BACK TO THE FEATURE INDEX Imagine being able to "switch gears" from your current life and take a new one for a spin--without jeopardizing your existing science career. Perhaps you originally intended to become a scientist but now have second thoughts. You can't quite see yourself as a scientist over the long term, and yet you're not ready to throw in the towel and embark on some radical departure...
BACK TO THE FEATURE INDEX Science writing is an attractive career for scientists searching for an alternative to the grind of the lab. A career in science writing allows researchers-turned-writers to leave the bench, yet remain close to science, keeping abreast of the latest advances in diverse research fields. Science writers also get to step out of the scientific community and share their enthu...
Authorship Almost all science writers began their careers either as journalists or as scientists--and members of both of these professions are predominantly white. Many of the most pressing issues facing the United States are connected to science and technology. The quest for energy independence, environmental change, and funding for stem cell research are obvious examples, but many other critica...
Nearly 6 years ago this week, I walked through the doors of Montreal General Hospital--a looming, redbrick edifice worthy of Gotham City--to begin a master's degree in neuroscience at McGill University. Now, I spend my days working as an editor in the heart of New York, the real Gotham City, farther away from those days in Montreal in terms of my career than I could have imagined. One of the thin...
BACK TO THE FEATURE INDEX He is known in many Canadian households as the popular host of CBC's radio show, Quirks and Quarks, and as a science journalist for CBC's television news program, The National. Bob McDonald's enthusiasm for science and the excitement it can generate has carried him through more than 25 years as a broadcast and print journalist, and in June 2001 his efforts were rewarded ...
"Right," I said to myself. "There is no way this is going to work. I mean, I might be able to fix the cell harvester, I might set up an assay with cells that don't die, and eventually-eventually--I might even get solid, interesting data. But there is just no way research will make me happy." This was rather difficult to admit, even to myself, given that I had always thought my vocation was in res...
BACK TO THE FEATURE INDEX "Deciphering the genome", a "micro chip that makes a blind person see" or "Thiomargarita namibiensis, the biggest bacterium of the world"--science headlines are usually based on complex connections and in-depth subject-specific knowledge which are, unfortunately, mostly incomprehensible for the nonscientist. But making the "science behind the news" understandable for eve...
The distrust of journalists by the science and technology community is more pronounced than that of the clergy, corporate leaders, the military, or politicians, according to research done by the First Amendment Center. This is one of the most provocative ideas I gathered as one of the curious graduate students who attended a Science/Media Forum sponsored by the University of Alabama, Birmingham, ...
BACK TO THE FEATURE INDEX Is specialized training in science writing required to be successful in the field? Some of the country's top science writers have no training in journalism and would probably answer "no." Yet, even if a science writing degree isn't absolutely necessary for a science writing career, it does make entering the field a whole lot easier. Jennifer Frazer, an environment report...
BACK TO THE FEATURE INDEX We are children of a televisual age. And no matter how inspiring our school teachers were, I'm willing to bet that many of us can trace our fascination with science back to a TV show that we were regularly glued to as children. (Our parents didn't mind because it was educational, right?). I personally loved lots of science and wildlife programmes, but I can link my own d...
BACK TO THE FEATURE INDEX Science and the visual image--the two are inseparable. What is the Copernican revolution without the nested circles of the planets tracing their orbits around a central sun? What is evolution without a procession of hominid ancestors forward marching off the page, taller leading shorter? From atoms to cells to galaxies, the mere mention of key scientific concepts immedia...
Science writing encompasses a wide variety of niches that can include writing for newspapers, mass-market magazines, trade publications, university press offices, broadcast media, and newsletters, among many other venues. But regardless of where you end up publishing -- most writers end up working several of the venues listed above -- a great way to learn the terrain is to listen to others who al...
BACK TO THE FEATURE INDEX When exactly did I decide I had no future as a geologist? I think I felt the first inklings at field camp, lost in the terrain I was supposed to be mapping, trying in vain to identify the sedimentary rocks around me by-they told us to do this-chewing on them. The real understanding came later, while I was working in my sedimentology professor's lab. During this year of p...
BACK TO THE FEATURE INDEX Lindsay Nicholson's office is just as you would imagine the office of the editor-in-chief of a women's magazine to be: stylish, glamorous, and with a smattering of vibrant covers and tasteful bouquets. And since she was awarded her honours degree in astronomy and physics by University College London (UCL), Lindsay (pictured left) has probably made it closer to the stars ...
Who hasn't read a science article or heard a report on some new technology and thought, 'I could do that!' Well, if you have, here's your chance to find out whether it's as easy as it seems. Every year, the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA) offers 10 fellowships for active research scientists to walk into the dens of the top science writers and reporters, and 'do it'! Seemed...
Science writing competitions aren't sexy. But if you dream of being a science journalist, entering a competition could be the hottest move you ever make. My flourishing career as a writer began with The Daily Telegraph BASF Young Science Writer awards. I came runner-up in the first year of my Ph.D., and 2 years later I've had articles in New Scientist, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, and Th...
Microphone, credit: Hidde de Vries Hidde de Vries Today I make a living producing computer animations and illustrations for science and engineering projects. Looking back on my teenage years, it seems logical that I would have ended up doing this: For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in science. Since I got my first computer in 1985, I've used computer power to create graphics an...
As scientists-turned-journalists, Next Wave's editors and writers are often asked by readers we meet when we're out and about how we got our jobs. Maybe that's because journalism is the job that most readily springs to mind when a researcher who enjoys writing and communicating begins to think about careers away from the bench. But there are many other roles in which you can combine your scientif...
Lucy Heady (New Philanthropy Capital) Lucy Heady (New Philanthropy Capital) "The main, satisfying thing is when you feel you've made a good case for a charity you think is really effective and can make a difference." --Lucy Heady One of the best-known alternative career paths for physicists is that of the "quant," or quantitative analyst, in the financial services industry. But when theoretical p...
BACK TO THE FEATURE INDEX When it comes to science writing niches, the highest profile publications -- the best of the newsprint and science publishing world -- probably spring to mind for most researchers. But those markets don't tell the whole story. The latest science, rendered accessible to a variety of audiences, with all its implications, is needed and desired by a spectrum of publications....
