SciWriSpotlight: Meeting the moment

All interested professionals and students are invited to register for the upcoming, free #SciWriSpotlight webinar “Meeting the Moment: Communicating the importance of university research during challenging times” scheduled for Friday, Sept. 26, at 1 p.m. Eastern.

American universities are navigating rapid changes to government funding and federal policy. Within this upheaval, the conduct of scientific research is facing particularly intense pressure. Join the leaders of NASW’s Institutional Communicators Committee to learn how communications professionals at five major institutions are responding to reinforce awareness and appreciation of the societal impact this research represents.

ScienceWriters Spotlight
Meeting the moment: Communicating the importance of university research during challenging times
Presented by the NASW Institutional Communicators Committee
Date: Friday, Sept. 26, 2025
Start time: 1 p.m. Eastern / 10 a.m. Pacific
Event registration link: https://sciencewriters-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_4rr39YXtTrKDd0ap0pfd8Q

Registration is free and open to all. NASW membership is not required.

This event will be recorded and made available to NASW members.

Moderator:

Gary Warner
Arizona State University
Gary Werner is a science writer and senior media relations officer for Arizona State University, where he covers engineering research related to microelectronics as well as power and energy systems. Prior to working at ASU, Gary served as a communications director for the state of Washington, a senior nonfiction editor for Penguin Random House, a magazine and newspaper journalist, and a nuclear electrical systems technician for the U.S. Navy’s Atlantic submarine fleet. Alongside his current role, Gary serves as co-chair of NASW’s Institutional Communicators Committee.

Invited speakers:

Dave Alexander
Johns Hopkins University
Dave Alexander is the senior content director at Johns Hopkins University, where he oversees a team responsible for producing JHU’s daily news website, the Hub, and its award-winning alumni quarterly, Johns Hopkins Magazine. He also leads strategic content development for the university’s Research Saves Lives campaign. Dave has been at Johns Hopkins for 16 years. He previously worked at the Baltimore Sun as digital managing editor.

Stephanie Dutchen
Harvard Medical School
Stephanie Dutchen is editorial director in the Harvard Medical School Office of Communications and External Relations, where she oversees the news team and contributes to covering research and education in a variety of formats. Before landing her dream job as a writer there 12 years ago, she worked in communications and content strategy at the National Institutes of Health. She has a master’s in science writing from MIT and majored in English and journalism in college.

Brittany Hook
UC San Diego
Brittany Hook is the assistant director of communications at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where she covers Earth and ocean science through news and feature writing. She also produces a monthly newsletter for the director and oversees social media. Despite not having a formal science background, she is captivated by the natural world and passionate about sharing important research with the public. She holds a master’s degree in English and brings more than 15 years of experience in higher education, content creation, and marketing.

Lauren Quinn
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Lauren Quinn is the assistant director of research communications for the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she oversees strategic science storytelling and media relations in collaboration with federal relations staff, faculty, and other college and campus leaders. In an earlier career, Lauren earned a doctorate and completed multiple postdoctoral projects in plant ecology, studying invasive species in natural landscapes. She serves as co-chair of NASW's Institutional Communicators Committee.

This event marks the National Association of Science Writers first ScienceWriters Spotlight discussion. #SciWriSpotlight events are periodic public-facing events created by NASW’s committees to discuss issues beyond our dynamic membership of 2,395 professionals who write and produce material intended to inform the public about science, health, engineering, and technology in myriad job roles. Each #SciWriSpotlight will be moderated by an NASW committee member in conversation among panelists with topic-specific experience and expertise relevant to journalists, writers, institutional communicators, or others in the science news industry. Video recordings of each session will be made available to current NASW members.

Find past and upcoming NASW events at www.nasw.org/events. Members can access recordings via https://www.nasw.org/events/2025-virtual-events-video-archive-member-access.

Founded in 1934 with a mission to fight for the free flow of science news, NASW is an organization of 2,395 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.