Press Release

Cocoa Beach High School Students Launch Teens Talk Science Podcast to Combat Ignorance, Encourage STEM

VIERA, Fla. Aug. 16, 2021 – Two Cocoa Beach High School students recently launched a podcast series to help combat science ignorance and demonstrate that teens have informed opinions and potential contributions to make about the challenges facing the world.

Teens Talk Science covers a variety of topics. From the implications of privatizing space and the consequences of climate change to the maleness of science and the ethics of genetic engineering, these teens are breaking down contemporary science topics and offering their honest perspective.

Zophia Kotala, 16, and Archisha “Archi” Chityal, 17, worked over the summer to create the podcasts, because they wanted to give teens a voice in the discussions and debates within the scientific community and to encourage teens to get involved in STEM so they can have the preparation needed to come up with solutions.

“Teenagers’ ideas and opinions when it comes to modern scientific issues are often dismissed out of hand, but this is our world,” Kotala said. “We’re inheriting it with all its problems. Even if we don’t have the same credentials as the adults, we still have ideas worth sharing. Our voices should be encouraged. This is one way we can make ourselves heard.”

Kotala came up with the idea late last year after launching the Future Scientists Club at Cocoa Beach High School. She wasn’t sure her club would find a following, but she soon discovered there were many teens who shared a passion for science, math, and engineering. They were eager to talk about contemporary issues based on research. Other students were curious and found a club of peers less intimidating than a class, which gave them the confidence to dive in. For most of the academic year, 10-15 students met every week to listen to scientists, and engineers from Florida Tech and UCF share their work via Zoom. When guests weren’t available, the club engaged in “lively discussions” about science topics. Members would research a topic and bring it to the club for discussion or a Ted Talk would serve as an ice breaker to start the thinking and talking.

But the club is limited to Cocoa Beach students and Kotala wanted to reach more teens. She pitched the podcast idea to her close friend and club member Chityal as a fun summer project.

Chityal shares Kotala’s passion for science and math. Both have participated and placed in numerous science fairs throughout their middle and high school years. Chityal is also the founder of the Future Health Professionals (HOSA) chapter at Cocoa Beach High. The focus of the club is bringing together students interested in medical careers and raising awareness about maintaining healthy lifestyles as well as community service.

For Chityal, the podcast was an easy sell.

“I helped start this podcast, because I am passionate about science, and by creating content I can hopefully share my passion with others,” said Chityal, who plans to become an obstetrician. “The overall goal is to get more people interested in science.”

Kotala plans to major in psychology and neuroscience in college and eventually lead her own research team in a college or private lab.

Both girls are part of Cocoa Beach’s International Baccalaureate (IB) program, are honor roll students and play JV sports.

The podcast is available on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Breaker, and YouTube among others. A new episode debuts every Saturday morning.

The podcast series isn’t Kotala’s first project aimed at raising awareness about the need to pursue science. In 2019, she wrote Scorching Siberian Summer, a fictional story about a world overrun by a virus that killed off more than half the planet’s population. The virus was triggered by changes in the planet’s climate and the main character is faced with hard choices in her quest to save her younger brother and the human race. Kotala wrote the story based on research she had conducted about viruses and thought a story might be a way to get people to understand the real threat of pandemics. She finished the book in December 2019, just a few months before she saw elements of her story turn into reality as the world faced the early days of the COVID pandemic. She self-published the book in June 2020, once she completed her junior year in the school’s IB program and had time to “figure out how to self-publish on Amazon.”

CONTACT: You can reach Zophia and Archi at teenstalksciencepodcast@gmail.com

Where to find the Podcast:

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1578310053

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/44tPavBjgpVoN4J8Z8AHch?si=O8eWK7YdTDuHVvCPNG9j7Q&dl_branch=1

Google Podcasts: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy82NTFjZDE0OC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj2zwIPoaSZPIb9J_v0IFmg

Anchor: https://anchor.fm/teens-talk-science

RadioPublic: https://radiopublic.com/teens-talk-science-GEm4jN

Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/teens-talk-science

Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/bbidrkdj

Listen Notes: https://lnns.co/2TUvCeIJQs7

Social Media:

Instagram: @teenstalkscience

Twitter: @teentalkscience

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/teens-talk-science/home

Downloadable Press Release