New Podcast Features Student Experiences in Allegheny College’s Award-winning Undergraduate Research Program

Gator TAILS podcastThe Allegheny College Office of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities (URSCA) has launched a new podcast to feature Allegheny students discussing their experiences in the College’s award-winning undergraduate research and creative activities program.

The podcast — named Gator TAILS (Talking About Inquiry, Learning, and Scholarship) — is hosted by Matt Venesky, Ph.D., director of the Office of URSCA and associate professor of biology.

“Allegheny College has a long tradition in which we ask our students to challenge existing paradigms within their academic disciplines, create art, perform music in recitals, and test hypotheses about the world around them,” Venesky said. “As director of the Office of URSCA, I regularly hear about the amazing research, scholarship, and creative projects that our students participate in. Despite this great work by our students, the stories, ideas, and outcomes of their scholarly and creative work are only largely known to our campus community. Gator TAILS will give students an opportunity to tell their own stories, in their own words, to the largest interdisciplinary audience that they can imagine: the entire world.”

Gator TAILS will highlight students across all disciplines, all academic years, and at various stages of their projects. Plans call for a new episode to be released on at least a monthly basis during the academic year, Venesky said. The first episode is available now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify; it features junior Emma Yesko, a biology major and Spanish minor, discussing her amphibian research at the College’s Bousson Environmental Research Reserve.

Allegheny College received the inaugural Award for Undergraduate Research Accomplishment from the Council on Undergraduate Research in 2016. The award was presented to Allegheny — the only baccalaureate college in the nation to receive it — for the exceptional research experiences that the College provides to its students. In its annual Best Colleges rankings, U.S. News & World Report has also consistently recognized Allegheny as one of the nation’s best schools for undergraduate research and creative projects and for senior capstone experiences.

Learn more about the Gator TAILS podcast here.