Curiosity

Carson Pike sits down with Bradon Gerberding. The conversation begins with Bradon's work on the Department of Communication and Media's new Instagram page and goes from there. Bradon discusses his social media work with other brands and Bradon and Carson reflect back on their time at MSU given both are set to graduate in a few weeks.

In March of 2025, an entire class visited the MSU podcast studio. Everyone said hello and a couple of things about themselves. It was fun and meaningful 20 minutes. Special thanks to hosts Myzel, Tony, Autumn, and Jocelyn.  Enjoy.

Katie and Carson sit down for a chat right before Spring Break 2025. Their fun and educational conversation covers a lot topics of interest to all students majoring in Communication and Media--being a Student Ambassador, selecting minors, and jobs off and on campus to name a few. We hope you enjoy the episode and learn a few things from two thoughtful students in the Department of Communication an...

Season Four begins! Carson and Katie sit down with two members of MSU's brand new student-run radio station, Mav FM. Aaron (co-host of Nippon Now) and Anika (host of Cat Atomic) talk about how and why they started radio, what they like about it, and how other students can get involved. To listen to Mav FM, download the KMSU app or tune to 107.9 FM around town. If you're interested in getting invol...

Curiosity guest host Sheridan Follis sits down with MSU sideline reporter Angelina Ventimiglia for a wide-ranging conversation about everything from how Angelina got into sports broadcasting to advice for those who might want to do the same. Angelina is double majoring in Sports Management and Communication and Media here at MSU. Both she and Sheridan are graduating in December of 2024. 

Ryuto, Katie, and Carson have a delightful conversation with Maarten, an exchange student here at MSU in the fall of 2024. They explore everything from cultural differences to making friends in a new country. It's a fun and educational conversation. We hope you enjoy. 

Ryuto, Carson, and Katie spend a little time reflecting on Artificial Intelligence. Benefits, concerns, and their own use of it as students here at Minnesota State, Mankato. 

This week on Curiosity, Jason, Katie, and Jessica listen and respond to several v ox pop stories created in Dr. Engen's audio storytelling class. A vox pop story is made by student producers recording approximately 20 individuals answering the same question. The producers then edit these answers into short and engaging audio pieces, three of which are presented here. The COMM 340 students who reco...

Join Carson, Katie, Ryuto, and Dave as they chat a bit about Halloween. 

Host Sheridan Follis interviews Communication Arts and Literature Education major Lillian Schmidt on the second episode of the Mav FM* show, Meeting With the Majors .  *Mav FM is a new radio station featuring content created by students for students. The station is scheduled to go live right around November 1st, 2024. Curiosity will air some of the impressive student work already being created for...

Sheridan Follis interviews Geography major Neil Hurner on the very first episode of her Mav FM* show, Meeting With the Majors .  *Mav FM is a new radio station featuring content created by students for students. The station is scheduled to go live right around November 1st, 2024. Curiosity will air some of the impressive student work already being created for the station.  Students from all majors...

Season three beings with five members of the Curiosity crew offering personal insights on college. Tips you might call them. But more than tips, too--Stories. Carson, Jason, Jessica, Katie and Ryuto all have unique approaches to college and important insights that can help any student but especially those of you just getting started in college or those of you feeling a little stuck. 

Katie Danhof sits down with Aryee McCabe just a couple days before he graduates from MSU with a degree in Biochemistry. He explores everything from why he loves plants to the joys of tutoring. It's a fun conversation, and we hope you enjoy it. Congratulations Aryee! Here a few links to things mentioned in the episode. The Honors Program @ MSU, Mankato MavPass Tutoring Program Biochemistry @ MSU, M...

Curiosity is back partnering with Maverick Firsts on an episode of particular interest to first-generation college students. This week Maverick Firsts Peer Coordinator Prisca Payanzo Maba interviews MSU first-generation student, Alaysia Randolph. Alaysia is finishing up her sophomore year and majoring in Aviation. 

Michael Groth and Derick Franklin from COMM 335 (Communication and Community) talk with their classmate and MSU Community Advisor, Soren Schaust. They talk about everything from the communication skills learned being a CA to writer Kurt Vonnegut. If you track them down in person, they might even tell you a story or two that their boring professor edited out of this recording. A couple things menti...

Kat and Khy from COMM 335 (Communication and Community) sit down with Shelley Pierce, co-host of the Shuffle Function morning show on KMSU Radio. It's a fun and even inspirational conversation about the joys of community radio. Below are links to some of the topics explored.  KMSU Radio The Shuffle Function Morning Show (6-9 am M-F on KMSU) Shelley's Shuffle Function Co-Host, Tim Lind The Fountain...

Curiosity is back partnering with Maverick Firsts on an episode of particular interest to first-generation college students. This week Maverick Firsts Peer Coordinator Prisca Payanzo Maba interviews Ryuto Hashimoto. Ryuto is currently a graduate student in Sociology at MSU and also a member of the Curiosity  Podcast team. He did his undergraduate degree here at MSU and Century College in the Twin...

Curiosity is partnering with Maverick Firsts to produce occasional episodes exploring topics of special interest to first-generation college students (those who are the first in their families to attend college).  In the first episode of this series, Maverick Firsts Peer Coordinator Prisca Payanzo Maba interviews MSU sophomore and first-generation student Akenyi Agid. Hope you enjoy.

The group gets together and talks about a few things they're doing right now to have some fun and manage a little stress. Participants include Katie Danhof and Ryuto Hashimoto as well as two students new to the Curiosity team, Prisca Maba Payanzo and Jason Thao.

This episode features students enrolled in COMM 335 (Communication and Community) during the Spring of 2024. Several hosts from the class do brief interviews with their classmates. This was a class exercise, but in these nearly 30 minutes listeners will hear meaningful reflection on college and some good advice for being a student in the Department of Communication and Media. Plus the students sou...

Graduate student producer Ryuto Hashimoto and Curiosity faculty advisor Dave Engen sit down for a 10-minute give-and-take conversation about education--what it is, what it feels like, how it works and why it sometimes doesn't.

MSU's Student Ambassador program is a great way for students to gain speaking and professional experience. Hosts Katie Danhof and Jessica Pastrana sit down with Sam Hodgson who directs the program and current Student Ambassador Nomin Senadheera.  We hope you enjoy the episode and we hope you consider becoming a Student Ambassador!

Our second episode of season two features This I Believe essays presented first in COMM 335--Communication and Community. You'll hear essays from Masako Saito, Michael Martin, and Peyton Tietz. The episode is hosted by Carson Pike, Jacob Sparrow, and newcomer to the team, Katie Danhof. 

Curiosity student producer Carson Pike sits down with Emily Albright , Assistant Director of Admissions Recruitment at MSU, Mankato. An alum of MSU's Department of Communication Studies, Emily talks about everything from the role her degree plays in her work to how a person can prepare for a job in higher education. It's a wide-ranging and thoughtful conversation of value to all but especially to...

We end our first season of Curiosity with a wide-ranging discussion featuring the first four individuals to participate in the Curiosity Podcast--Ryuto Hashimoto, Kathryn Petzel, Mallory Schafer, and Jacob Sparrow. They talk about everything from how they got started in podcasting to what they learned, to how they feel about hearing their voice on the air.  We hope you enjoy--and to any students l...