Thanks to gifts by NASW members and other conference attendees supplementing NASW's annual Community Support Grant budget allocation, 16 grantees received financial support to attend this year's ScienceWriters conference.
Congratulations to these 2026 NASW Conference Fellows who were selected from a large and competitive pool of 76 applicants. We’re excited to welcome them to Corvallis, Oregon for ScienceWriters2026 and to see those attending virtually online.
2026 NASW CONFERENCE FELLOWS
Eric Niiler | Freelance
Gaige Davilla | Investigative Reporting Fellow at the Texas Observer | Correspondent at Deceleration
Tasmiha Khan | Independent Journalist
Breyton Hill | UC Santa Cruz
Anashe Bandari | Freelance
Sara Hashemi | Freelance
Shi En Kim | Environmental reporting fellow at The Arizona Republic
Liz Kruesi | Independent Science Journalist & Editor
David Levin | Brandeis University
Quinn Burkhart| Science communicator for the Long Island Sound Partnership/NEIWPCC | Contracted nature writer for explore.org
Lydia Larsen| The Post and Courier
Betsy Ladyzhets | The Sick Times
Mirjam Guesgen | Freelance
Motunrayo Oluseun Joel | FactCheckHub
Nhatt Nichols | Freelance Climate and Food Systems Journalist
These conference fellowship grants reimburse up to $1,200 in travel expenses for in-person attendees and up to $200 in other expenses for virtual-only attendees. In addition to travel costs, grants can support teleconferencing needs or caregiving costs, such as childcare or elder care.
All NASW conference fellows receive complimentary meeting registration, and eligible individuals also receive a complimentary Professional, Student, or Affiliate membership to NASW for the coming year.
More than 75 applications were received for the conference fellowships. The volunteer judging team consisted of NASW board members Alla Katsnelson, Ariana Remmel, Katie Mast, Marilynn Marchione, and Sandeep Ravindran who gave generously of their time to ensure each submission was read by multiple reviewers.
About the National Association of Science Writers
Founded in 1934 with a mission to fight for the free flow of science news, NASW is an organization of ~2,400 professional journalists, authors, editors, producers, public information officers, students and people who write and produce material intended to inform the public about science, health, engineering, and technology. To learn more, visit www.nasw.org and follow NASW on LinkedIn and Bluesky.*
About ScienceWriters2026
Held each year, the ScienceWriters conferences provide a gathering place for professionals and students working across the science news landscape. From journalists to institutional writers, from editors to producers, from seasoned science communicators to those exploring science and technology beats, from mentors to students, the events provide opportunities for skills development, new tools practice, professional networking, and topic debates for every attendee.
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Eric Niiler, Courtesy of Breyton Hill, Courtesy of Anashe Bandari, Courtesy of Sara Heshemi, Ellen Dohen, David Levin, Grace Beahm Alford/The Post and Courier, Courtesy of New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission, Courtesy of Betsy Ladyzhets, Courtesy of Mirjam Guesgen, Andrew Wiese
