Fostering Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Change - The Podcast

Background

Transdisciplinary (TD) research is a mode of collaborative, interdisciplinary knowledge production aimed at contributing to confront real world problems (Pohl and Hirsch Hadorn 2007, Hirsch Hadorn et al. 2008, Lang et al. 2012). TD research is built upon two assumptions: 1) science can and should play a part in untangling societal dilemmas, and 2) a diverse knowledge base is needed to solve these problems. Therefore, an openness to crossing disciplinary boundaries and alternative worldviews, as well as finding ways to effectively work with diverse perspectives from societal actors are key.

This project is a continuation of the project “Fostering Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Change” (2021-2022). An important concept that emerged from the first project was to explore storytelling as a way to nurture public engagement with science. Podcasts represent an appealing medium for scientific communication, allowing for the creation of emotional connections between scientists and the public. Thus, this project sets out to create a podcast to connect with and inspire reflection for a young audience on topics related to current societal challenges explored through a transdisciplinary view and with perspectives from science and society.

Goals

• Develop a podcast concept including the episode format.
• Develop a storyboard for a four episode series.
• Establish a collaboration to produce and advertise the podcast.
• Find interviewees for the podcast, both scientists and young adults.
• Record a pilot episode and publish it.

Planned activities

This project aims to produce a pilot episode for a short podcast series. To reach this overall goal, the project members will assemble an advisory board to obtain advice on storytelling and using podcasts as an effective medium for science communication addressing young adults. The team will also collaborate with a production team for assistance in recording, editing, and producing the pilot episode and overall podcast concept. Key to the overall success of this project is to work with scientists and young individuals willing to explore current societal challenges in a transdisciplinary way. Therefore, the team will contact and facilitate dialogues between a cross-section of scientific, societal, and political faces involved in topics such as the energy transition, diversity in Swiss science and society, and adapting to an increasingly changing world. By the end of this year, a pilot episode in English will be published to hopefully serve as a launching point for the production of a further set of podcast episodes in a continuation of this project.