InsectaPod Blog is an appendix to InsectaPod Cast, an entomology podcast written, recorded and produced by Anna Fiedler and Jake McCarthy. Anna is a PhD. candidate in the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University. Her research examines insects and habitat restoration. Jake is an editor in the MSU Department of Animal Science and student of digital rhetoric and professional writing. We produce this monthly broadcast-quality dynamic audio report in order to deepen understanding of the connections between people, insects and the environment. If, in addition, we succeed in showcasing the achievements and resources of the Michigan State University Department of Entomology in a way that mixes entertainment with education, so much the better.

In addition to creating the podcast, we’ll blog about the experience here. We’ve made this blog to detail the effort that goes into producing a podcast as dynamic as ours, and to provide a rhetorical account of what happens behind-the-scenes of this monthly digital dispatch. The use of podcasting in science communications is still fairly new, and it’s our hope that creating a record of the process will be beneficial for other scientists and communicators considering digital communications.