✍️Science Writing News Roundup #16 (November 10, 2020)
Popular science writing course + Jobs and internships for science writers + Storytelling for scientists + 10 of the best science books coming out this month
The 2021 AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books celebrates outstanding science writing and illustration. Check out the titles longlisted for the Young Adult Science Book category (pictured above), the Middle Grades Science Book category, the Children’s Science Picture Book category, and the Hands-On Science Book category. The Prize winners will be announced in January 2021!
🚀 Opportunities
Applications are now open for Neuwrite London’s new mentoring scheme! This initiative aims to support UK-based, early-stage science writers from under-represented backgrounds. Apply by November 30!
The Science Writers and Communicators of Canada is now accepting submissions for the 2020 SWCC Book Awards. The deadline is January 15.
Frontiers has opened a call for papers on evidence-based science communication in the COVID-19 era. The deadline for abstracts is November 30.
🧠 Ideas
What are the limitations of publishing clinical studies in the COVID-19 era? When considering the level of evidence a study offers, one of the first questions to ask is, do these research findings report correlation or causation? Is the sample size adequate? Are the findings able to be generalized to a wider population? Are the conclusions in line with the available data?
A storyteller dedicated to environmental justice: Mimi Wahid’s original plan was to pursue a degree in environmental engineering, but over time, her interests in reading and writing grew, and she realized that she could instead use her words to fight for environmental justice.
Putting science journalism under the microscope with Katrina Wesencraft: “I don’t think that being a scientist-turned-journalist should give you more credibility or devalue other journalists from writing about science. Helping the general public understand niche jargon or a complex theory when you don’t have a science background is a talent that I think a lot of scientists don’t properly appreciate,” said Katrina.
Science communication is more important than ever. Here are 3 lessons from around the world on what makes it work: community knowledge is a powerful context, successful science communication is integrated with other beliefs, and there is an expectation that researchers will contribute to the development of society.
🔔 Tips
Storytelling for scientists: In this article, Sydney Wyatt focuses on her two favorite methods for storytelling —the throughline and “And, But, Therefore” (“ABT”).
How memorable melodies can make your research sing: Saurja DasGupta, a postdoc at Harvard Medical School, reflects on how songwriting has influenced his ability to communicate science.
We’re all science communicators. Here’s how to do it better. “Explaining a scientific concept is a bit like climbing a ladder—you can move from simple to more complex, but you can’t bring anyone with you if they can’t grasp the first rung,” according to Jen Heemstra, professor of chemistry at Emory University.
The Open Notebook interviewed Arielle Duhaime-Ross, a podcast host and TV correspondent at VICE News: “Generally speaking, I think it’s really important for journalists to read fiction. How else are you going to learn to tell a story that will captivate an audience the way Octavia Butler can? If I had any advice to give young journalists, that would be it. Don’t forget to let yourself be transported to other worlds. It will make you better at your craft.”
🔬 Resources
SciLine asked scientists: What does the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine announcement mean for curbing the spread of COVID-19 in the near term? Their answers are available for use in news stories.
The Open Notebook, an amazing resource for anyone writing about science, celebrated their 10th birthday last month! This year, TON is creating a series of email mini-courses on science writing.
Popular science writing course: The University of Cambridge will offer an online course next year that will explore styles and techniques for writing about science. It’s open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge.
Learn how to create and combine narrative elements to build a compelling scientific story with Nature’s new course “Narrative Tools for Researchers.”
If you're curious about how to create an award-winning scientific poster, check out this new course by Animate Your Science, and this article “The evolution of the scientific poster: From eye-sore to eye-catcher.”
📖 Science Books
Professor Anne Osbourn, Fellow of the Royal Society, reviews the six books that made The Royal Society Book Prize 2020 shortlist—and what makes them intriguing, accessible and exciting.
Timely book tells the CRISPR story so far: In Editing Humanity, Kevin Davies attempts to illuminate the twists and turns of the CRISPR journey.
10 of the best science books coming out this month, by BBC Science Focus.
Book review: Andrew Robinson reviews five of the week’s best science picks.
🗨️ News
Pulitzer Center announces 2021 climate science reporting fellows. Congratulations to Emery Eisner, an undergraduate at Elon University, Agostino Petroni, a graduate of Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, and Emma Johnson, a graduate of Yale University's School of the Environment!
🎬 Videos
Falling Walls Circle Table: Science Communication in Crisis – Could we do Better? This virtual roundtable panel discussion uses COVID-19 as a context to illustrate common pitfalls in science communication and how they can potentially be overcome.
Writing about science: Tips and tricks for communicating your research, for new and aspiring science writers (the video was recorded in May 2020).
Ruha Benjamin, Associate Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, studies the social dimensions of science, technology, and medicine. She delivered the eighth Patrusky Lecture, "2020 Vision: Reimagining the Default Settings of Technology & Society," during the ScienceWriters2020 virtual conference on October 21, 2020.
“How to start a science podcast and get a popular science book published” with Dr. Brian Keating and Prof. Darren Lipomi.
🎟️ Events
Learn more about the Health and Science Reporting program at Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York (November 10, 2020)
State of Science Writing 2020: Has our profession prospered in 2020, or has it done badly like the broader economy? (November 10, 2020)
The Crisis Within the Crisis: Covering the CDC and Public Health During the Pandemic (November 12, 2020)
Seminars for Underrepresented Science Writers 👉The Science Writer Panel (November 17, 2020)
Belgian SciComm Network Meeting: Sessions include “Perspectives on science journalism in Belgium”, and “Science in the press: Lessons from COVID” (November 17, 2020)
Reporting On and Living With COVID-19. The View of Three European Journalists (Science Writers in New York, November 17, 2020)
Navigating Liability and Legal Issues as a Freelance Writer (November 18, 2020)
Online SciComm Coworking Session (November 18, 2020)
Looking for Life as We Don’t Know It: A Conversation about Journalism and Life in the Universe (November 19, 2020)
Science in the Newsroom Global Summit 2020 (November 23-24, 2020)
📡 Career opportunities
Winter/spring science communications internship, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA (remote)
Reporter, Business and Environment, Grist (remote)
Society of Physics Students Summer Internship Program, Washington, DC
Perspectives Editor, AAAS and Science Magazine, Washington, DC
Senior writer on computing, MIT Technology Review, Cambridge, MA/remote
Science Writer, Promega, Madison, WI
Senior Editor, San Diego Zoo, CA
Science Writer, San Diego Zoo, CA
Community Manager, Springer Nature, London, UK
Communications Officer, Imperial College London, UK
Science Communication Fellowship, IIASA, Austria
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