Team:Aalto-Helsinki/Podcast
Aalto-Helsinki Podcast
The Aalto-Helsinki Podcast can be found on six different platforms: Anchor, Breaker, Google Podcast, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, and Spotify. Out of the six, Spotify is by far the most preferred among our listeners. So far, over 450 plays have been given, with an estimated audience of 19 people. This means that within thirty days of publication, each of our episodes receives an average of nineteen plays. The median age group of our listeners is 23-27, and the podcast has been listened to in 21 different countries.
Our podcast was actively promoted on different social media platforms, such as Instagram and LinkedIn, to make it even more accessible to a wider audience. We conducted a short Instagram poll at the end of the summer to see how our listeners felt about our podcast. From the listeners that replied to our poll, 100% said the episodes were easy to follow and that they learned something new. Based on these findings, we believe we have successfully spread more scientific knowledge to the general public in an easily digestible format.
All the episodes and their descriptions can be found below, along with the total number of plays. Click the icon to listen to the episode!
Episodes
Welcome to the Aalto-Helsinki Podcast!
Who are we? What is iGEM? What does SynBio stand for? Listen to this week’s episode to learn more about what we do, what are the obstacles of student-led research, and how synthetic biology can transform the world.
Total number of plays: 69
The Roots of Aalto-Helsinki
Aalto-Helsinki team has represented Finland in the iGEM competition since 2014. Our guest speaker Oskari Vinko, a scientist by training but an entrepreneur by heart, talks about building teams and ideas from scratch. He started Aalto-Helsinki, the first Finnish iGEM team back in 2014.
Total number of plays: 45
Talking with Aalto-Helsinki Alumni
What is it like to take part in the world’s largest synthetic biology competition? Science, team spirit, learning new skills, having fun and sometimes surprising challenges belong to the nature of iGEM. Two Aalto-Helsinki team alumni, Carla and Neja, are here to share their experiences of their competition years.
Total number of plays: 33
Introducing GutLux
The gut microbiome is a rich community of microbes affecting our mental and physical wellbeing through various known and unknown pathways. In this episode, our team members describe the design process of our research tool, why it matters to research the gut, and how will GutLux shed light on our gut interactions.
Total number of plays: 37
Impact-Driven Mental Healthcare with Medified
Mental health is a growing global health concern accelerated by our modern lifestyle and the COVID-19 pandemic. New innovations and further research are necessary to understand the complexity of our minds. With Valtteri Korkiakoski from Medified, we want to discuss innovative mental healthcare solutions and the digitalization of healthcare. Medified is a Finnish startup which offers a dynamic mental health treatment monitoring software and CE-marked medical device Medified. Their aim is to create a connection between healthcare professionals and mental health patients for interactive and personalized treatment solutions.
Total number of plays: 55
The Impacts of Protein Misfolding in Neurodegenerative Diseases
Have you ever wondered what causes brain diseases, like Alzheimer’s? In this week’s episode we discuss neurodegenerative diseases with Juha Saarikangas, an assistant professor at Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences, HiLIFE. Listen to the episode to learn how protein misfolding occurs and causes neurodegenerative diseases, their treatment options, and what you can do to mitigate your risks of developing damaging brain diseases.
Total number of plays: 26
Innovation in Science with Sciar
iGEM is more than just a science project. We work to increase scientific awareness by sharing resources and collaborating with local scientific companies. This week, we chat with Joel Noutere, the CEO of Sciar, a company based in Helsinki.
Total number of plays: 22
Sharing Thoughts with Team Thessaly
Team Thessaly has been our partner and dear friend during the iGEM journey. We are working on very similar projects and share similar passions and motivations. In this episode, we talk about these similarities and differences in our projects, mental health, its stigma and improving the awareness of its importance. Listen to hear our casual conversation about these topics dear to our hearts.
Total number of plays: 25
Design in Synthetic Biology
Design thinking is key for transforming great research into real products. Our guest Manuel Arias Barrantes, an interdisciplinary researcher from VTT and project manager at SynBio Powerhouse, explains what is the importance of a design approach in scientific research and how we can learn to communicate between multiple different fields to help new innovations thrive.
Total number of plays: 28
Insights on Complex Biological Systems through Bioinformatics
We are using bioinformatic tools on a day-to-day basis to gain insights on the most complex parts of our project. Join us and learn what bioinformatics is and what cool things it can be used for. In this week’s episode we have a very special guest, Bulat Zagidullin, our mentor, who has years of experience in the field of bioinformatics. He is, among our five PhD student mentors, guiding us through the journey of iGEM.
Total number of plays: 23
What is Science?
Most of us have some kind of understanding about science, but might not really stop to consider what science actually is. Why do some scientists say contradicting things? Why is their opinion always changing? We tackle these kinds of questions and talk about science communication and education with Harri Montonen from Science Center Heureka.
Total number of plays: 19
Sleep, The Essence of a Healthy Life
Sleep is something that we all do but have you ever considered its importance? Sleep is now considered one of the main pillars of good health and people are becoming more aware of it. In this week's episode Henna-Kaisa Wigren, a sleep researcher, tells you more about sleep, its regulation, and its importance to our health. Listen to this week's episode if you don't want to feel guilty about sleeping in again!
Total number of plays: 25
From Curiosity to a Career - How Our Interests Might Shape Our Future
Have you ever struggled with knowing what you want to do with your studies? Not all career paths are the same, and work opportunities can sometimes be found through surprising pathways. In our final episode of the summer, our guest from ThermoFisher, Petri Kouvonen, shares his career path and how proteomics offers a huge potential to discovering new things in science and advancing therapeutics.
Total number of plays: 61
