District of Columbia Area
Richard Klausner, director of the National Cancer Institute, reported on his accomplishments and future goals to the DC Science Writers Association on June 10, at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. On the previous day, June 9, at 1:30 p.m., a DCSWA party traveled to Camden Yards in Baltimore for the organization's annual baseball excursion, this time to see the Orioles play the Chicago White Sox. Rick Borchelt led a DCSWA group to Shepherdstown, WV, July 19-21 for a weekend of science and socializing. Highlights included a tour of the National Biological Service Fisheries Research Center, a trip to a water-bottling company, at least one bird-walk and a soak in the hot springs at Berkeley Springs.
New England Area
Stephen Jay Gould, professor of geology and Alexander Agassiz professor of zoology at Harvard and author of numerous books and articles, talked about his work and answered questions from the New England Science Writers June 18 at the Hoffman Laboratory on the Harvard campus.
New York City Area
Science Writers in New York (SWINY) arranged for a sneak preview June 5 of the new Vertebrate Hall at the American Museum of Natural History with a guided tour by paleontologist Lowell Dingus, director of the project.
Puget Sound Area
At a special tour of Seattle's Pacific Science Center for members of Puget Sound Science Writers (PSSWA), one member asked why the naked mole rat display colony includes a boom box. It's there to inure the 5-inch creatures to the sounds of voices. Without the boom box, they freeze every time someone talks nearby. "Is that a snake?" they squeak. (They have the largest vocal repertoire of any rodent.) What do they listen to? NPR, all day long. When Science Friday comes on, they all crowd into the chamber nearest the speakers. (I made that up.) Contributed by Stephen Hart
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