JMU X-Labs Podcast: Recent Episodes
JMU X-Labs
We are the JMU X-Labs Podcast! Our latest season discusses racial injustice on campus and beyond. Listen to members of the JMU community share their narratives. New episodes every Wednesday & Friday.
-Getting to know Thomas and his business, the Shenandoah Bicycle Company [00:25]
-How Thomas got involved with biking in Harrisonburg [00:58]
-Thomas explains what it is like having a business partnership [2:22]
-How the Harrisonburg biking community has changed over the years [4:07]
-Obstacles that Thomas and his partner experienced while starting their business [5:23]
-How the Shenandoah Bicycle Company fits into the Harrisonburg community [9:16]
-Thomas's advice for future entrepreneurs [11:13]
-Memorable experiences at the Shenandoah Bicycle Company [13:12]
-What Thomas envisions for his business in the future [17:20]
Getting to know Halee and what she does for the farmers market [00:48]
The hours and mission statement of the Harrisonburg Farmers Market [1:14]
Environmental stewardship at the farmers market [2:24]
How the COVID-19 Pandemic has affected the farmers market [3:36]
How does the farmers market fit into the Harrisonburg Community, and how students can get involved [6:30]
Cool experiences at the farmers Market [9:17]
Advice for JMU students [11:11]
How Halee has grown from working at the Farmer's Market [13:52]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Bethany and what she does for JMU [00:20]
· Bethany’s work with the JMU Libraries Deans Council and the Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to create the Self-Examination Pledge and the changes it calls for [1:44]
· JMU Libraries’ collaboration with the Furious Flower Poetry Center and student resources that the collaboration will create [7:36]
· Bethany’s experience working at the Digital Library Federation and her work on the Authenticity Project [14:08]
· Bethany describes Afrofuturism [18:33]
· The role of libraries in dismantling racism in higher education [28:12]
· Bethany recommends “Struggling to Breathe: COVID-19, Protest, and the LIS response,” an article about the role of libraries in the fight for social justice [35:33]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Aaliyah and what she does for JMU [00:24]
· How Aaliyah is involved with social justice and diversity activism at JMU [1:09]
· How Aaliyah’s extracurricular involvement helped her goals of creating a more inclusive university [4:32]
· Aaliyah’s work with Dr. Tim Miller on Title XI at JMU [9:37]
· How people can work for a more equitable and inclusive society [15:04]
· Aaliyah’s advice for listeners [20:07]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Angelina and what she does for JMU [00:20]
· JMU Center for Civic Engagement’s Virtual Town Halls [1:25]
· JMU Center for Civic Engagement’s racial justice workshop for JMU faculty and staff [4:06]
· How students can increase diversity and inclusivity on campus [8:26]
· The role of educational institutions in addressing diversity and inclusivity [11:04]
· On-campus voter engagement and education resources during the Fall 2020 semester [15:04]
About this episode:
· Getting to know President Alger and what he does for JMU [00:20]
· How the COVID-19 pandemic has affected President Alger’s work [4:08]
· President Alger discusses making the decision to transition to online learning during the Spring 2020 semester [9:29]
· How JMU will both honor its history and make necessary changes [14:45]
· President Alger describes the process of changing the names of buildings on campus [21:21]
· President Alger discusses necessary changes to make educational institutions more inclusive and diverse [25:09]
· President Alger gives a message to current and incoming students [34:12]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Torian [00:34]
· How Torian is involved with racial justice activism [1:07]
· Torian describes allyism [5:12]
· Torian discusses the difference between allies and accomplices [9:44]
· The roles of allies and accomplices in institutions [12:18]
· How Torian’s job helps with her activism [16:25]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Aaron and what he does [00:35]
· How the COVID-19 pandemic affected the business and his restaurants’ transition [00:57]
· What Aaron has learned from the pandemic as a business owner [8:15]
· Aaron discusses having to shut down the Billy Jack’s Shack Richmond location [10:27]
· How Aaron’s employees reacted to reopening [12:16]
· Aaron discusses the future of online ordering in his restaurants [15:16]
· Aaron’s favorite menu item from his restaurants [19:11]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Dr. McCarthy and what he does for JMU [00:28]
· Dr. McCarthy’s transition to teaching online during the COVID-19 pandemic [1:25]
· How Dr. McCarthy and his students helped transition the Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market online [3:53]
· How Dr. McCarthy will continue to be involved with the farmer’s market in the future [13:15]
· Dr. McCarthy discusses how JMU is planning for the Fall 2020 semester [18:26]
· Dr. McCarthy’s advice for JMU students [22:25]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Andy and what he does for JMU [00:21]
· How JMU’s Communications and Marketing team is keeping parents, students, and faculty updated during the COVID-19 pandemic [1:39]
· Discussion about JMU’s postponed Spring 2020 Commencement [8:55]
· How JMU’s Communications and Marketing team is keeping new and returning students excited about coming back to campus [12:41]
· Andy discusses JMU’s effective communication methods during the pandemic [20:00]
· Andy discusses the challenges of transitioning classes online [27:19]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Jennifer and what she does for JMU [00:26]
· Jennifer’s transition to teaching online during the COVID-19 pandemic [00:41]
· New technology that Jennifer has adopted through teaching online [8:42]
· How Jennifer’s dialogue class transitioned to online [12:21]
· What Jennifer learned from teaching online and how she will incorporate it in future semesters [19:48]
· Jennifer’s advice for students about communication [21:51]
About this episode:
· Getting to know John and what he does for JMU [00:27]
· John’s transition to teaching online during the COVID-19 pandemic [00:54]
· John describes different Spanish dialects [9:14]
· How John learned to speak Spanish [11:18]
· What John learned from teaching online and how he will incorporate it in future semesters [14:57]
· John’s travels to Spain and how his family is coping without being able to travel [16:14]
· John’s advice to the JMU community [19:29]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Dr. Antolic-Piper and what she does at JMU [00:26]
· Why Dr. Antolic-Piper wanted to be a part of the COVID-19 summer course [1:00]
· How Dr. Antolic-Piper will incorporate Philosophy into the course [2:57]
· How the COVID-19 course will be beneficial to JMU students [7:00]
· The pandemic’s impact on Dr. Antolic-Piper’s work and how she will move forward [9:53]
· New technology that Dr. Antolic-Piper has adopted through teaching online [12:31]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Dr. Crawford and what she does for JMU [00:30]
· Dr. Crawford discusses her recently published manuscript about being a parent as well as being a student or professional in higher education [1:07]
· How Dr. Crawford has managed to multitask during the COVID-19 pandemic [7:49]
· What it is like to parent young children during a pandemic [10:18]
· Dr. Crawford’s describes about how universities should not have a “one size fits all” approach to accommodating faculty during the pandemic [14:09]
· The effect of the pandemic on gender inequality in academia [17:34]
· Dr. Crawford’s advice for students and faculty [20:59]
· Dr. Crawford’s plans for future research [22:08]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Brad and what he does for JMU [00:28]
· Financial problems that students are facing because of the pandemic [1:58]
· Issues that the Office of Financial Aid is experiencing because of the COVID-19 pandemic [5:02]
· What students should know about the CARES Act [6:26]
· How soon students should expect to hear back from the Office of Financial Aid about appeals or questions [13:26]
· Brad’s advice to students [22:48]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Dr. Tim Miller and what he does for JMU [00:36]
· How COVID-19 has affected Dr. Miller’s work [1:03]
· How JMU handled the transition to online learning [2:09]
· What Dr. Miller has learned from the transition to online learning [6:37]
· How JMU has been preparing for the upcoming semester [10:03]
· Dr. Miller’s advice for incoming and current students [15:16]
· How JMU and its faculty are working to keep students involved with the university [17:40]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Dr. Brannon and what she does at JMU [00:28]
· Why Dr. Brannon was interested in being a professor in the interdisciplinary COVID-19 summer course [1:12]
· What Dr. Brannon hopes to contribute to the course [2:43]
· How the COVID-19 summer course will be beneficial to JMU students [6:44]
· How Dr. Brannon’s work has been affected by the pandemic [8:35]
· The importance of journaling during the pandemic and how it can be beneficial for future historians [10:28]
· How the 4 professors have been preparing for the COVID-19 summer course [12:25]
· Dr. Brannon’s advice for students unsure about taking the COVID-19 summer course because their major is not represented [13:10]
· How the transition to online classes this semester will affect how Dr. Brannon teaches future courses [15:20]
· Dr. Brannon’s advice for the JMU community [16:46]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Dr. Berndsen and what he does at JMU [00:38]
· A quick summary of the COVID-19 summer class [00:59]
· Why Dr. Berndsen wanted to be a professor in the online interdisciplinary COVID-19 class [1:42]
· Dr. Berndsen’s goals and hopes for the students in the class [2:28]
· How the class will be structured [3:40]
· Dr. Berndsen’s advice for students unsure about taking the COVID-19 summer course [5:49]
· How Dr. Berndsen’s classes, research, and labs have been affected by the transition to online learning [8:16]
· What Dr. Berndsen took away from online learning that he will use in future semesters [11:01]
· Dr. Berndsen’s advice for students learning during the pandemic [12:26]
About this episode:
· About Dr. Klein and what he does at JMU [00:38]
· An overview of the co-taught, interdisciplinary COVID-19 summer course [1:14]
· What Dr. Klein hopes to contribute to the course [6:11]
· When the course is taking place and how every JMU student could benefit from it [7:17]
· Dr. Klein’s plan for the course and how he has incorporated COVID-19 into his other classes [8:12]
· What the COVID-19 class will be like since it will be held online [10:28]
· Dr. Klein’s transition to online teaching and how it will affect future semesters [12:09]
· Dr. Klein’s advice for students considering the COVID-19 summer course [13:35]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Dr. Kolvoord and what he does at JMU [00:45]
· Dr. Kolvoord’s opinions about how well JMU is handling the pandemic [1:39]
· How Dr. Kolvoord’s work has been impacted by COVID-19 [3:37]
· Lessons that Dr. Kolvoord will take away from online learning and how he will integrate them into in-person education and administration [8:13]
· What Dr. Kolvoord thinks will be the biggest impacts on JMU following the pandemic [11:18]
· Dr. Kolvoord discusses a new major and program in the College of Integrated Science and Engineering [15:33]
· What Dr. Kolvoord misses most about JMU [16:48]
· About Dr. Kolvoord’s role as Chief Innovation Officer for Academic Affairs and how students and faculty can continue to innovate while off campus [18:13]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Dr. Kerr and what she does at JMU [00:41]
· How Dr. Kerr began studying loneliness and its current relevance [1:16]
· The definition of loneliness and how it has evolved [3:13]
· How people still feel lonely during quarantine despite being surrounded by family and the different types of loneliness [6:28]
· Dr. Kerr's tips for feeling less lonely [8:36]
· Why people are still feeling lonely despite being more connected digitally [12:45]
· Things you can add to your daily routine that will help with loneliness [19:37]
· How prolonged loneliness due to quarantine will affect our lives after the pandemic [21:28]
· Eye contact and its importance to feeling more connected virtually [24:11]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Kevin [00:30]
· How Kevin’s life in Taiwan compares to his life in Harrisonburg [1:06]
· Memorable courses that Kevin has taken at JMU [2:02]
· Kevin’s experience with living on JMU’s campus during quarantine [3:57]
· Kevin’s favorite memories from JMU and how they will help him in the future [9:00]
· What Kevin thinks that JMU students should take advantage of on JMU’s campus [16:07]
The article Kevin is mentioned in:
https://www.jmu.edu/news/2020/04/20-h4di-nato-decision-making-app.shtml
About this episode:
· What Jess has been up to during quarantine [00:36]
· Jess’s remote work assignments for X-Labs and what it’s like working remotely [1:36]
· Jess’s transition from living independently back to living with her parents [2:25]
· Getting to know Jess [3:52]
· Jess’s tarot card reading business [4:33]
· Jess’s favorite memory from her time at JMU [6:51]
· Jess’s advice for students making their college decision [7:57]
· How Jess’s personal life has changed during the quarantine [10:07]
· Jess’s recommendations for incoming and current JMU students [11:55]
About this episode:
· How Miranda’s studies in Biology and Anatomy have been affected by the transition to online learning [0:44]
· What Miranda’s other classes have been like [3:04]
· How Miranda has been staying motivated [4:22]
· What Miranda misses most about JMU [5:53]
· What Miranda has been working on remotely for JMU X-Labs [9:24]
· Miranda’s advice for incoming JMU students because of the pandemic [10:37]
· What Miranda is looking forward to the most when she comes back to campus [12:56]
· Opportunities on campus that incoming students should take advantage of [14:49]
· Miranda’s favorite experiences from 1787 August Orientation [16:28]
· Miranda’s advice for incoming and returning students to make the most of their 4 years [21:17]
About this episode:
· Nick’s role on JMU’s campus [00:25]
· How JMU X-Labs was formed [2:24]
· What the interdisciplinary innovation classes normally taught at JMU X-Labs are like now that they are held online [5:03]
· Why Nick wanted JMU X-Labs interns to start a podcast about JMU [9:23]
· How Nick is keeping up with his passion for innovation during quarantine [14:10]
What Nick is excited about for next semester [18:54]
About this episode:
· Getting to know Aaron and what he does at JMU [1:23]
· How Aaron helped to move the Harrisonburg Farmer’s Market online [3:10]
· Aaron’s experience working remotely and his hopes for the future [6:20]
· JMU’s role in Aaron’s easy transition to working remotely [11:23]
· Projects that Aaron is working on at home [14:32]
About this episode:
· Introduction to the podcast as a whole [00:55]
· What it has been like for Cameryn as an art major since JMU’s transition to online classes [1:50]
· What Cameryn has been doing in her free time [2:42]
· How JMU art students are getting their materials during the pandemic [3:29]
· How Cameryn’s professors are handling online learning [4:13]
· What Cameryn misses most about JMU [4:42]
· Cameryn’s advice to prospective JMU students [7:13]
· Cameryn’s experience with online lecture-based classes [11:59]
· Cameryn’s excitement about being a First Year Orientation Guide [13:00]