Beyond the Frontier

Abstract

A Forest Service ranger, a WWF policy analyst, and a herpetology graduate student walk into a bar… No, this is not the start of a joke – at the Ecological Society of America's (ESA) Annual Meeting, a gathering of such dissimilar individuals is common. One of ESA's long-standing goals has been to bring together members from all subdisciplines of ecology and at all stages of their careers. But finding ways to reach across fields, sectors, and rungs of the career ladder – outside of the Annual Meeting – can be a challenge. For its part, Frontiers has provided a forum where a variety of ecological and environmental sciences can intersect. The journal's accessibility is intended to allow academics, policy makers, resource managers, teachers, and students alike to understand content and put it into practice. Now, to help advance this mission, we've launched into a medium entirely new to ESA and Frontiers: podcasting. Podcasts are sound files, usually in mp3 format, that are distributed on the web through syndication feeds (feeds that publish frequently updated content and make it available for automatic download). Though podcasts can often be downloaded manually from the website of the publisher, the point of pod-casting is syndication – automating the download of new content. If you subscribe to a podcast through a podcatcher, such as iTunes, new episodes will automatically be downloaded to your account. From there, files can be uploaded to an mp3 player (eg iPod) or played on your computer.*1 Download any of the ESA podcasts at www.esa.org/podcast. Detailed instructions on how to subscribe are available at www.esa.org/podcast_subscription.php. ESA's podcasts, launched in January 2008, currently include Field Talk, which highlights papers in Ecology, Ecological Applications, and Ecological Monographs, and The Ecologist Goes to Washington, which presents ecological issues in a policy context. In addition, each month on Beyond the Frontier, we interview an author of one of the papers published in that month's issue of Frontiers. The first four episodes of Beyond the Frontier have addressed such topics as water issues in New Zealand, the teaching of evolution in high-school science classes, non-vascular plant diversity in South America, and the spread of invasive freshwater mussels. Beyond the Frontier offers several benefits for the authors whose work it highlights. It provides broad exposure for new research, since listeners outside of the interviewee's discipline are likely to tune in, along with students, resource managers, and others. For listeners within the authors' own discipline, or with a professional interest in that field, an engaging podcast can provide an enticement to read the full article. Podcasts can also be linked in press releases, posted on the author's personal or institutional website, highlighted in department or university press materials, or sent to colleagues – and, more so than a reprint, a short podcast is likely to catch that colleague's attention. Our podcasts also provide a means for authors to expand on their written work. Interviewees can explain the methods and results of their papers in greater depth and plainer language than is possible in the written version, and can expand on the implications of, and future directions for, their research. Some authors have used the opportunity to present additional supporting information not published in the paper – tangentially related anecdotes or late-breaking updates, for example. But Beyond the Frontier extends benefits to its listeners as well. It provides additional information for individuals – specialists and non-specialists alike – who want to know more about a particular paper. It also offers busy ecologists a convenient way of learning about new research; podcasts can be played while commuting, traveling, working out, or in the office or lab, allowing listeners to absorb information with minimal effort and to decide whether they should invest time in reading the paper itself. Our podcasts may inspire new research questions or ideas for potential collaborations, put an old concept in a different light, or simply introduce a topic entirely new to the listener. Some teachers have even begun using Beyond the Frontier as a tool in their high-school classes, finding that it provides an exciting entry point into ecology for students. Perhaps most importantly, podcasts allow listeners to learn about new research in the most engaging way possible – in the author's own voice. Given its potential to enhance communication across disciplines, professions, and career stages, pod-casting was a logical next step for the journal. So if you walk into a bar at the next Annual Meeting, don't be surprised to overhear the Forest Service ranger, WWF policy analyst, and herpetology graduate student chatting about the latest episode of Beyond the Frontier.