Even at a time when graduate students increasingly turn to social media to promote their research, the radio interview still has something to offer, according to Queen’s School of Graduate Studies.

In collaboration with CFRC 101.9FM, SGS has created Grad Chat, a 30-minute weekly show that premieres Jan. 4 on the campus community radio station.

“Grad Chat is a great opportunity for graduate students to showcase and promote their research to the local community,” says Colette Steer, Manager, Recruitment and Events, School of Graduate Studies, and host of the program. “This show aims to reach new audiences and educate those listeners about the impact Queen’s researchers are having on the world around them.”

Scott Lougheed, an Environmental Studies PhD candidate, and Fallon Bowman, a master’s student in the Department of Classics, are featured on the first episode. Mr. Lougheed was intrigued by the challenge of presenting his research on food production waste to a broader audience.

“Grad Chat is another way students can gain experience speaking to the media and distilling their research into relevant, relatable stories,” he says. “Another major benefit is that it allows us to speak about the current state of our research in a way that isn’t captured by other things like ResearchGate, departmental profile pages, or our CVs.”

Mr. Lougheed says he was nervous a few days before taping his segment for the show, but those jitters disappeared when he got in to the studio. He has simple advice for his peers who might be intimidated by the prospect of doing a radio interview.

“Don’t over-practice and just act natural.”

Grad Chat will air on Mondays at 4 pm during the winter term. The schedule, which includes bios of the guests, is posted on the SGS website.

In addition to graduate students, Ms. Steer wants to interview alumni in future episodes. “I think current graduate students would like to hear from alumni talk about their time at Queen’s, and how their graduate degree helped them get to where they are today.”

Ms. Steer is still looking for graduate students to interview. If you are interested, you can fill out an interviewee form and email it to Ms. Steer or drop it off at the SGS office (Gordon Hall, Room 425).