When SJMC senior Jacy West began her marketing internship at the SJMC, she was assigned the role of podcast host—something she hadn’t quite expected.
“…So, when Jake [Jacob Mayer, Student Success and Engagement Coordinator at the SJMC] told me about this, I was like, 'okay this is cool,'" she said. "I never really thought that I would be doing something like this, but I’m excited about it.”
The podcast, “About the Abstract," explores research conducted by SJMC faculty and graduate students at the University of Iowa. The school had previously produced a culture/news podcast, but Mayer thought it was time for a new focus—giving these scholars a place for their work to be recognized.
“…Our graduate students and faculty do so much research," they said. "I wanted that to be highlighted and promoted as well.”
As far as production goes, West shared that it can sometimes take several hours to complete a single episode.
“The interview process in the podcast studio usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes, and then editing is a whole other story," she said. "I didn’t realize that editing would take as long as it does.”
The process, which includes adjusting audio, selecting music, and inputting an intro and outro, can be quite difficult initially. For those who are interested in podcasting, West recommends that you, “…definitely familiarize yourself with editing software first. That can be a lot harder than one would anticipate, but once you get the hang of it, it’s pretty easy.”
Outside of featured researchers at the University of Iowa, “About the Abstract” also makes their complex research more accessible and easier to understand.
To prepare for interviews, West skims the research to be discussed in the upcoming episode.
“I read the abstracts and with that, I try to think of questions," she said. "It’s kind of easy because a lot of times I go, ‘What are they talking about?’”
In most cases, research is not written to be concise and accessible to the general public, leaving people unmotivated and unable to comprehend important works. West explains that the abstracts often contain,“…a lot of medical jargon or sophisticated language I don’t really understand.”
That’s where the interview comes in—to clear up uncertainties that both West and the listeners may have.
“So, the goal of it [the podcast] is to kind of break it down and have these people explain what they’re doing in a way that is easily digestible to students, or anyone who’s not in their specific field of work,” West explained.
While West does not plan on pursuing podcasting as a future career, she notes that her experience with “About the Abstract” has been an excellent resume builder.
“…A lot of people haven’t been in a podcast studio and haven’t worked with editing software and stuff like that," she said. "So, I think that gives me a little bit of leverage.”
She encourages students to look into opportunities at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, whether they’re looking for an internship, applying for the Adler Agency, or wanting to start a podcast of their own.
“I went my first two years of college not taking advantage of the resources here," she said. "I kind of just went into everything blindly. I got an email for the Alder Agency, and I was like, okay, yeah, I guess I’ll give it a shot. I ended up doing that and then I ended up getting this internship and it has helped me a lot.”
She appreciates the experience she has gained throughout the process of starting this podcast and is excited to produce more episodes in the near future.
“About the Abstract’s” debut episode, “Digital Media’s Role in the Pursuit of Justice,” features Ph.D. candidate Sarah Witmer, whose research aims to explore the ways digital media is and can be used to promote justice. The debut episode is available here.
All of the About the Abstract episodes are available on the SJMC Spotify.