became interested in the topic and brought it to my final project for CSET 2100. To further research the topic, I interviewed three specialists (two from the US and one from Germany) who were specifically interested in whale research. Beyond that, I read some research articles in the field and climate-oriented resources that were targeted towards the general public. In doing so, I tried to include specific stories and interesting findings from the researchers, while also including knowledge that I felt was important but missing from the more public-oriented resources. “How long did it take for you to produce this episode?“Each interview was about 20-30 minutes (sometimes a little longer), but it took me about a week to schedule interviews, review the articles, and then go into actually recording myself and editing the audio.”What advice would you have for students that are interested in producing something similar?“I would highly recommend going out of your comfort zone and tackling topics that you are genuinely interested in, even if you don't know much about them already. I genuinely knew nothing about this topic until I started this topic and I think when you approach hosting a podcast from a place of learning, it makes your content more relatable and easier to engage with. Also if you want to interview people, be persistent and open-minded! Sometimes people will not respond or say no, and that's okay, but you'd be surprised at how excited people get to talk about their passions as well, even if just to a curious undergrad.”
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