Women vs. Men in STEM

by Afia-Grace Harris & Klea Coli

For this semester we chose to work together on the podcast project. Since both of us did not have much experience making or posting a podcast it was an interesting experience and very useful. The reason is the first time working on a podcast. Having no experience and learning how to record a podcast, the process behind it made it very fun. Listening to our speakers talk about their job and their careers were also enlightening and informative. 

The first step after we both agreed to work together on the podcast was to have a meeting to brainstorm ideas. During these meetings, we talked about the structure of the podcast, name, theme, and what we wanted to achieve with our podcast. 

We came up with the idea of Women vs Men in Stem since we both want to go into a Stem-related field and we both are STEM majors. After the topic and theme were decided we talked about how we wanted to structure the podcast since the project requires two episodes. We thought it would be great to have two speakers of the opposite gender talk about their experience in the Stem field. Later on, I think having two speakers with different ideas and perspectives made the podcast very informational and interesting. 

Before our first meeting with coach Dr.Woodham, we created a draft of questions we would like to ask our speakers. We talked with our coach to get feedback on how our questions can be improved and also got feedback from the speakers themselves on how they thought the questions can be asked. 

Next, we determined a date to meet with our speakers to discuss any questions they may have had about their role and a speaker and chose a date to record our episodes. 

My episode was with Dr.Molla.It was very fascinating to listen to her experience since she is from the same home country as I am Albania. I liked her approach of an open-door policy for her peers to come to her for help if needed. What stroke me the most is her curiosity and will to be the best version of herself which motivates me, even more, to work harder every day. 

When developing a podcast topic in the beginning we tended to think inside the box, strictly science topics such as describing what DNA is and how it is important for life functions. Later we started to think outside the box, Klea thought of the idea to analyze the differences in the way women and men are treated in STEM! I thought this topic was perfect! “Women vs. Men in STEM” was a unique, opinionated, relevant topic. It even relates to Nvolve, where Nvolve strives to close the gender inequity gap by giving women the opportunity and education to be successful, revered women in STEM.  

Klea and I didn’t have prior knowledge about how to create a podcast, so this was a new experience for both of us. Initially, I had thought producing the podcast would be difficult and tedious. However, it was not and I enjoyed learning how to produce a podcast. I think this new skill would be useful in my future workplace or even as a hobby. Because of our lack of experience, we used a bottom-up approach to produce our podcast. We met frequently to discuss possible questions, scripts, scheduling coaching meetings, and individual tasks to complete.   

This was my first time interviewing someone, I was a little nervous but our podcast episodes turned out great! Our guests were Dr.Boyd and Dr. Molla had different experiences and answers but ultimately answers that worked towards dismantling gender inequity.  It was very interesting listening to their answers. Their answers were specific, distinctive, thoughtful, and thought-provoking.  

I’ve learned that there is no right way to make a podcast, and that is the beauty of it. It allows for full creative expression. Having this experience has made me more comfortable interviewing and creating a podcast.