Podcasts
Between 2008 and 2013, Partners In Research (PIR) Canada produced a trio of educational podcast series as part of its Virtual Researcher On Call (VROC) program, created by Kevin Cougler. These video podcasts – This Week in Science and Education (TWiSE), This Week in Technology and Education (TWiTE), and This Week in Engineering and Education (TWEE) – were designed to connect Canadian students (Grades 5–12) with experts in STEM fields, aligning closely with PIR’s mission of inspiring youth to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Below are details on each series regarding hosts, purpose, reach/distribution, and community reception.
This Week in Science and Education (TWiSE)
Hosts: The science-focused podcast TWiSE was hosted by PIR’s Kevin Cougler (Executive Director of PIR and National Program Manager of VROC) along with regular co-hosts from both education and research. Notably, high school science teacher Colin Jagoe (Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board) and Dr. Thomas Merritt(Laurentian University biologist) were key panelists on this series. Each episode often featured guest scientists or educators discussing current topics in science and education.
Purpose & Alignment with PIR’s Mission: This Week in Science and Education aimed to highlight cutting-edge scientific research and its connection to K-12 education. Episodes showed how scientific concepts and discoveries relate to everyday life and classroom learning, helping demystify research for young students. This purpose closely aligned with PIR’s broader mandate of advancing STEM understanding and encouraging youth toward science. By featuring passionate researchers (e.g. microbiologist **Jason “The Germ Guy” Tetro on Episode 76) and innovative educators, TWiSE helped share the importance of scientific research with a broad Canadian youth audienc.
Audience Reach & Distribution: TWiSE was distributed as an internet video podcast available to classrooms and the general public. Through PIR’s VROC network – which by 2011 included partnerships with 21 post-secondary institutions and 41 school boards across Canada – the series could be streamed in schools nationwide. The University of Western Ontario even provided a videoconferencing studio weekly as a “broadcasting studio” for PIR’s podcasts, underscoring the in-kind support for production. Episodes were posted on VROC’s website (e.g. twise.vroc.ca / a WordPress blog) and were accessible for viewing or listening on-demand – for example, external organizations like the Plant Metabolic Network directed readers to watch or listen to TWiSE Episode 78 via VROC’s site. The series was also listed on platforms like Apple iTunes (Apple’s podcast directory) as an educational video podcast, making it easy for teachers and students to subscribe. Additionally, PIR’s YouTube channel hosted a TWiSE playlist, extending reach beyond the classroom. Through these channels, the podcast grew to dozens of episodes (over 90 by 2013), reaching potentially thousands of students and educators across Canada.
Partnerships & Sponsorships: TWiSE benefitted from collaborations with academia and industry. Many Canadian universities participated by providing expert guest speakers (36 researchers took part in VROC programs during 2010–11). Laurentian University’s involvement via Dr. Merritt and others exemplified higher-ed partnership. On the technical side, Cisco Systems Canada and other sponsors supported the VROC infrastructure, which enabled these video podcasts. The series did not have a single corporate “sponsor” for content, but it was part of PIR’s overall charitable programming funded by government grants and partners like NSERC and the Ontario Government The in-kind support from the University of Western Ontario (studio facilities) was also a key partnership.
Media Coverage & Community Reception: This Week in Science and Education garnered positive attention in educational circles. For example, at the 2011 ECOO (Educational Computing Organization of Ontario) conference, an episode of TWiSE was recorded live in front of teachers, indicating the podcast’s relevance among tech-savvy educators. Ontario edubloggers like Colin Jagoe himself frequently highlighted TWiSE episodes on personal blogs, and the series became known in the teacher community for showcasing innovative science outreach. In science outreach circles, the content was noted as well – the Plant Metabolic Network featured TWiSE Episode 78 on their website, encouraging followers to check out the podcast for a discussion with their own Dr. Sue Rhee (a plant biologist). This cross-promotion by a scientific organization demonstrates how TWiSE found a niche audience in both the education and scientific communication communities. While the series may not have been covered in mainstream media, it was clearly recognized within the Canadian science education community as an innovative platform for science outreach in K-12.
This Week in Technology and Education (TWiTE)
Hosts: The technology-and-education series TWiTE was also helmed by Kevin Cougler as host, joined by two Ontario educators as regular panelists. Ron Berti (Upper Grand District School Board), an IT curriculum/technology coordinator, and Norma Bingham (Grand Erie District School Board) served as co-host panelists, bringing frontline educational technology expertise to the discussions. Together, Cougler, Berti, and Bingham interviewed guests and discussed trends at the intersection of technology and education.
Purpose & Alignment with PIR’s Mission: Launched in 2010, This Week in Technology and Education was an interview-style program focusing on how emerging technologies and digital tools are impacting teaching and learning. The series showcased innovations in educational technology (from classroom practices to tech careers) and profiled how technology can enhance STEM education. This focus directly supported PIR’s mission by promoting technological literacy and excitement among students and teachers. By connecting K-12 classrooms with technology experts and early adopters in education, TWiTE aimed to inspire students to explore tech fields and help teachers integrate new ideas – thus motivating youth to pursue technology-related studies, in line with PIR’s broader STEM outreach.
Audience Reach & Distribution: Like TWiSE, the technology series was delivered via the internet to schools and online listeners across Canada. Episodes were made available on a dedicated site (e.g. twite.vroc.ca on WordPress) and were listed on Apple’s iTunes podcast directory for easy access. Classrooms within VROC’s national network of partner school boards could stream TWiTE episodes, and educators were invited to participate or use the content as a resource. The reach included multiple Ontario school boards (reflected by the hosts’ affiliations) and beyond, leveraging VROC’s 40+ partnered boards to maximize classroom viewership. Although exact download numbers weren’t published, the built-in audience through school partnerships meant a significant potential reach – the series essentially functioned as a national ed-tech webinar/podcast for interested teachers and students. In addition, PIR’s YouTube channel and website provided public access to the TWiTE videos, ensuring that those outside the partner schools (including international educators or parents) could also view the content on demand.
Partnerships & Sponsorships: TWiTE was rooted in educational partnerships. Its panelists themselves were active school board representatives, reflecting strong buy-in from the education sector. The show often featured guests from tech companies, schools, or academic projects (for instance, episodes might include innovators demonstrating classroom tech tools). While there was no singular corporate sponsor for TWiTE, the VROC program’s technology sponsors (like Cisco) and supporters provided the infrastructure for these webcasts. Moreover, by 2011 Colleges Ontario and others were expanding the expert database for VROC – which enriched TWiTE’s pool of technology experts and topics. All told, the series was a collaborative effort across school boards and tech stakeholders, exemplifying PIR’s model of partnership-driven outreach.
Media Coverage & Mentions: This Week in Technology and Education was acknowledged in Canadian education technology circles, although it saw less formal press than the engineering series. Notably, PIR staff actively promoted TWiTE participation via blogs and social media – e.g. a PIR coordinator publicly invited a Saskatchewan teacher-blogger (Shelley Wright) to be a guest, indicating outreach beyond Ontario. The series’ content and episodes were occasionally discussed at education conferences and on ed-tech blogs, helping to spread the word. For example, Ontario educators who appeared or guest-hosted would share their experiences on Twitter and blogs, effectively giving TWiTE word-of-mouth visibility among the Canadian EdTech community. Its role as a VROC program was sometimes noted in context of PIR’s offerings. Within the targeted community of teachers and educational technologists, TWiTE was a recognized initiative, even if it flew under the radar of mainstream tech media.
This Week in Engineering and Education (TWEE)
Hosts: This Week in Engineering and Education also launched in 2011 as the third series in the PIR podcast lineup. It was hosted by Kevin Cougler alongside two co-hosts representing the engineering and education communities. Chantal Guay, a geological engineer who was then CEO of Engineers Canada, joined as a co-host, and Clayton Ellis, a high school science department head (Peel District School Board in Ontario), rounded out the hosting panel. This combination of a national engineering leader and a classroom teacher, moderated by Cougler, provided both industry and educator perspectives for the show. (Engineers Canada’s direct involvement through Chantal Guay was a significant partnership for this series.)
Purpose & Alignment with PIR’s Mission: TWEE’s purpose was to connect classroom science to real-world engineering applications and careers. According to the official launch advisory, this series was designed to show students “how relevant math and science is to their everyday lives – from drinking water to snowboarding!”engineerscanada.caengineerscanada.ca. In practice, each episode focused on an engineering theme or problem (clean water, infrastructure, sports technology, etc.) and illustrated the underlying science/engineering principles in an accessible way. This directly furthered PIR’s mission by inspiring youth to see the value of STEM education: it demystified engineering and encouraged students to consider engineering pathways, all while aligning with curriculum topics. By bridging classroom learning with engineering innovations, TWEE served as a vehicle to motivate and inform the next generation of engineers, perfectly in step with PIR’s STEM outreach. The presence of Engineers Canada’s CEO as co-host also signaled the series’ alignment with broader national efforts to promote engineering to young people (Engineers Canada’s interest was to improve youth engagement in engineering, which TWEE supported).
Audience Reach & Distribution: This Week in Engineering and Education was rolled out as VROC’s “second series of in-classroom podcasts” in January 2011, targeting the same network of Grade 5–12 classrooms across Canada. The show was broadcast live weekly (Wednesdays at 3 p.m. Eastern) and made available online for later viewin. It reached classrooms via internet streaming – a dedicated blog (twee.vroc.ca on WordPress) hosted episodes, and teachers could tune in or access archives. Given VROC’s reach into dozens of school boards, TWEE had a built-in distribution to potentially hundreds of schools. For instance, shortly after launch, 21 universities/colleges and 41 school boards were participating in VROC, providing a substantial audience base. The University of Western Ontario facilitated production by providing a video studio and technical support each week, effectively treating TWEE (and the other podcasts) as live webcast sessions that classrooms could join. Beyond the live classroom audience, episodes were archived for on-demand access. PIR shared full recordings on the TWEE website and through iTunes/Apple Podcasts for subscribers. In one notable case, an episode of TWEE was even taken “on the road” to a school: a Grade 12 class at Heart Lake Secondary in Brampton hosted a live recording featuring Chantal Guay answering student questions about engineering careers. This event – complete with PIR providing TWEE T-shirts to students – exemplified how the series was delivered straight into schools, making the learning experience interactive. In summary, TWEE’s distribution spanned real-time interactive broadcasts in classrooms, online streaming via PIR’s platforms, and downloadable content for a wider audience, ensuring the program was widely accessible to its target demographic.
Partnerships & Sponsorships: This Week in Engineering and Education was distinguished by a strong partnership with Engineers Canada, the national engineering profession organization. Engineers Canada actively collaborated on the series launch – it issued a media advisory about TWEE and provided Chantal Guay as co-host and subject matter expert. This partnership lent credibility and exposure, and likely helped in securing content (e.g. finding engineering guest speakers and topics). In addition, TWEE enjoyed the general sponsorship backing of the VROC initiative: by 2011, sponsors such as the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation, NSERC, and corporate tech sponsors (e.g. Cisco Systems) were supporting PIR’s programs. These sponsors helped fund the infrastructure and outreach in which TWEE operated. The series also leveraged educational partnerships – for example, Peel District School Board’s involvement via Clayton Ellis, and UWO’s in-kind contribution of studio facilities. Universities and researchers regularly took part as guests, underscoring partnerships with academia. In summary, TWEE was a collaborative effort: PIR + Engineers Canada spearheading it, with support from school boards, universities, and industry tech sponsors in the background.
Media Coverage & Educational Mentions: Among the three podcast series, TWEE received the most formal media attention at its inception. Engineers Canada issued a national media advisory for the launch in January 2011, announcing the new podcast series to engineering and education news outlets. This advisory highlighted the show’s goals and hosts, effectively advertising TWEE within the engineering community. As the series progressed, it was occasionally noted in education newsletters and local press when special events took place. For example, the aforementioned Heart Lake Secondary School live episode (June 2011) was written up by PIR in an e-newsletter, and likely drew interest from the school community and local media given the unique format. Within PIR’s own communications, TWEE was celebrated as a “great success” in its first year. In educational circles, having a high-profile engineer like Guay speak directly to students was seen as novel – Engineers Canada’s involvement might have been mentioned in engineering education forums or at National The series was promoted through professional networks (engineering regulators, school board communications, etc.). The combination of an Engineers Canada partnership and a direct classroom impact made TWEE a noteworthy initiative in 2011–2012, aligning with a broader push to improve the public profile of engineering. Feedback from participants was positive; for instance, students posed complex questions (“What is mechanosynthesis…?”) that even surprised the experts, suggesting deep engagement. Overall, TWEE’s launch and innovative format were recognized within the tech/education community as a pioneering effort to bring engineering into Canadian classrooms in an interactive way.