With great sorrow, NASW announces the death of its president, Laura van Dam, on April 24, after a long and courageous battle with central nervous system lymphoma.

Laura van Dam

An independent book editor, Laura spent many years as a senior editor with Houghton-Mifflin, where she specialized in books related to science, technology, medicine, and health. She worked with authors including Natalie Angier (Woman: An Intimate Geography), Daniel Schacter (The Seven Sins of Memory), J. Richard Gott (Time Travel Through Einstein's Universe), and Steve Olson (Mapping Human History, a National Book Award finalist).

Many members still owe 2006 dues. By April 14, we will have entered current paid members info in the database, and then will send it to the Roster for printing. So please check your records and see if you paid. If not, please remit IMMEDIATELY. Do not pay twice — we have no way to refund the money and no way to keep track of it for next year. Please contact Executive Director Diane McGurgan if you have any questions about your status.

The NASW Education Committee will again sponsor the annual "Mentoring at AAAS" program in February, and we need your help. The program matches a veteran journalist or public information officer with a novice science writer or a student in a graduate science writing program. For 2006, the program will be offered at the AAAS annual meeting in St. Louis. (Feb. 16-20).

Are you a student or young science writer looking for guidance on how veteran science writers do their jobs? Here's a chance to find out for yourself through the NASW Mentoring at AAAS Program, which matches graduate science writing students and professionals who've been on the science beat for two years or less with established science journalists and public information officers for a day during the AAAS Annual Meeting.