Screengrab from: https://youtu.be/ldqv6Y2myKI

Charissa Sedor and Ralph Crew host Science News and Qs, also known as SNaQ, for the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh. They combine their curiosity about science with the intimacy of podcasting to help the Science Center reach people in its own community and around the world.

Each new episode is not only fun and informative, but it also extends the Science Center’s mission to delight -- as you’ll hear, they’re definitely delightful -- educate -- they know what they’re talking about and are great at explaining it -- and inspire. And if you’ve ever considered starting a podcast for your museum, hopefully, they’ll inspire you to finally do it.

**FULL TRANSCRIPT**

NICK: Hi, and welcome to What’s On. I’m Nick Faber, Director of Content Strategy at Cuberis. My guests today are Charissa Sedor and Ralph Crewe of the Carnegie Science Center.

If you’re listening to this episode right now, I don’t have to tell you what a podcast is. But I would like to tell you why I like them so much.

I grew up listening to talk radio, and not just for the news. I especially loved the shows where it was just one or two people in a studio, talking about current events, sharing stories from their lives, making jokes. Just… talking. It felt like a constant companion in my life, like a reliable, funny friend, who was always ready to hang out.

When podcasts became more accessible, I started listening to those. And I sought out shows that reminded me of the radio shows that I loved. And the best part was, I didn’t have wait to tune in at a certain time, I could just listen whenever I wanted to.

As podcasting grew in popularity, something really great happened. They started getting really, really specific. Now there are podcasts about board games, podcasts about a single band or movie, podcasts about other podcasts. It seems like there’s a podcast for every niche.

When I work with museums on developing content strategies, one of the exercises we work through is figuring out their unique positioning. Basically, who are you, who do you serve, and what do you do for them? In other words, what’s your niche and what sort of content can you create to own it?

My guests today have become experts at using the intimacy and immediacy of podcasting to help their institution serve its audience of science-curious folks in their own community and around the world. Charissa Sedor and Ralph Crew host Science News and Qs, also known as SNaQ, for the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh.

Each new episode is not only fun and informative, but it also extends the Science Center’s mission to delight -- as you’ll hear, they’re definitely delightful -- educate -- they know what they’re talking about and are great at explaining it -- and inspire. And if you’ve ever considered starting a podcast for your museum, hopefully, they’ll inspire you to finally do it.

Charissa and Ralph joined me over Skype. I asked them where the idea for SNaQ came from, and that’s where we’ll pick up the conversation.

RALPH: About... what, a year and a half, two years ago, I started talking about doing a podcast. I'm lucky that I get to make new programs at the Science Center. My title is Program Development Coordinator. And I share an office with Charissa. And Charissa and I have been working together for years, and we've done live planetarium programs and other things for a long time.

And I just basically-- I listen to a ton of podcasts, and thought, why can't the Science Center have a podcast? So we started working together and brainstorming. We put together a little miniature episode about bees.

CHARISSA: Yes, our two-minute pilot.

RALPH: And showed it to the directors, and were like, hey look,