pubTalk was designed in Summer and Fall 2008 by Graham Lampa, Project Lead for the "Emphasizing the 'Public' in Public Affairs" initiative. This project, funded by a Service and Process Improvement Fund grant from the University of Minnesota's Office of Service and Continuous Improvement, created weblogs for the Humphrey research centers to allow faculty and staff to publish their research and jump into the ongoing conversations taking place online within their policy areas. The other blogs can be accessed from the Humphrey blog digest.