Just 3 days, 2 hours, 45 minutes to go

By Anne Frances Johnson

I’m Anne Frances Johnson, a grad student in science journalism, and seriously pumped for a fun conference. Let me start by saying THANK YOU NASW for supporting graduate travel fellowships! It is enormously gracious of you and a huge help for us.

I’ll be bundling up for the northward journey to New Haven from North Carolina, where I’m pursuing a master’s in medical and science journalism at UNC. I’m arriving extra early to help out with check-in before the Science Cabaret and anniversary party.

I wish whole humans were capable of mitosis so I could split myself up and attend all the great conference sessions. I guess that’s what this blog’s all about—insights from all the sessions in near real-time. I’ll be blogging about “How to be an effective science PIO in the changing media world.”

If I learned anything at the last great conference I attended, ScienceOnline 2010 (and I assure you I did), it was that science communicators are the most fascinating, outspoken, up to date, and fun people around. Beyond the sessions, I look forward to reconnecting with colleagues and meeting many new people.

Besides being a grad student, I’m also a freelance science writer and a former Communications Officer at the National Academy of Sciences. I love communicating all things science and health, whether through text, video, graphics and web products. Here’s an interview I did with Bora Zivkovic on A Blog Around the Clock. Check out my website for more.

Thanks for following the blog!