2005 Science in Society Journalism Awards

Presented October 29, 2006, at the NASW/CASW annual reception and banquet in Baltimore

Book

Robin Marantz Henig

Pandora's Baby: How the First Test-Tube Babies Sparked the Reproductive Revolution

Houghton Mifflin

This history of in vitro fertilization (IVF) draws parallels between the controversy over IVF in the 1970s and the current controversies over human cloning and stem-cell research. The judges cited Henig's, "Very absorbing and well-written account of progress in a scientific field that has direct impacts on human life."

Other years’ book award winners

Broadcast

Craig Duff and Andrew C. Revkin

Arctic Rush

A collaboration of The New York Times, the Discovery Times Channel and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

The documentary examines how the melting of the Arctic is affecting travel, business opportunities, and international diplomacy. The judges commended the peace's solid on-site reporting, and its very thorough analysis of multiple sources of information. The judges also awarded an honorable mention to Daniel Grossman for "Preserving the Magic of Madagascar," Living on Earth and Radio Netherlands.

Other years’ broadcast award winners

Magazine

Laurie Garrett

"The Next Pandemic?"

Foreign Affairs, July/August 2005

An analysis of the danger of an avian influenza pandemic, drawing on the lessons of the devastating 1918 flu epidemic and many other sources. The judges described the article as "An excellent primer for an influential audience."

Other years’ magazine award winners

Newspaper

Jim Erickson

"A Change in the Air"

Rocky Mountain News, December 13, 2005

A vivid account of the affect of climate change on the Colorado Rockies. The judges praised Erickson's nuanced approach to scientific uncertainty, and how global environmental change is likely to have impact on everything from the ski industry to the ecosystem of the Rocky Mountains. The judges awarded an honorable mention to Anthony R. Wood Jr. of the Philadelphia Inquirer for "A Mighty Stream," an account of how the Gulf Stream is being remade.

Other years’ newspaper award winners

Web

Daniel Grossman

Fantastic Forests: The Balance Between Nature and People of Madagascar

www.wbur.org

The island of Madagascar has been isolated for 90 million years, and 80% to 90% of its species are found nowhere else. Within the next several years, Madagascar may be the place where a struggle to preserve the Earth's diversity of life will be won or lost. The judges described Fantastic Forests as "enchanting and original," and "a remarkable example of how effectively the Web can and should be used in conveying information and interpretation."

Other years’ web award winners

2005 Science in Society Journalism Awards committee

AWARD CHAIRS

• Robert Finn, International Medical News Group
• Jon Franklin, University of Maryland, College Park

INITIAL SCREENING COMMITTEE

• Robert Finn, International Medical News Group
• Jon Franklin, University of Maryland, College Park
• Carol Ezzell Webb, freelance and contributing editor, Scientific American

BOOK COMMITTEE

• Deborah Blum, University of Wisconsin, Madison
• Victor K. McElheny, freelance
• Joel Shurkin, freelance

BROADCAST COMMITTEE

• Blaine Baggett, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Ira Flatow, Science Friday
• Ray Villard, Space Telescope Science Institute

NEWSPAPER COMMITTEE

• Lew Cope, formerly of the Minneapolis Star Tribune
• Jon Franklin, University of Maryland, College Park
• Charles Petit, freelance.

MAGAZINE COMMITTEE

• Toni Feder, Physics Today
• Sally Maran, Smithsonian Magazine
• Ben Patrusky, Council for the Advancement of Science Writing

WEB COMMITTEE

• David Ansley, British Medical Journal
• Dennis Meredith, freelance
• Mary K. Miller, Exploratorium

FINAL JUDGING COMMITTEE

• KC Cole, University of Southern California
• David Perlman, San Francisco Chronicle
• Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University.

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