Desk Notes Newsletter, April 21, 2021
Inside the April 2021 edition: Pitch a session for our hybrid #SciWri21 conference, access NASW's new COI resource, meet a new member, & more.
Featured news
David Williams: Homewaters—A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound
In 2018, an orca mother in Puget Sound triggered news stories worldwide, carrying her 6-foot-long dead newborn on her back 17 days, traveling 1000 miles before letting go. Her loss highlights present-day concerns and efforts to clean and restore an environment where humans and other species have long co-existed, David Williams reports in Homewaters: A Human and Natural History of Puget Sound.
Information Access Committee seeks input on openness in the federal government
The NASW Information Access Committee seeks members' input on the current state of openness and access in the federal government.
Meet new member Jonathan Moens
Jonathan Moens, a freelance reporter based in Rome and a new addition to the NASW community, shares #WhySciWri in this short Q&A.
Designer Molecules May Provide Clues to Universe’s Biggest Unsolved Mysteries
Synthetic molecules offer scientists a new framework for solving some long-standing mysteries about the universe. By manipulating the internal architecture of a molecule, researchers are able to create tiny bespoke laboratories in which to test their hypotheses about really big questions, such as how the first stars were formed, how we can harness electrons for use in quantum computing, and where all the antimatter in the universe went.
Apr. 9, 2021
ScienceWriters2021
Given the continuing risks and uncertainties posed by the coronavirus pandemic, ScienceWriters2021 (#SciWri21) will be held as a virtual-only event. The decision was reached in coordination with our hosting partners at the University of Colorado Boulder and University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.
Sheeva Azma: How to Get Started in Freelance Science Writing
A science education can provide a competitive edge for aspiring science writers, Sheeva Azma contends. After earning an MS in neuroscience, Azma began exploring job options outside the lab. In How to Get Started in Freelance Science Writing, she provides tactics to help students and scientists apply their skills to marketing, ghost and grant writing, producing website content, and consulting.
Announcing NASW’s new Conflict of Interest resource
Built by volunteers, and informed by commentary from more than 50 contributors, this resource aims to inform writers and editors about behaviors or practices that may raise COI concerns and to inform conversations between writers and editors about COI and how to address it in performance or contract negotiations.