While publications and presentations remain the main channels for research dissemination, the need to engage audiences using different methods and alternative forms of media is increasingly recognized. Podcasts are one of those new option, offering opportunities for informal conversation and for making different types of connection. There are certain things that might be easy to do by learning it yourself. A good podcast, however, can really benefit from a professional help. This is what we learned from working with Michael Bartz of ‘In Over My Head’.

The starting point of the collaboration was our casual conversation with him about how we would like the work that we have done in the Ocean Frontier Institute Module I on ‘Informing Governance in a Changing Climate’ to be meaningful for coastal communities we work with, and to be impactful for policy and decision-making. Michael took a look at our materials, asked us a lot of questions, and together we drew up a plan. We wanted the episodes to cover various aspects of our research, highlighting key findings, main lessons, and take-home messages. We invited several researchers and community partners to be interviewed by Michael, while he was visiting this past summer. Michael also went around the bay to capture the sound of the ocean and the voices of the people willing to talk to him about their connection to the ocean. The results are these six podcast episodes that not only capture what we do but also why we do it, and what we hope would come out of our effort.

We listened to the sneak preview of what Michael produced, and were in awe by what we heard. How powerful the stories, the voices and the sound can be! We hope you enjoy this podcast series as much as we do. And if you are inspired by what you hear, send us an email ([email protected]) and let us know what’s your connection to the ocean.