✍️Science Writing News Roundup #205

Science journalism internships for early career scientists + Science Writers Roundtable: The Business of Change.

Aug 03, 2024

Hannah Furfaro, mental health reporter for The Seattle Times, has been selected as the winner of the CASW 2024 Sharon Begley Award for Science Reporting. Furfaro plans to undertake a book project focused on rare diseases. The project will draw on her experiences as a patient and as a reporter observing the broader payoffs that have come to science from research into rare conditions. (Image via CASW)

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🐝Articles

What journalists need to know when covering extreme weather and climate change: “The more the planet warms, the greater the impacts—and the greater the risk of unforeseen consequences… the future is largely in human hands.”
To preserve their work — and drafts of history — journalists take archiving into their own hands. From loading up the Wayback Machine to meticulous AirTables to 72 hours of scraping, journalists are doing whatever they can to keep their clips when websites go dark.
The transit beat is becoming the climate beat. “A lot of times, people are not drawn in when climate is the top line. So I like to start with [a question like] ‘O.K., what’s affecting your daily life?’”
From Cancer Research to Science Writing: Kristel Tjandra’s Science Communication Journey. Kristel Tjandra is a chemist-turned-journalist based in the U.S. She graduated from the science communication master’s program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2024, and writes broadly about science, including the intersection between science and the humanities.
Jessica Hamzelou Charts the Path to Legitimizing Longevity Medicine: Emma Gometz interviews Jessica Hamzelou about her MIT Technology Review article “The Quest to Legitimize Longevity Medicine.” They discuss how Hamzelou found “solid ground” along this frontier of medical science, how to find trustworthy sources in a field that “hasn’t fully decoupled itself from pseudoscience,” and more.
Alumna Carolyn Wilke Starts a New Chapter: While pursuing her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, she knew she would never be content researching one thing, so after graduating, she decided to become a freelance science writer.
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🐜Resources

Grant Writing for Journalists: Learn the ins and outs of applying for grants to support your journalism, from developing a project or program; writing a budget; and creating a monitoring and evaluation plan.
Insights on science journalism is the third volume in a ‘Journalism Insights’ series which brings together theoretically grounded case studies on a particular journalistic area. This volume is edited by Felicity Mellor, Director at the Science Communication Unit at Imperial College London.
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📺Videos & Podcasts

🗺️Opportunities

Science journalism internships for early career scientists: If you love science but are ready to leave the bench, consider a career in science storytelling.
Shireen Abu Akleh Prize launched – €5,000 award to recognize the courage and commitment of women journalists.
More opportunities and calls for pitches👉Bonus content for monthly supporters.

🎧Events

Science Writers Roundtable: The Business of Change (August 14, 2024)
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🧭Jobs

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