Denise Grady, a New York Times science reporter, has been selected to receive the 2009 Victor Cohn Prize for Excellence in Medical Science Reporting in recognition of the unusual breadth and depth of her coverage of a wide range of health issues, both domestic and international.
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In the very near future, many of you will either write original e-books or have one of your print books' e-rights exploited by a publisher. An e-book is an electronic version of a traditional print book that can be read by using a personal computer, an e-book reader, and, now, even an iPhone. I have mixed emotions about e-books.
The winners of the 2009 Science in Society Journalism Awards, sponsored by the National Association of Science Writers, are: Alison Bass for her book Side Effects: A Prosecutor, a Whistleblower, and a Bestselling Antidepressant on Trial (Algonquin Books); Jason Felch and Maura Dolan for their Los Angeles Times series "Genes as Evidence"; Michael J. Berens and Ken Armstrong for their Seattle Times series "Culture of Resistance"; and Pamela Ronald for her commentary "The New Organic," which appeared on boston.com, the web site of the Boston Globe.
Should live tweeting and blogging from scientific meetings be controlled? Back in May, Daniel MacArthur — a researcher and blogger — wrote a number of on-the-spot blogs on the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Biology of Genomes meeting. By all accounts a number of people were tweeting and blogging from the meeting. But Daniel had the misfortune to come under scrutiny from Genomeweb — a web-based news service — because of his actions.
Save $25 on your ScienceWriters 2009 registration. Sign up online by Tuesday, September 1, for the early bird rate. For registration and complete program information on the meeting, including the bonus field trip and full-day multimedia workshop, see www.sciencewriters2009.org. Registration closes October 1. The meeting kicks off Friday night, October 16 in Austin, Texas.
We are pleased to announce the recipients of NASW's first Career Development Grants, developed to support education, training or other activities that help established science writers continue or advance their careers in today's rapidly changing media environment. The grant offers reimbursement of up to $2,500 for proposed activities. Fifty-one applicants submitted requests totaling over $84,000.
Christie Aschwanden, a freelance science writer in Colorado, talks about how she raised funds for and reported a story in Vietnam.
Freelancer Nancy Allison continues to explore top writer websites and blogs. This month, she talks with Ed Yong, British freelance writer and creator of the blog, Not Exactly Rocket Science.
Sure, you're a great science writer. But can potential clients find you? Media consultant Amy Gahran shows how the basic tools of online "findability" can help you get noticed. (Sorry, having your name come up at the top of Google results doesn't necessarily help.)