NCSWA SPONSORS SCIENCE-WRITING WORKSHOP FOR STUDENTS

In November, NCSWA sponsored its first workshop on careers in science writing for journalism and science students as well as new writers. Held at the conference center at San Francisco State University, the workshop featured panels on newspaper and magazine writing, freelance and book writing, broadcast media, and public information careers.

The workshop, "Careers in Science Journalism," drew about 100 people, mostly undergraduates and graduate students in science or journalism from a dozen Bay-area institutions, but also early-career writers and mid-career scientists.

The workshop was publicized by news releases and radio announcements, e-mail messages to deans and chairs of science and journalism departments, and old-fashioned pavement-pounding by NCSWAns, who put up flyers far and wide.

Opening speaker John Wilkes, director of the Science Communication Program at UC Santa Cruz, observed that science writing is a career not meant for dabblers. "You have to love to write and to tell others about science," Wilkes said. "If it's in your blood, there may be a place for you here."

Closing speaker Timothy Ferris, producer and author of acclaimed documentaries and books about astronomy and physics, emphasized the art of storytelling and the craft of reporting in a talk filled with anecdotes from his long career.

In between, audience members attended panel sessions convened by NCSWAns and featuring some of the region's best journalistic voices. The panels were the heart of the workshop, providing a chance for new writers and budding scientists to hear career stories and advice from professionals. NCSWA board members felt that such an opportunity was rare for journalism students, nonexistent for science students, and valuable for young freelance writers who might not have the resources to go to the NASW national workshops.

Attendees also mingled freely with panelists during an extended lunch hour. The freewheeling conversations overheard at various tables included the practicalities of moving into science writing with a bachelor's degree in science, how editors decide which stories to run, how freelance writers pitch ideas, and the pros and cons of attending graduate programs in science writing. By the end of the six-hour program, it was clear to everyone that no two careers in science journalism are alike.

Panelists included:

• Broadcast journalism: Ruth Carranza, independent filmmaker; James Hattori, CNN; Betsy Rosenberg, KCBS radio; Sally Stephens, freelance (chair).
• Freelance and book authors: Robert Adler, Nina Martin, Robert McNally, Peter Steinhart, Bruce Goldman (chair).
• Magazines and newspapers: Carl T. Hall, San Francisco Chronicle; David Hamilton, Wall Street Journal; Evelyn Strauss, Science; Andrea Widener, Contra Costa Times; Kathleen Wong, California Wild; Charlie Petit, U.S. News & World Report (chair).
• Public information: Jeff Kahn, UC Berkeley; Dawn Levy, Stanford; Mike Ross, IBM Almaden Research Center; Bob Sanders, UC Berkeley (chair).

The event cost less than $2,000 to produce, and NCSWA has already decided to repeat it in two years. Based on feedback, the 2003 workshop may include more informal time for private conversations, as well as a panel on electronic media (a planned session on that topic was cancelled due to illness).

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(Source: NCSWA Workshop Committee)