Jack Ohly (x’25) has been listening to podcasts “religiously” since his middle school years in Middleton, Wisconsin.
But Ohly, a fourth-year Communication Arts and Mechanical Engineering major, doesn’t just listen to podcasts today – he creates them. And his latest one is receiving national recognition.
Earlier this month, Ohly was named as a finalist in the 2023 NPR College Podcast Challenge for his podcast titled “All Good Things” — a play on the idiom “all good things must come to an end.” The podcast, which Ohly began working on in the Communication Arts 449 course taught by Professor Jeremy Morris, explores the history of technologies that no longer exist in everyday life.
“I’m really interested in technologies and how their processes work,” Ohly says. “With the podcast, I hope to translate that to a general audience.”
Ohly hopes that listeners gain a new appreciation for the most basic of technologies, such as the computer keyboard or even the headphone jack. He finds audio to be a particularly mesmerizing medium to convey these stories.
“Podcasts are only through your ears,” he says. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t create an immersive environment.”
A trombonist in the Mead Witter School of Music’s Blue Note Ensemble, Ohly has always gravitated toward music and sound. In the podcast, he weaves together sound clips of experts, such as an Instagram Live video of author John Green explaining the patenting of the typewriter and the development of the QWERTY keyboard with the clicks of the keyboard, a piano medley and a whirring hum.
“I don’t want to just be talking for three minutes,” he says. “I try to make my voice and story come alive in the podcast.”
Ohly found the collaborative environment in the Communication Arts class a fruitful place to troubleshoot and develop what would become the final podcast. He also solidified important technical skills, such as the use of Adobe Audition and how to properly record sound, to create a top-notch production.
“It was really helpful to be in a classroom full of passionate students who aspire to be creative,” he says. “Something that can get overlooked in STEM is communication and how to communicate effectively and efficiently. A liberal arts education allows you to think critically and creatively.”
Winners of the NPR contest will be announced later this month, but even if he doesn’t win, Ohly remains grateful for the national recognition. For him, it all comes back to a simple notion that drives his personal, professional and academic interests.
“I’m a maker,” Ohly says. “I like to make things and to tell stories.”