MSU researcher, Partnership Middle School students collaborate on climate science literacy podcast
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – According to a press release, Mississippi State Assistant Professor Lourdes Cardozo-Gaibisso is immersing local middle school students in climate science literacy exploration through podcasting, helping them share experiences, ask questions and engage with environmental issues affecting their communities.
Part of SEMILLAS: Sowing Environmental Multilingualism, Integrating Learning, Linguistics and Action in Science, the $427,478 project is funded through the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s Empowering K-8 Youth Through Place-Based Education Projects and Programs.
Cardozo-Gaibisso, a linguistics and TESOL faculty member, serves as co-principal investigator with Ayça Fackler of the University of Missouri. They collaborate on the project with Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District’s Partnership Middle School.
“SEMILLAS, which means ‘seeds’ in Spanish, has been growing roots in Mississippi since 2025,” Cardozo-Gaibisso said. “We work alongside science teachers to bring multilingual students into hands-on, community-centered science learning that draws from their local environments, family knowledge and diverse languages and cultures.
“Through podcasting, we invited these students to share their experiences, raise questions and reflect on how climate disasters shape their lives, families and local communities, with the goal of developing science literacy,” Cardozo-Gaibisso added, “We want to open up a meaningful space where students can be recognized as curious inquirers and active participants in their communities. Project SEMILLAS is built on the conviction that young people’s everyday experiences, along with the ways they understand and express themselves, are vital assets in making climate change education truly relevant and impactful.”
Working with educational podcast group CumbreKids Media and a hydrologist from the National Weather Service, Cardozo-Gaibisso and her collaborators create podcast episodes that encourage students to investigate climate-related topics, including hurricanes, flooding and other environmental challenges.
The grant project began last fall and continues through fall 2027. While podcasting is one component of the broader initiative, Cardozo-Gaibisso said additional educational activities and future podcast episodes, including Spanish versions, are planned for the second year.
Two recent MSU College of Arts and Sciences graduates assisted with podcast production logistics: Matthew Lentz of Vilonia, Arkansas, who earned a bachelor’s degree in professional meteorology with minors in mathematics and sociology, and Jacob Matkin of Tupelo, who earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology with a minor in geospatial technologies.
Podcast episodes are available on multiple platforms, including YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
For more information about MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences and the Department of English, visit www.cas.msstate.edu and www.english.msstate.edu.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.
