NASW 2002 Annual Meeting (archived)

2002 NASW Workshops

February 13-14, 2002

Location map.

The 2002 NASW Workshops will be held February 13-14, 2002, on and around the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, just across the river from Boston.

The workshops offer professional development through mini-workshops, field trips, a plenary session, panels, and network meals. Participants will also enjoy ample opportunity to meet with colleagues and socialize.

NOTE: REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED.

LOCATIONS: All workshop locations are in Cambridge, Massachusetts, across the river from Boston.

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus (various locations)
• Whitehead Institute facilities
• Biogen
• Draper Labs

WORKSHOP HEADQUARTERS: MIT's Tang Center, 70 Memorial Drive, Building E-51. Please report there for pre-registered sign-in, name tags, and workshop or field trip locations. Sorry, no walk-in registration will be permitted; all attendees must have registered in advance.

NASW workshops are open to NASW members and invited speakers only.

Refunds: Cancellation and refund requests must be made no later than January 7, 2002, and will be assessed a $25 processing fee. Sorry, no exceptions. Refunds will be issued after the workshops.

Note: Some events are being held in high-security sites, so, due to increased security measures, please bring and be prepared to show a government-issued photo ID. You should also display your workshop badge at all events.

RELATED LINKS

• Locations are easily accessible by the local MBTA buses and the "T" subway.
• Maps of MIT are available online.

TRAVEL AND LODGING

For those who choose to stay at the AAAS hotels throughout:, NASW — with generous assistance from the Whitehead Institute — has arranged shuttle service from the Hynes Convention Center.

For those who choose to stay in Cambridge: NASW has negotiated special rates at two hotels. (See HOTELS below)

For travel assistance, contact Pat McConnell at Travel Gallery, 800-882-5677, or via email. Travel Gallery will arrange up to 10 percent discount on the lowest airfare on USAir when booked at least 60 days in advance. You may also obtain airfare savings via AAAS discounts-see websites below.

HOTELS

Accommodations in downtown Boston:

Hotel reservations at the site of the AAAS meeting in Boston.

Accommodations in Cambridge:

Cambridge Marriott Hotel, 2 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142, 617-494-6600, Fax: 617-494-0036 (One block from NASW Workshops site at the Kendall/MIT Subway Stop) ($119/room. Tell the reservations associate the code is NSW.)

University Park Hotel @ MIT, 20 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA 02139, 617-577-0200, Fax: 617-494-8366. University Park Hotel is about a 15-minute walk, or 5-minute drive, from NASW Workshops site. ($109/room)

(Note: Special NASW rates are available for a limited time. Make your reservations early.)

USEFUL BOSTON LINKS

Maps of MIT.

Boston's Logan airport. If you're flying in, we recommend using a taxi (available at curbside) to get to Boston or Cambridge, but if you're adventurous, the "T" (Boston's subway) Blue Line does stop at Logan. Take shuttle bus 22 or 33 to the Airport T Station.

Local transit: MBTA buses or the "T" subway.

If you're wanting more to do while you're in Boston, check out the Boston Phoenix listings.

Boston forecast. Please be prepared for inclement weather.

WELCOME

Dear NASW Member,

Welcome to NASW 2002 BOSTON. NASW staff and members have worked hard over the past year to bring you this program — our most extensive workshop program ever. I expect you'll find the workshops full of opportunity both for professional development and for socializing with colleagues. Enjoy!

As always, we'll be seeking ideas and volunteers to help plan next year's workshops. Please look for the workshop survey form to provide feedback, suggestions, and to offer your assistance in organizing panels for next year. I hope to see you at NASW 2003 DENVER.

Brian Lavendel
NASW Workshops Coordinator

Acknowledgments

Thanks to our speakers, panel organizers, NASW Executive Director Diane McGurgan, NASW Workshop Committee Chair Deborah Blum, and committee members Marc Abrahams, Merry Bruns, Amanda Cook, Gareth Cook, Karen Hopkin, Robert Lee Hotz, Aries Keck, Seema Kumar, Carol Cruzan Morton, Paul Raeburn, Richard Saltus, and John Travis. We are grateful for assistance from Elizabeth Thomson, Boyce Rensberger, MIT Conference Services, MIT Catering and Faculty Club, Yankee Line, American Association for the Advancement of Science, New England Science Writers, NASW Cybrarian Bob Finn, Kate's Mystery Books, Annals of Improbable Research, Web/database assistant Darcie Gurley, our student volunteers, and many others who help make the workshops possible.

Hosts and Sponsors

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
• Knight Science Journalism Fellowship
• Charles Stark Draper Laboratory
• Biogen
• Boston University
• Harvard Medical School
• Technology Review
• Chandra X-ray Observatory
• Boston Museum of Science

SCHEDULE

Notes: We need your help. Several of our events will be held in different locations within walking distance on and off the campus of MIT. (Unfortunately, scheduling conflicts and workshop space requirements required us to work with these multiple sites.) We would ask that, as you gain familiarity with the sites, you assist and even guide your colleagues in finding their way around the workshop sites. Thank you! Some events are held in high-security sites, so, due to increased security measures, please bring and be prepared to show a government-issued photo ID. You should also display your workshop badge at all events. We will not be audio-recording the workshops this year, due to high cost and a low demand for tapes.

Wednesday, February 13, 2002

7:30 a.m. Registration opens, Tang Center

8:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast

For continental breakfast and workshops, PIOs meet at the MIT Faculty Club, located on the 6th floor of the Sloan Building, just east of the Tang Center; Freelances meet at the Whitehead Institute, Nine Cambridge Center (Kendall Square), at Main and Fulkerson/Vassar Streets, 3 blocks NNW of the Tang Center.

FREELANCE & PIO MINI WORKSHOPS

Shuttle bus service will be provided from the Hynes Convention Center (AAAS) Boyleston Street entrance to MIT's Tang Center from 7:30-8:30 am. Shuttle transportation sponsored by the Whitehead Institute. The first mini-workshop session begins promptly at 8:30 am. The second mini-workshop session begins promptly at 10:15 am. The mini-workshop sessions are filled to capacity. We request, therefore, that you attend the session you registered for.

8:30-10:00 a.m.

• Financial Issues Across a Working Lifetime: Rainy Days and Retirement

Whitehead 3rd Floor Conference Room

Beryl Benderly, freelance writer

Dennis Butler, president, Centre Street Cambridge Corporation

Being in business for yourself means that your present and future financial security is in your own hands, not some employer's, and that you must make crucial financial, insurance, and retirement decisions on your own. It's never too early to start planning for retirement and the costly, unforeseen calamities that life can bring. What financial issues face a freelance across a working lifetime? What strategies help in making successful choices? A financial expert will help us think this through. Freelance.

• Finances: Billing & Taxes

Whitehead 7th Floor Faculty Lounge

Charlie Schmidt, freelance writer

Freelancing shouldn't equal poverty. Optimizing your deductions, retirement planning, effective billing strategies, and more will all be addressed. Freelance .

• Expanding Your Business

Whitehead 5th Floor Conference Room

Jim Schultz, freelance writer

Judith Horstman, freelance writer

Freelancing can be as frustrating as it is uncertain. How can you prosper and persevere without a safety net? During this panel, you'll learn from experienced pros how to make more than just an adequate living working independently. They'll provide tips and traps of the trade, with plenty of practical advice on how to make the living you want. Freelance.

• Building Relationships with Editors

Whitehead 4th Floor Conference Room

Karen Hopkin, freelance writer, editor

Steve Mirsky, columnist and editor, Scientific American

They say it's all in who you know. Well, for freelance writers, it's also in who knows you. In this mini-workshop, geared toward rookies, we'll talk about ways to establish and maintain a network of relationships with editors, sources, and even fellow writers. These personal connections, as much as your boundless talent and sparkling queries, will keep the work coming to you. Learn the secret to getting editors and science types to worship and adore you — or at least return your calls. Freelance — especially for rookies.

• The Well-Crafted Query

Whitehead 7th Floor Classroom

Keith Kloor, senior editor, Audubon magazine

Ever wonder what makes a stand-out query letter? In this workshop, you'll learn how to hook the editor with a compelling, tightly-written pitch. You'll learn everything from the basic "do's" and "don'ts," to the deft touches that make for a winning query. You'll also get "insider tips" and review both successful and rejected queries. Freelance — especially for rookies.

• Evaluating Public Affairs: How to Tell If You're Doing a Good Job

MIT Faculty Club, Room 2 (6th floor of the Sloan Building, just east of the Tang Center)

Gail Porter, National Institute of Standards and Technology

As public affairs offices increasingly reach the public directly through web sites and email lists they need to find ways to survey their audiences and evaluate their efforts. Even federal agencies can survey their audiences if they know how to maneuver through the Office of Management and Budget's regulations. This session will offer case studies of successful evaluation efforts. PIO.

• Web-Based Pressrooms

MIT Faculty Club, West Room (6th floor of the Sloan Building, just east of the Tang Center)

Ben P. Stein, senior science writer, American Institute of Physics

For the public information officer trying to maximize news coverage of meetings, Web-based pressrooms provide opportunities opened up by the tightening of travel budgets in news organizations and the inherent advantages of the World Wide Web. PIO.

• Managing 24/7 Media Access: A "Risk Management" Model

MIT Faculty Club, East Room (6th floor of the Sloan Building, just east of the Tang Center)

Joann Rodgers, deputy director of media relations, Johns Hopkins

Successfully managing a 24/7 media project requires a precise understanding of the risk culture of an institution and a risk management process that works equally well for all of the stakeholders — including the media. No one stakeholder holds the balance of "power," so, unsexy though it may be, process is paramount. Come prepared for debate! PIO

10:15-11:45 a.m.

• From Science to Fiction: Writing Novels and Mysteries

Whitehead 7th Floor Faculty Lounge

Jessica Speart, science writer and mystery novelist; author of Rachel Porter Mysteries

Discussion will cover the topic of how to transform a nonfiction idea/article into a novel. Where does reality end and fiction begin? Learn to create an original voice and develop an idea that hits a chord. Freelance

• Science Writing for Kids

Whitehead 3rd Floor Conference Room

Fran Hodgkins, science editor, McDougal Littell

Steve Miller, freelance writer

Young readers are an especially demanding audience for science writers. Of course, your facts must be straight, and your writing must be lively and interesting. Beyond that, you are introducing your readers to brand-new concepts — and quite possibly establishing in them a lifelong interest in (or distaste for) science. Come share your experiences in this mini-workshop, coordinated by a freelance writer and an award-winning children's nonfiction writer and senior science editor. We will discuss writing techniques, markets, where to find ideas, what children (and editors) want to read, and anything else that you find useful to address these readers. Freelance.

• Where's the $ in Medical Writing?

Whitehead 4th Floor Conference Room

Barbara Ravage, freelance writer

Join your colleagues in a lively and informative discussion of how to make a living in a field that ranges from writing for consumer audiences to Continuing Medical Education materials for health-care professionals, peer-reviewed publications, abstracts, publications of academic medical institutions, medical advertising agencies, and pharmaceutical companies, including product monographs and package inserts, clinical study reports, new drug application summary documents, and more. What kind of background do you need? How do you find clients? What does it pay? Freelance.

• The Efficient Home Office

Whitehead 7th Floor Classroom

M. Mitchell Waldrop, freelance writer

Marcia Bartusiak, freelance writer

When you work at home, you do get to be your own boss — but you also get to be your own accountant, business manager, systems administrator, secretary, and file clerk. How can you take care of all that, while still finding time to write? Come join our panelists for 90 minutes of tips, horror stories, and free wheeling give-and-take. No talking heads here; we've all got something to learn from each other. Freelance.

• The Art of the Interview

Whitehead 5th Floor Conference Room

Dan Ferber, freelance writer, contributing correspondent, Science

The art of the interview, with a special focus on the "deep" or psychological interviews important for literary journalism. How do you establish the kind of relationship with your subject that allows or encourages them to reveal the telling details that make your story come alive? Freelance.

• Crisis Management

  MIT Faculty Club, East Room

  Seema Kumar, the Whitehead Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research

  Organizations must have a crisis communications plan in place well before the need arises. This session will explore how communication professionals can work with institutional leadership to prepare a communications plan. The session will also discuss do's and don'ts shared from personal experiences. PIO.

• Public Information Bypassing Media

  MIT Faculty Club, West Room

  David Salisbury, Vanderbilt University

  Steve Tally, Purdue University

  Additional presenters:

  • Merry Bruns, ScienceSites Communications
  • Mary Miller, Exploratorium
  • Tom Rickey, University of Rochester Medical Center
  • Mark Shwartz, Stanford News Service

  Electronic publishing gives research institutions an opportunity to communicate science news directly to the public as an adjunct to their media efforts. This seminar looks at two communication tools — list servers and on-line research magazines — and examines how universities are using these media to tell their story. PIO.

• Publishing a Research Magazine

MIT Faculty Club, Room 2

Kelli Whitlock, Ohio University, editor, Perspectives

Hundreds of universities and institutions around the country have created magazines in recent years designed to inform the public about research under way on their campuses. This small-group session will offer an information exchange about all aspects of creating and operating a research magazine, including tips on finding stories, covering controversy, lively writing, photography, design, focus groups, mailing lists, and everything in between. PIO.

12:00-1:15 p.m.

Field trips to Boston's hottest science sites

Departing from Tang Center. Meet in lobby.

1:30-4:30 p.m.

• Draper Labs and Chandra X-ray Observatory, Operations Control Center Field Trip

Megan Watzke, Chandra X-ray Observatory

Kathleen Granchelli and Amy Schwenker, Draper Laboratory

A representative from Draper Labs will escort participants from the Tang Center at 1:30. Participants will walk to Draper labs, about three blocks NNW of the Tang Center. Draper Labs is located at Broadway and Fulkerson, just across the railroad tracks.

Highlights: Ground, Air and Undersea Robotics/the Unmanned Vehicle Lab, Biomedical Engineering, Space/The Simulation Lab, Inertial Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)/GPS-INS Integration, The Chandra X-ray Observatory. NOTE: You must have preregistered to attend this event.

• Museum of Science Field Trip

Tracy Hampton Cary Sneider, Museum of Science

Bus departs Tang Center at 1:30. Look for the Museum of Science representative in the Tang Lobby. The Museum's new Current Science & Technology Center allows visitors to critically examine recent advances in science and technology and consider their potential impact. Topics range from world health issues to robotics to the International Space Station. Visitors can further explore these topics through interactive touch-screen kiosks and live satellite downlinks. Exhibits in this space are constantly updated.

• MIT Media and Artificial Intelligence Laboratories Field Trip

Elizabeth Thomson

MIT Bus departs Tang Center at 1:30. Look for the MIT representative in the Tang Lobby. The trip requires some walking between the two sites and back to the Tang Center.

The Media Laboratory researches software agents, machine understanding, how children learn, human and machine vision, speech interfaces, wearable computers, affective computing, tangible media, object-oriented video, interactive cinema, work in various forms of digital expression, and new approaches to spatial imaging, nanomedia, and nano-scale sensing.

The MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory works to understand human intelligence at all levels and to build useful artifacts based on intelligence. The tour may include: Cog, MIT's humanoid robot; a variety of legged robots that run, walk, and balance; robotic "hands" used to touch and explore objects with force sensing; and "Hal," an intelligent room that uses embedded computation to observe and participate in the events occurring in the world around it.

• MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center & Nuclear Reactor Laboratory Field Trip

Elizabeth Thomson, MIT Bus departs Tang Center at 1:30. Look for the MIT representative in the Tang Lobby. The Plasma Science and Fusion Center tour focuses on using plasmas to make controlled nuclear fusion possible. At the Alcator C-Mod tokamak, scientists are learning how to create and confine a "star" inside a donut-shaped chamber.

MIT is also exploring a new approach to fusion — the Levitated Dipole Experiment, inspired by observations of a plasma formation around the planet Jupiter. Participants will also have the opportunity to see the Versatile Toroidal Facility. A tour of the reactor covers the basics of nuclear fission and how the reactor works and shows participants a new facility for Neutron Capture Therapy (NCT) involving the selective irradiation of tumor cells. In clinical trials it has shown promise in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (a highly malignant form of brain cancer). Researchers working on another project are creating semiconductors by sending neutrons through a silicon ingot. NOTE: You must have preregistered to attend this event.

• Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research Field Trip

Nadia Halim, the Whitehead Institute

A representative from the Whitehead will escort participants from the Tang Center at 1:30. Participants will walk to the Whitehead, about three blocks northwest of the Tang Center. The Whitehead is located at Main and Fulkerson/Vassar Streets. The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research is a non-profit, independent research and educational institution with pathfinding programs in cancer and AIDS research, structural biology, genetics, infectious disease research, developmental biology, and transgenic science. Its mission is two-fold: improve human health and welfare and extend the boundaries of knowledge for future generations. Tours will visit the sequencing center, the functional genomic center, and the cloning center. Among other things, participants could see actual clones, see the robot used for DNA purification, and spool their own DNA.

• Harvard Medical School Field Trip

Don Gibbons, Harvard Medical School

High Throughput Post Genomic Science in an Academic Setting: Whether it is combinatorial chemistry, sequencing, or gene cloning, the robotics of high throughput science is usually reserved for industry research labs. Harvard Medical School has built two such labs in order to merge the opportunities of the fast-paced science with unfettered academic curiosity. The Institute for Chemistry and Cell Biology uses robotic combinatorial chemistry to create vast libraries of small molecules and then develops cell biology assays to determine if they have interesting activities in living cells. The Harvard Institute of Proteomics is trying to give researchers what they really want from the Human Genome Project, genes in a cloned form that easily express protein, not a data point on a computer.

• Biogen Field Trip

Kathryn Bloom, Biogen

A representative from Biogen will escort participants from the Tang Center at 1:30. Participants will walk to Biogen, about three blocks north of the Tang Center. Biogen is located at Broadway and Fulkerson/Vassar Streets on the SE side of the railroad tracks. Biogen, Inc. is a global biopharmaceutical company principally engaged in discovering and developing drugs for human health care through genetic engineering. The world's oldest independent biotechnology company, Biogen was founded in 1978 by a group of internationally acclaimed scientists, including two U.S. academics who would later win Nobel Prizes.

• New England Aquarium Field Trip

Tony LaCasse, New England Aquarium

A behind-the-scenes tour: The NEAq (as it's known) carries on important behind-the-scenes roles. An extensive medical center treats injured sea mammals and reptiles-some of the labs are visible behind glass so that equipment and staff are on display. The NEAq holds the federal mandate for rescue and rehabilitation of sea creatures (including whales and dolphins) stranded along the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.

4:00 p.m.

6:00-7:00 p.m.

7:00-9:00 p.m.

Thursday, February 14, 2002

Shuttle bus service will be provided from the Hynes Convention Center (AAAS) Boylston Street entrance to MIT's Tang Center from 7:15-9:30 a.m. Shuttle transportation sponsored by the Whitehead Institute. Continental breakfast will be available beginning at 7:30 a.m. The plenary begins in the Tang Center promptly at 8:30 a.m.

7:00 a.m. Registration opens Tang Center

7:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast Buffet Tang Center Sponsored by Harvard Medical School

8:30 a.m. Welcome to MIT

8:35-9:45 a.m. Plenary Panel: "Can Science Compete With Other News?"

10:20-11:40 a.m. PANELS

• "How to Win a Pulitzer"

********THIS PANEL IS CANCELLED********

Biogen 8 Auditorium, 15 Cambridge Center

Jon Franklin

An all-Pulitzer panel of people who have won for stories in science, technology, medicine, health and environment, and related areas share practical tips on how others can initiate, manage, and survive similar projects. The panel aims to inspire and instruct other reporters to strive for and reach the highest standards of reporting and writing.

• "Writing from the Field: Fresh Air for Science Writers and Readers"

Draper Labs Auditorium

Philip Johansson, senior editor, Earthwatch Institute

Although the bulk of science writing today focuses on breakthroughs in biochemistry, medical research, physics, and other smelly lab sciences, a wealth of important discoveries can still be found outdoors, in the field sciences. Ecology, environmental science, animal behavior, geology, archaeology, and other field disciplines are full of surprises for readers and pose many special circumstances for science writers, from travel logistics to dysentery. Our panelists will focus on the relevance of field science to the public, the multisensory joys of writing about science outdoors, and the unique challenges writers in the field can expect."

• Mark Cherrington, Freelance
• William Allen, Institutes for Journalism and Natural Resources
• Peter Tyson, Online Producer, NOVA WGBH-TV

• "Reporting on Risk"

Wong Auditorium, Tang Center

Peggy Girshman, NPR

• David Ropeik, Harvard Center for Risk Communication

Because we are the main link between scientists and the public, reporters have a special responsibility when we write about risk. Whether it's about cancer clusters, nuclear power, global warming or any of the daily stories about modern risk, reporters have to know what the public's fears are, what statistics tell us and how to convey accurate information about both. Workshop attendees will hear tips about how to write about risk and receive fact sheets about risk statistics and about public perception of the odds of bad things happening (they are very different). We will pay specific attention to stories in the news, including bioterrorism, human research subjects and cloning/stem cell research.

• "Multimedia Science Reporting"

McGovern Auditorium, Whitehead

Jane Stevens, GlobalQuest Multimedia

Freelance Multimedia Primer: In this basic primer in multimedia reporting, experienced multimedia journalists will discuss how it works, who's taking stories, and what equipment and skills people need. We'll demo some stories and talk about how they were put together. Freelancers will explain how long it took to develop proficiency and what advice they'd give people wanting to give this a try.

12:00-1:30 p.m.

1:50-3:10 p.m. PANELS

• "The Successful Science Book"

Wong Auditorium, Tang Center

Laura van Dam

This session looks at different kinds of books that can be a success for science writers, including working as a co-author with an expert on a science book; writing a truly literary science book; writing a how-to book — again with a scientist or MD; and writing one of a series with proven success, such as the "Dummy" books by IDG.

• Laura van Dam, senior editor, Houghton Mifflin Co.
• Jill Kneerim, agent, Hill and Barlow Agency
• "Teaching Science Writing"

Biogen 8 Auditorium, 15 Cambridge Center

Sharon Dunwoody, Evjue-Bascom professor and director, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Good writers can become good teachers, but it takes a surprising amount of savvy and hard work to be successful in the classroom. In this session, a panel of science writing professionals-turned-teachers will offer advice about how to cope with the pedagogical side of science writing.

• Deborah Blum, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• John Travis, Science News
• Ann Finkbeiner, Johns Hopkins University
• "Helping Scientists Communicate" (special PIO session)

McGovern Auditorium, Whitehead

Nancy Serrell, Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Dartmouth College

In addition to science writing, most public information officers act as facilitators, coaxing and coaching scientists to communicate with the public through the media. Resistance is not uncommon. How do you convince a scientist to return reporters' calls and to agree to interviews? Are there general principles for communicating effectively with journalists? What does it take to keep the balance between scientific values and news values? This workshop will include tips on overcoming scientists' reluctance to talk to reporters, a description of an effective media-training program, and a scientist's perspective on the challenge of communicating science to the public.

• Terry Devitt, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Catherine Puckett, public affairs specialist, USGS, Eureka, CA
• Robert Wolke, chemist & author, University of Pittsburgh, Washington Post
• Jim Scott, senior science writer, University of Colorado at Boulder
• "Environmental Writing: Bringing Science into the Environmental Debate"

Draper Labs Auditorium

Jackleen de La Harpe, Executive Director, Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting

Environmental controversies are often political controversies. If writers focused more on science, would this resolve some of the issues? Does good science support most of the contentions and issues staked out by environmentalists? Is science misused to support political points of view? Do environmental reporters fail to cover certain issues like nuclear energy because it is unpopular and counterproductive to environmental sentiments? How can we bring more science into the debate? Join some of the nation's top environmental writers to discuss our role as science writers in environmental journalism.

• Jon Palfreman, documentary filmmaker, NOVA/Frontline
• Andy Revkin, environment writer, New York Times
• Steve Curwood, executive producer, Living on Earth, NPR

3:10 p.m.

3:35-4:55 p.m. PANELS

• "Investigative and Interpretive Science Reporting"

Wong Auditorium, Tang Center

Kitta Mac Pherson, Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ)

How to break beyond the bounds of explanatory journalism into another realm.

Moderated by Kitta MacPherson, science writer, the Star-Ledger of Newark, NJ, and recipient of the NASW's 2000 Science-in-Society Journalism Award.

• Michael Waldholtz, editor of health and science, Wall Street Journal
• Delthia Ricks, medical and science correspondent, Newsday
• Jenni Laidman, science writer, The Toledo Blade
• Jennifer Washburn, independent journalist and fellow, New America Foundation
• "Fiction Writing Techniques for Non-Fiction"

Biogen 8 Auditorium, 15 Cambridge Center

Gareth Cook, science writer, Boston Globe

What can a science writer learn from Michael Crichton or Edgar Allen Poe? From deadline news to magazine articles to books and documentaries, non-fiction writers use fiction-writing techniques all the time — often without knowing it. Here, our panelists offer practical advice for making any piece of writing more interesting, engaging, and just plain fun.

• Gareth Cook, science reporter, Boston Globe
• Ellen Ruppel Shell, co-director of Boston University's Knight Center for Science and Medical Journalism
• Simon Mawer, author
• Robert Kanigel, professor of science writing at MIT and author
• Joe Levine, science editor for the PBS Evolution Project and independent science educator
• "Don't Sign on the Bottom Line: All-rights and Contract Issues" (special freelance session)

Dining Hall, Whitehead

Diedtra Henderson, freelance writer

All rights. Web rights. Copyright. Contracts for freelance science writers are adding pages of complexity. The Supreme Court's ruling in Tasini v. NYT raised the visibility of these issues, scored a victory for free-lancers, and unleashed another round of scary contracts. How much power does an individual writer have to tweak a contract? You'll walk away with negotiating tips and an answer to the question: Should you ever sign on the bottom line?

• Jonathan Tasini, president of the National Writers Union and lead plaintiff in Tasini v. The New York Times Company, et. al.
• Joel Shurkin, Pulitzer-Prize winning reporter, author and senior editor of Hopkins Health
• Phil Hilts, award-winning health/science reporter, author and 2001 Alicia Patterson fellow
• "Public Broadcasting Science TV"

Draper Labs Auditorium

Paula Apsell, executive producer of NOVA at WGBN's science unit

A behind the scenes look at NOVA's "Cracking the Code of Life," one of the winners of this year's Science-in-Society Journalism Award. Panelists discuss the challenges of bringing the complex topics of molecular biology and human genome sequencing to television, and the process involved in creating this extraordinary two-hour film.

• Paula Apsell, executive producer, NOVA
• Betsey Arledge, independent producer
• Julia Cort, producer, NOVA
• Robert Krulwich, ABC News special correspondent
• Eric Lander, director, Whitehead Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research (Invited)

5:00 p.m. Science-in-Society Awards and Reception

Additional Special Meetings and Events:

• AAAS hosts a Friday, February 15, evening reception for newsroom registrants Prudential Center, 800 Boylston Street. Winners of the 2001 Science Journalism Awards, sponsored by the Whitaker Foundation, will be announced.
• ISWA hosts "The State of World Science Writing" Saturday, February 16, 8-9:30 a.m. Sheraton Boston Hotel, Beacon Room A, 3rd floor
• NASW annual membership and business meeting Saturday, February 16, 4 p.m. Sheraton Boston Hotel, Commonwealth Room, 3rd floor
• AAAS hosts a "Eurekalert!" party on Saturday night Avalone on Landsowne Street. Transportation will be provided from the Sheraton Boston Hotel to Avalon. This party will feature a karaoke hour, music, and dancing. Attendance will be limited to preregistrants.
• NASW Science Writers Book Signing Event during AAAS meeting

When: Sunday, February 17, 2002

Time: 12:30 p.m.

Where: Borders Book Store 10-24 School St. Boston, MA 02108 (617) 557-7188

Directions via T from the Hynes Convention Center: Green line Inbound. Go four station stops to Park Street. Exit to street level. Cross the street (Tremont) at the light. You will be at the head of Winter Street. Walk a block down Winter Street to Washington Street. (large cross street, Corner Mall, Macy's and Filene's). Turn left onto Washington Street. Stay on the left side of the street, and Borders will be at the end of the second block across from the Old South Meeting House. Corner of Washington and School streets (approx. 7-8 min. walk)

Authors: Marcia Bartusiak, Kevin Davies, Lynne Lamberg, Vivien Marx, Bill Sargent, P.J. Skerrett, and Patrick Thomas

RSVP, if you can, by calling and leaving a message for Jessica D'Abrosca, Whitehead Institute/MIT Center for Genome Research, 320 Charles Street, Cambridge, MA 02141 (617) 252-1967 (voice), (617) 258-0903 (fax).

• NASW's local chapter, New England Science Writers, announces a night of food, music, and dancing at Boston's most futuristic new nightclub. Sunday, February 17, 7 p.m., Matrix, in Boston's Theatre District. Free for AAAS newsroom registrants.
• News Center Information: The News Center, located on the third floor of the Sheraton Boston Hotel, will include news briefings, a workroom equipped with Internet access and computers, a papers room with copies of speaker presentations, a reporters' coffee lounge and private interview rooms. Newsroom registration will open on Thursday, February 14, at 8 a.m.

Newsroom hours:

• Thursday, February 14 — 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
• Friday, February 15 — 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
• Saturday - Monday, February 16-18 — 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, February 19 — 7:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

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