You won’t find a website for most of these shadowy, mysterious groups with names like “VSG” and “the Posse.” They’ve been compared to terrorist cells, secret societies, and tribes; membership is highly selective and tightly controlled. Fortunately, these groups are comprised of science writers (and the occasional editor), not terrorists. At ScienceWriters2013, four science writers explained the benefits of forming these so-called “tribes.”
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What’s Courtney Love have to do with science writing? Well, she’s the poster child for the perils of defamatory speech on social media. (She recently settled for $430,000 after a series of online slurs appeared in her Twitter feed.) At a Saturday afternoon session on social media and the law, the panel’s take-home message was simple: No matter how short the story, you’re not exempt from legal challenge.
Three science communicators from government agencies shared savvy strategies for communicating science research to the public and policy makers on Saturday afternoon at ScienceWriters2013 in Gainesville, FL. Although they were talking about their experiences promoting federally-funded research, their tips proved valuable to anyone — public information officers, scientists, or educators — involved in science outreach and communication.
NASW member Steve Nadis and Harvard mathematician Shing-Tung Yau report on the development of novel mathematical concepts at Harvard, and the contribution of Harvard researchers to the shaping of their field.
Thanks to the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, up to five science journalists will have the opportunity to attend the Kavli Prize in Olso, Norway, Sept. 8-11, 2014. Meet and exchange with the winners of the Kavli Prize awarded in astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience. The scholarships cover the costs of transportation from your own country and your stay in Oslo.
A passion for biology prompted Teisha Rowland to write on a wide range of biology topics for her local newspaper while still in grad school. Now she’s collected and updated her columns in two books.
In his final column, Rick Borchelt shares three seminal pieces of research from the decades past that he think every practitioner of science communication should know and be able to recite word for word. From the Summer 2013 ScienceWriters.
NASW is deeply troubled by recent incidents regarding offensive language and sexual harassment in the science writing community. We support those who have taken steps to address this problem, including individuals who, at significant personal risk, brought incidents forward to cast light on an insidious problem that clearly infects professional relationships not only in our own community but across our entire society. Read full statement
There’s still a gender gap in the sciences, with far fewer women than men in research jobs, and those women earning substantially less, but it doesn’t help when journalists treat every female scientist they profile as an archetype of perseverance. Such was the consensus that emerged from a discussion prompted by a March 5 post at Double X Science. From the Summer 2013 ScienceWriters.