Volume 49, Number 2, Summer 2000

FROM THE EDITOR

by Lynne Friedmann

Lynne Friedmann PHOTO BY STAHL PHOTOGRAPHICS

Twelve years ago I answer-ed a classified ad for a contributing writer for ScienceWriters. To a lesser or greater extent, the newsletter has been a part of my life ever since.

At the time, I was a new NASW member, working as the public information representative for the Developmental Biology Center at the University of California, Irvine.

I was delighted when Editor Howard Lewis gave me the opportunity to write for my peers. Perhaps I was the only the one who answered the ad. I never asked.

Over the years, I summarized scores of AAAS sessions on science communications, assembled items for Our Gang and other columns, and contributed pieces on topics that ranged from how museums use the science of Star Trek to captivate visitors, to the pitfalls of interviewing scientist-advocates, to firsthand accounts by science writers covering the 1989 San Francisco earthquake.

Since 1998, I've served as the newsletter's managing editor and now Itake on the responsibilities of editor. I'm honored to do so, and am ably assisted by Deputy Editor Robert Finn, whom readers know as a SW columnist and as moderator of the NASW Web site and e-mail lists.

So, what should you expect?

In the short term, ScienceWriters will continue in its traditional form and content with a combination of trend and analysis pieces, member news, humor (by my definition), and columns by Tammy Powledge, Ruth Winter, Suzanne Clancy, Bob Finn, and Diane McGurgan. As I become adept at arm-twisting, more names will be added to this list.

At the end of the year, you'll be asked to participate in an online membership survey that Bob and I are developing, with input from the NASW board. The results of the survey will influence the publication's future direction.

But you needn't wait until then to tell us what you think. Comments, criticisms, and suggestions are encouraged. It's your newsletter; make your voice heard.

On a personal note, I congratulate my predecessor Howard Lewis for making ScienceWriters such a significant part of NASW membership.

Over the years, his professional guidance has been invaluable; his friendship a gift.

The bar has been set high; my job is to jump over it

Lynne Friedmann is a science communications consultant and freelance writer based in southern California. She can be reached at P.O. Box 1725, Solana Beach, CA 92075, phone 858-793-3537, fax 858-793-1144, e-mail lfriedmann@nasw.org.