University recruitment by MP3

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/StudentWithIpod.jpg” caption=”Kaska Gdela, a civil engineering student at McMaster, listens to the new Radio Fireball podcast on an iPod. The lifestyle-oriented podcast provides prospective students with a taste of campus life.”]Engineering recruits at McMaster University are receiving more than admission papers this spring. They're getting invited to tune into one of the fastest growing developments on the Internet — podcasting.

McMaster's engineering faculty has launched a 20-minute podcast called Radio Fireball (after the Faculty's fireball logo). The lifestyle-oriented podcast provides listeners with a taste of campus life. It features interviews with professors and students, profiles of campus facilities, audio tours of local hotspots and music by Hamilton bands.

Four podcast programs will be posted monthly through the spring and summer beginning April 26, 2005. The podcast is posted at www.engpodcast.com.

“We're talking to the download generation,” said Peter Smith, associate dean, Faculty of Engineering. “Why not have the option to download information about education and careers the same way you can download music? It untethers content from the Web and lets students access us at their convenience.”

A podcast is like a personal blog (Web log) but in audio format. It is posted in MP3 format to the Internet for downloading or subscription, allowing the listener to access it at their convenience. The name comes from the fusion of the terms broadcasting and iPod, Apple's popular portable audio device. Podcasts can range from personal musings to radio-quality programming.

“McMaster Engineering is the first Canadian faculty I know of that's using real podcasting to reach students,” said Wayne MacPhail of w8nc, a marketing and communications firm specializing in bringing emerging technologies to colleges and universities. The firm worked with the Faculty to produce Radio Fireball. “This is really leading-edge and lives up to the university's commitment to innovation.”

Podcasts are an outgrowth of the immense popularity of MP3 players and downloadable programming, primarily among teenagers and youth. The concept of podcasting emerged in August 2004.

Approximately 22 million people in North America have an MP3 player. That number is forecasted to reach 50 million by the end of 2005. Already, an estimated 4,800 podcasts have been posted to the Internet.

According to a recent survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, about six million American adults have listened to a podcast. Pew forecasts that number to grow dramatically over the next 12 months.

“Podcasting is a way for us to make a more personal connection with the student before they arrive on campus,” said Lucy Sheung, outreach and enrolment manager, Faculty of Engineering. “Instead of a cold, impersonal institution, they are able to hear professors and students talk about university life. The audio dimension provides a fuller sense of the people, excitement and innovative thinking going on at McMaster.”

Programming for the first Radio Fireball podcast includes:

• an interview with associate professor Nick Provatas discussing developing the next generation of colour copiers;
• a conversation with third-year materials engineering student Ayesha Hashambhoy about university life;
• an interview with the chef of the new, award-winning East Meets West Bistro;
• a soundseeing tour of Hamilton's trendy Westdale shopping village;
• music from Hamilton's emerging alt-rock band The Ride Theory.