An.thro.po.cene: /ˈanTHrəpəˌsēn/ noun  The current geologic age, viewed as the period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment. -- Oxford Dictionaries

Great things are going on at the Stanford Digital Repository (SDR), and when great things are going on, word is sure to get around. Earth Sciences PhD student Mike Osborne is the creator and co-producer of Stanford's "Generation Anthropocene" podcast. Mike learned about the SDR's digital preservation services from our colleagues over at HighWire Press and is now working with us to preserve audio and transcripts of the more than 50 "Generation Anthropocene" episodes that have been produced thus far.

"Generation Anthropocene" focuses on stories about planetary change. Stanford students interview thought leaders on topics that include:

•     melting glaciers,
•     sustainable food,
•     relationships between the Anthropocene and apocalyptic pop culture,
•     meat production in the US,
•     fracking,
•     disease emergence and spread in our warming world,
•     the intersection of faith and climate change, and
•     greenhouse lessons from Venus.

While Stanford researchers are well-represented among the interviewees, the list also includes documentary filmmaker Mike Freedman, Curator for the Museum of PostNatural History in Pittsburgh Richard Pell, and the host of PBS's "Earth: The Operators' Manual," Richard Alley.

The podcast, launched on Earth Day 2012, is currently in its 5th season and hopes to continue well past the eventual departure of its creator. New episodes are published weekly, and we at the SDR are looking forward to hosting a rich archive of information on the anthropocene.

Preservation of the podcast episodes is still a work in progress, but the first two deposits -- featuring episode #54 "Stop Saving the Planet" and episode #55 "The (Mad) Science of Geoengineering" -- can be accessed at http://purl.stanford.edu/hg687tp1365 and http://purl.stanford.edu/tt473rm7734.