NASW Update, Jan. 20, 2011

Travel Fellowships to Cairo: Applications due February 23

The National Association of Science Writers invites applications for the Laura Van Dam Travel Fellowships to this summer's meeting of the World Conference of Science Journalists in Cairo, scheduled for June 27-29, 2011.

Ten fellowships, each in the amount of $2,500, will be awarded in memory of past NASW President Laura Van Dam, who died in 2006. Laura was a strong supporter of this organization's commitment to international science writing and, in fact, helped organize the group's first meeting in Montreal in 2004. Our goal is not only to encourage ties between NASW and the World Federation as a way of helping the development of our craft around the world, but also to give the selected Van Dam fellows a chance to pursue story opportunities in Egypt and the region, especially at a time when travel budgets are tight for many writers. We are also pleased that through the hard work of our international liaison, Deborah Blum, and others, NASW is content partner for this exciting world conference.

General information and a preliminary program for the Cairo meeting can be found at www.wcsj2011.org. The conference is scheduled for June 27-29, 2011, and the travel grant is designed to subsidize roundtrip airfare, registration, travel insurance, and contribute to lodging costs. Monies will be distributed only upon submission of travel receipts post-meeting.

Those who would like to be considered for a Van Dam fellowship should send a resume and a letter combined into a one PDF file, which explains:

  1. How this trip would fit into the kind of reporting you are now doing
  2. What stories you might do in Egypt or the Middle East that cannot be done here and potential markets for them.
  3. What you hope to get out of attending the conference itself

Attach the single PDF to an email and send to director@nasw.org NO LATER than Wednesday, February 23, 2011, at 11:59 p.m. Include "Van Dam Fellowship" in the subject line.

Successful applicants will be notified by March 10, in time for WCSJ's early registration discount. Please note that awardees are responsible for all of their own travel arrangements, including acquisition of necessary visa and other passport documentation. See details from the U.S. State Department: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1108.html. Awardees are strongly urged to secure personal travel insurance.

To learn more about the meeting, see www.wcsj2011.org. If applications warrant, NASW may choose to distribute more than ten awards.

Get your Science in Society entries postmarked by February 1

Please help us spread the word about our annual awards, which are open to members and non-members. Enter your own work, tweet your networks, and help us recognize the best writing about the impacts of science. Did you read something in 2010 that you think exemplifies the meaning of the award? Write the author and encourage him or her to enter the piece.

Entries for the 2010 Science in Society awards are open, and once again there is no charge for entering the contest, which recognizes excellence in reporting about science and its impacts on society. Recognition, and a $2,500 award, are available in each of four categories: Books, Commentary & Opinion, Science Reporting, and Science Reporting with a Local or Regional Focus. Submissions must be postmarked by February 1.

Detailed guidelines and the entry form are available at www.nasw.org/awards.

Web Editor pilot program

The Board and Internet Committee are pleased to announce the creation of a six-month pilot program that establishes a Web Editor to plan and develop content for the new website. NASW represents a broad range of interests, professions, and career stages, with all of us finding ourselves part of different constituencies at different times. In order to make the website relevant for our community, we are experimenting with moving the role of content oversight for the entire site from the hands of volunteers to a dedicated contract position, much like the role of the ScienceWriters editor. In 2009, the freelance committee undertook a very successful pilot to oversee content for the freelance section of the website, and we feel that it is time to see if such a strategy could work on a global scale. The role of the Web Editor will be to plan a relevant editorial mix, and identify, assign, and acquire content for the site, as well as collaborating with Lynne Friedmann, editor of ScienceWriters, to complement and amplify content from the quarterly magazine. The Web Editor will work with volunteer content contributors and also administer a small budget for outside content. In addition, the Web Editor will help engender activity in the discussion groups and through other elements of the social mediasphere. For the pilot, we are pleased that Russell Clemings will be taking on the duties in addition to his role on the technical side of the website. The six-month pilot will be evaluated by the Board after June 30, and, if funding is approved, an annual contract role will be announced and applications opened to have a Web Editor in place for the fall of 2011.

2011 dues are due

Renew by January 31 to avoid a late fee. Can't remember if you renewed? Login to nasw.org and look for the header that specifies your expiration date or be on the lookout for individualized reminders. We won't let it pass you by!

January 19, 2011

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