Over the past year I was the lead managing editor of the Loh Down on Science (LDOS) radio show and podcast. The mission of LDOS is to explain the world of science in short, humorous pieces catered to a general, non-scientific audience. Sandra Tsing Loh is our lovely animated host, bring vocal life into the scripts carefully researched and written by a team of graduate students at UC Irvine.
As someone who prefers being out of the spotlight, it wasn’t the most comfortable position for me to be in charge of the “Hive,” presiding over monthly meetings, sending out many emails to many people, etc. Despite that, I took on this position enthusiastically, but I had no idea how much this experience would impact both me and LDOS. I’ve held public-facing leadership roles before this, such as leading the American Chemical Society-affiliated student organization in my undergrad. However, this position with LDOS played to my strengths more so than any role I’ve had before.
These strengths include organization skills, time management, vision, and optimization. I implemented changes to LDOS management that benefited both writers and editors. My goal was to help our writers integrate quickly into LDOS and improve their writing abilities for auditory presentation. I also sought to balance out the workload among the editorial team, reduce wasted time spent on bad script topics, and establish an onboarding system for guest writers.
As I close and reflect upon my time with the Loh Down on Science, I am extremely thankful to have had this opportunity to lead our Hive of writers. Life in scientific research can be demotivating and slow-paced, and I experienced that for much of my PhD life.
Participating in LDOS enriched my time in graduate school beyond measure. As a writer, it was exciting to see my work listed on NPR or in Apple Podcasts. As a managing editor, however, I partook in a more influential role which was exciting for different reasons. Each completed training session, writer’s meeting, and recording session brought me a fresh sense of satisfaction. It was rewarding to see our writers grow and flourish and to hear their work recorded in the studio. LDOS has given me a sense of accomplishment and confidence to successfully manage a team. I am happy to see how the Hive has developed and look forward to see it thrive under the new team of managing editors!