Molly Bloom '01 Gets Serious About Being Curious

AS HOST OF THE AWARD-WINNING SCIENCE PODCAST “BRAINS ON!,” MOLLY BLOOM '01 PAINTS A FANTASTICAL WORLD FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES.

Drawings of the creatures and places featured in the show and imagined by its young listeners line the walls of “Brains On!” headquarters, the Minnesota Public Radio space Bloom shares with her co-creator Marc Sanchez. The weekly episodes attract a worldwide audience whose members both inspire and are inspired by Bloom.

Question: To this “Brains On!” listener, it sounds like you are having so much fun creating the show. What do you enjoy most about the work you’re doing?

Answer: The most rewarding part of the job is hearing from the kids and families who listen to the show. Even though we only come out with one episode a week, kids will [repeat shows and] listen every day. It’s an honor to be in their lives so much, and we take that very seriously. We want everything we put out to be accurate and engaging and also something that won’t annoy parents if they have to hear it 5 million times.

Q: Having a kid co-host is one of the defining elements of “Brains On!” Can you talk a bit about how you involve audience members in the show?

A: Almost all of the co-hosts are kids who’ve written in with that episode’s question — if they’re old enough and are interested in hosting. We want them to sound like real kids, not too polished. They just need to be curious and comfortable enough to talk with someone they’ve never met before. We also feature kids who aren’t the co-host by playing recordings of them asking their questions. Sometimes we’ll play mystery sounds kids have sent to us. And we pose questions for future episodes during which we play the responses kids submit.

Q: Can you share an example?

A: For our series on feelings we asked kids to tell us how it feels in their body when they’re happy or sad or nervous or angry. Those responses are some of my favorites. They’re beautiful and funny and just wonderful. A lot of the response prompts are creative because we’re big advocates of the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) thought that creativity is a big part of being a good scientist. We want to engage that part of kids’ minds too.

“Another thing that has driven our show from the beginning is that we don't talk down to kids. They're really smart and can handle nuance and complexity.”

Q: What are the advantages of podcasts as an educational tool?

A: Audio engages your imagination in a way that watching a screen doesn’t. We have “Brains On!” headquarters in our show, which is this fantastical place in which we invent new rooms all the time. We have an elevator that can travel around and take us to all these places. We have characters too, like Gungador, who’s a monster who likes to dance. We created all these things, but we don’t really talk about what they look like. We get tons of drawings from kids of Gungador on the elevator or us at “Brains On!” headquarters, and so they’re imagining it. Also, when you don’t have a visual aid you have to explain things so clearly and use interesting metaphors that might get into people’s brains in a different way because they have to imagine it; they’re engaged in the metaphor you’re using.

Q: On the flip side, what are the challenges?

A: Sometimes there are things we’re trying to explain that are so visual. The three most challenging things I had to explain without visuals were how an engine works, how paint sticks to a wall (through molecular bonds) and how batteries work. We had to create these really fun and wacky metaphors. For the molecular bonds, we created a radio play called “Molecule Party” and had different friend groups of molecules bonding in different ways. For how a battery works the metaphor involved a lake and a dog. That was hard. I spent a lot of time on the phone with the scientist. She would explain to me how a battery worked, and I would say it back to her. She would say, “Close, but not quite. Let me try again.” Then when I got it, I had to think about how I could possibly explain without showing a drawing, which would be so much easier.

Q: Your audience comes from all over the world. What do you think is the secret to the show’s appeal?

A: Part of it is we really listen to our audience. We know kids are interested in all the topics we cover because they came from the kids who listen. Another thing that has driven our show from the beginning is that we don’t talk down to kids. They’re really smart and can handle nuance and complexity. Also, we learn a lot making the show as grownups, so I think parents get a lot from it too.

Do you know Blake alumni who are doing interesting work? Let us know at cyrus@blakeschool.org.