D.C. Science Writers Association

Media Tour of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

On Saturday, June 15th from 9 am – 1 pm, go behind the scenes of the Smithsonian’s research site on Chesapeake Bay! Headquartered in Edgewater, Maryland, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center studies the most urgent environmental issues shaping our planet over the next century. On this DCSWA member-only tour (plus guests), you’ll meet scientists tracking how forests around the world are responding to climate change and explore BiodiversiTREE, a forest restoration experiment designed to last 100 years. You’ll also tour the center’s “wetland of the future,” where scientists run futuristic experiments that simulate the climate of 2100. Lunch with the scientists will be included after the tour.

If you have additional questions about the day or before registering, please email Kristen Goodhue at GoodhueK@si.edu

Happy Hour at Sudhouse DC

Join us for a happy hour at Sudhouse DC (1340 U St NW, Washington, DC 20009) starting at 6:00 pm on Thursday, April 18th, where we will have a reserved space on the mezzanine.

No registration needed, hope to see you there!

Winners Announced for 15th Annual DCSWA Newsbrief Award

For Immediate Release
March 15, 2024

Contact: newsbriefaward@gmail.com

Winners Announced for 15th Annual DCSWA Newsbrief Award

Washington, D.C.—A story about the contribution of a racing heart to the emotion of anxiety won the 15th annual D.C. Science Writers Association’s Newsbrief Award.

Longform journalism often gets the field’s accolades, but short pieces are the true workhorses of science communication. In the spirit of recognizing these unsung works of excellence, DCSWA has been offering the Newsbrief Awards since 2009.

For the 2023 Newsbrief Award, a panel of science writers judged all entries within a single category, which honors short science writing in any medium and at any outlet.

As this year’s winner, the judges named Bethany Brookshire for her article in Science News, “In mice, anxiety isn’t all in the head. It can start in the heart.”

Brookshire is an award-winning freelance science journalist and author of the 2022 book Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains. She has a Ph.D. in Physiology and Pharmacology. Brookshire writes on human-animal conflict, ecology, environmental science, and neuroscience. She is fascinated by the way humans perceive the environment and their place in it. Her work has appeared in Science News, Science News Explores, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Slate, The Guardian, The Atlantic and other outlets. She is based in Washington, D.C.

“Superb,” said one judge. “Well explained, good reporting, great flow, interesting topic, even some history. It’s one of those pieces that feels much more expansive than its 500 words.”

The judges also awarded two honorable mentions. Chris Gorski took one for his article in Chemical and Engineering News, “Beep-Beep.Flash.Save!.”

Gorski is a news editor at Chemical and Engineering News. His writing explores how science influences and explains what happens in the world — from the big questions about the universe to sports performance and food science. His stories have appeared in C&EN, as well as Knowable Magazine, Science News, Popular Mechanics, Inside Science, and others.

One judge praised the story for being “well written, super interesting, [and] very engaging.” Another “appreciated the unexpected second source and the personal touch at the end.”

A second honorable mention was awarded to Bob Hirshon for his Science Update video, “Soft Robot Brain Implant.”

Hirshon heads up Springtail Media, specializing in science media and digital entertainment. He produces video, podcasts, and other media for SciStarter, a hub for citizen science resources. He was recently Principal Investigator for the NSF-supported National Park Science Challenge, for which he created and implemented the augmented reality adventure Wild Spot. Hirshon headed up the Kinetic City family of science projects, including the Peabody Award-winning children’s radio drama Kinetic City Super Crew, McGraw-Hill book series and Codie Award winning website and education program. Hirshon can occasionally be heard on XM/Sirius Radio’s Kids Place Live as “Bob the Science Slob,” sharing science news and answering children’s questions.

“Very witty and potentially important,” said one judge of Hirshon’s entry. “Or, as the author says, maybe not.”

DCSWA will celebrate the awardees in a ceremony at the DCSWA Professional Development Day on May 4. The winner will be presented with $300 and a framed certificate; those awarded honorable mentions will receive framed certificates.

This year’s judging panel consisted of Jag Bhalla, Miriam Fauzia, David Frey, Judy Lavelle, and Ben Stein.

DCSWA members were eligible to submit entries in any medium and at any outlet published between January 1 and December 31, 2023. The D.C. Science Writers Association is an organization of more than 300 science reporters, editors, authors, and public information officers based in the national capital area. Details on how to enter the 2024 Newsbrief Award will appear on the DCSWA website by the end of the year.

Photos of the winners are available upon request.

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DCSWA Happy Hour @ Calico DC

Join us for a happy hour at Calico DC (50 Blagden Alley NW, Washington, DC 20001) starting at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, March 26th. DCSWA will be at 2 large picnic tables on the lower patio.

No registration needed, hope to see you there!

Professional Development Day 2024 (In-Person & Virtual)

Professional Development Day, a career development event for science writers, has been DCSWA’s signature event since 2006. Every year, over 100 science reporters, PIOs, editors, radio and video producers, and freelancers gather for a fun and exciting day of networking and skill-building

Please join us on Saturday, May 4th, from 8:30 am – 4:00 pm at George Washington University’s Student Center on the 3rd floor.

Our full-day event will include a keynote talk, panel discussions and workshops geared toward both journalists and PIOs, lunch with local scientists, an editor meet and greet, and a happy hour. We will also have live streaming — with dedicated specialist support — for those who want to attend the talk and panel discussions virtually. Coffee, breakfast pastries and lunch will be provided. There will also be an in-person raffle of science books.

We are excited for our slate of programming and hope to see you on May 4th.

Register here: https://dcswa.wildapricot.org/event-5643066

		Grand Ballroom, 3rd floor	Room 309
8:30 – 9:00 am	PDD registration and check-in	Grab some coffee and breakfast pastries before we get started
9:00 – 9:30 am	Opening	PDD kick-off and Newsbrief Award presentation
9:30 – 10:30 am	Keynote	Kristi Pullen Fedinick
10:45 – 11:45 am	Breakout #1	Innovative Digital Storytelling: PIOs Can Do It Too	Ethical Use of AI in the Newsroom
11:45 – 1:00 pm	Lunch	Catered, with the option to have lunch with a GW scientist
1:15 – 2:15 pm	Breakout #2	Writer-Editor Meet and Greet	PIOs: How to Deliver Perfect Pitches to the News Media
2:30 – 3:30 pm	Breakout #3	Lived Experience in Science Writing Workshop	Contemplating Launching a Newsletter? Learn From the Pros
3:30 – 4:00 pm	Closing	Meet for final remarks and a book raffle
4:00 – 6:00 pm	Happy Hour	Head to the back patio at Tonic just a couple of blocks away

Keynote

Bending the Arc: Harnessing Data to Steer Policy Toward Justice

Dr. Kristi Pullen Fedinick, Associate Research Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University

This keynote will explore the intersection of environmental justice and data-driven policy-making, emphasizing the critical role of community engagement and narrative in shaping equitable outcomes. It will uncover the power of data as both a tool and a storyteller, revealing its potential to drive change while acknowledging the gaps that only human stories can fill.

Dr. Kristi Pullen Fedinick is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health of the Milken Institute School of Public Health of the George Washington University. With over 25 years of multidisciplinary research experience, Dr. Pullen Fedinick has worked for the last 15 years at the intersection of science and public policy to advance data-driven, health-protective, community-oriented solutions to environmental problems. Her work has focused on effecting positive change at the local and national levels, where she has used scientific tools to advance protections for people and communities that are disproportionately impacted by environmental degradation. Dr. Pullen Fedinick has authored multiple policy reports and comments, peer-reviewed articles, and served on numerous influential committees of the National Academies of Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), including appointments to the EPA Chartered Science Advisory Board and a workgroup of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council on Cumulative Impacts. Dr. Pullen Fedinick has served in leadership positions within several environmental organizations including as the Executive Director of the Center for Earth, Energy, and Democracy and as the inaugural Chief Science Officer of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Dr. Pullen Fedinick holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a Ph.D. in molecular and cell biology with a focus on biochemistry, biophysics, and structural biology from the University of California, Berkeley. She was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholar at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.

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Innovative Digital Storytelling: PIOs Can Do It Too

Tired of writing press releases? Science communication for institutions has expanded to many realms of creative digital content such as short videos, documentaries, social media campaigns, and podcasts. Our panelists will offer examples of their work and discuss how creativity can blossom in institutional communications roles.

Panelists:

Brittany Brown, Director of Digital Communications, NASA

José Garcia, Scriptwriter/Director, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Brandon Levy, Health Communications Specialist, National Institutes of Health

Liz Landau, Astrophysics Multimedia Lead, NASA (Moderator)

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Ethical Use of AI in the Newsroom

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a huge topic in the news and other industries over the last year. In this panel, Meghan Ashford-Grooms and Jesse J. Holland will discuss ethical (and unethical) approaches to its use, offer advice to journalists and other science communicators navigating AI and discuss how they see the future of AI in newsrooms. The second half of the session will be open to audience questions.

Panelists:

Meghan Ashford-Grooms, The Washington Post

Jesse J. Holland, Associate Director, School of Media & Public Affairs, The George Washington University

Miriam Fauzia, Science and Medicine Fellow, The Dallas Morning News (Moderator)

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PIOs: How to Deliver Perfect Pitches to the News Media

If you’re a public information officer, issuing a news release from your organization is only the beginning. For your news item to reach more people, reporters need to cover it for their audiences. Beyond news releases, you may also want to pitch experts from your organization on timely topics. Or you may want to invite researchers to cover your meeting or visit your laboratories. Reporters are inundated daily with pitches, making it highly challenging to get coverage even when you communicate important news in a well-written and timely fashion. On the flip side, excessive or poorly targeted pitches can also damage your relationships with reporters, sometimes permanently. How can your media pitches cut through the noise and more frequently result in coverage of your science news? How can good pitches help you build, not hurt, relationships with reporters? Panelists at this session will share best practices and things to avoid, as well as share success stories and ideas for pitching your news stories in the ever-changing news media landscape. This session is intended for science writers who work as public information officers and for all who are interested in fostering productive relationships between scientific institutions and the news media.

Panelists:

Saugat Bolakhe, Science News

Lisa-Joy Zgorski, National Science Foundation

Michelle Z. Donahue, Smithsonian

Matt Shipman, North Carolina State University

Ben Stein, Managing Editor, Public Affairs Office at National Institute of Standards and Technology (Moderator)

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Lived Experience in Science Writing Workshop

Description: Whether you are covering the impacts of climate change or the complexities of the human brain, science can easily get personal. Join us for a workshop led by talented writers and creators who cover scientific subjects with which they have lived experience and/or who highlight the lived experience of their sources to bring their stories to life. After meeting the experts, participants will break out into discussion groups to review and brainstorm strategies for communicating science with lived experience in mind.

Panelist-Facilitators:

Marisa G. Franco, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Maryland and Freelance author, Platonic: How The Science of Attachment Can Help You Make – and Keep – Friends

Malachi Stewart, Positive Voices podcast

Tei Pearson, Positive Voices podcast

Rosalind Donald, PhD, MA, Professor of Communications, American University, “The Climate Story Gaps Project”

Timmy Broderick, STAT

Judith Lavelle, DCSWA member (Moderator)

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Contemplating Launching a Newsletter? Learn From the Pros

Newsletters have become a staple for many news organizations, universities, non-profits, podcasts… the list goes on. And now the volatile journalism landscape has left many writers wondering, “should I start a newsletter?” In this panel, attendees will learn how to home in on a topic that will resonate with their audiences, how to set goals, what platform might be the best fit, how to know their newsletter is succeeding, how to launch a newsletter with limited resources, how to launch a newsletter within an organization, and more. Ample time will be left for audience questions.

Panelists:

Isabella Cisneros, NIH IRTA Postbaccalaureate Fellow, freelance science writer

Kathleen Garrigan, Director of Research Communications, The George Washington University

Dorea Reeser, Digital Science Content and Strategy Consultant, Dorea Reeser Consulting

Sarah Zielinski, Science News Explores

Sam Jones, Executive Producer, Tiny Matters podcast (Moderator)

DCSWA member Ryan Prior in conversation with Susannah Fox about his book The Long Haul

Join DCSWA member Ryan Prior at People’s Book in Takoma Park, Maryland on Saturday, March 23 from 2:00 – 3:00 pm.

RSVP here: https://peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/long-haul/

To the world’s public health authorities, Covid-19 would be either a deadly disease for some or a simple respiratory illness for most, its symptoms clearing up in just a matter of weeks. But then tens of millions around the world got sick and stayed sick. With scientists and doctors caught off guard, these Long Covid patients often found solace only with one another, organizing support groups across oceans and continents while ill in bed. In The Long Haul, CNN journalist Ryan Prior weaves his own life, the stories of activist patients, and the latest science into a captivating tale of regular people crying out for care that actually works.

What Covid “long haulers” found was that their new illness was not so new. In fact, it resembled other post-viral syndromes: difficult to treat and neglected by science. In riveting and accessible prose, Prior follows an innovative band of patients who took matters into their own hands and researched the disease themselves, thereby flipping the script and illustrating a new paradigm for research. In these unprecedented times, the CDC and the WHO came to them. As Covid continues to circulate, its long-term effects could grow as well, weighing on the healthcare system for decades to come. But, as Prior shows, getting Long Covid treatments right could help revolutionize care for all complex and chronic illnesses.

Ryan Prior is a journalist and former Journalist-in-Residence at the Century Foundation. He covered the COVID-19 pandemic as a features writer for CNN and writes the Patient Revolution column for Psychology Today. He has also written for USA Today, STAT, the Guardian, and the Nation. He directed the documentary Forgotten Plague, is a board member at the ME Action Network, and was a Stanford Medicine ePatient Scholar.

Susannah Fox helps people navigate health and technology. She served as Chief Technology Officer for the US Department of Health and Human Services, where she led an open data and innovation lab. Prior to that, she was the entrepreneur-in-residence at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and directed the health portfolio at the Pew Research Center’s Internet Project.

Pizza social at Sonny’s in DC

On Thursday, February 8th, starting at 6:00 pm, come grab a slice with fellow DCSWA members, and bring along friends who are considering joining!

Sonny’s is just 4 blocks from the Columbia Heights metro stop.

*There will be dairy free and gluten free pizza, for those with dietary restrictions!

The Future of SciComm: A Conversation with Dr. Francis Collins

Dr. Francis Collins was the longest-serving Director in the history of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) — from 2009 to 2021 — spanning three Presidential administrations, giving him a unique perspective on the importance and future of science communication.

On Wednesday, February 21st at 6:30 pm join DCSWA for a virtual Q&A with Dr. Collins, moderated by journalist, professor and scientist Dr. Bruce Y. Lee.

Free and open to all. Click HERE to register.

Happy Hour @ Calico DC!

Join us for a happy hour at Calico DC (50 Blagden Alley NW, Washington, DC 20001) starting at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, January 17th.

No registration needed, hope to see you there!

What Should Global Climate Justice Mean?

DCSWA will be hosting a panel on climate justice at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, January 24th. The term “climate justice” is widely used — for instance in the United Nations Paris Agreement on Climate of 2015 — but it’s far from clear what it concretely means. The typical answer in the UN’s language is that “justice demands that those who have contributed more to the problem assume a greater responsibility for solving it. Heavy emitters have to act first and fast in cutting emissions.” And wealthier nations must provide “finance to countries with more limited means so they can keep up with enormous financial burdens as climate change accelerates.”

In this panel, two leading experts will expand on what global “climate justice” means, or should mean, in practice. Dr. Farhana Sultana, Professor of Geography and the Environment, Syracuse University is an interdisciplinary scholar, speaker, and author who works on political ecology and climate justice. Dr. Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò is Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University and the author of Reconsidering Reparations and related essays including The Fight for Reparations Cannot Ignore Climate Change. The panel will be moderated by DCSWA board member Jag Bhalla.

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The D.C. Science Writers Association is a group of journalists, writers, public information officers (PIOs), and audio and video producers who cover breaking research, science and technology. Our events bring together science writers for socializing, networking, science-based tours and events, and professional development workshops. The D.C. Science Writers Association is dedicated to providing a safe and welcoming experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, national origin, or religion. DCSWA does not tolerate harassment of members in any form.