Biography
Current students in the graduate Science Communication program at the University of California Santa Cruz contribute stories from their own WCSJ coverage.
Posts by This Journalist
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Surrounded by Cells: Discovering—and Rediscovering—Earth’s Microbiome
By Anna Katrina Hunter BERKELEY, California—The more places we look, the more microbes we find. These tiny organisms—bacteria, Archaea, protozoa and fungi, to name a few—are essentially everywhere. Using recent advances in gene sequencing, scientists can now sample microorganisms directly in their natural environments to reveal their identities, rapidly and without targeting any particular type... Read More -
Losing Our Cool: Climate Change Spurs Global Increases in Violence and Inequality
By Annie Roth SAN FRANCISCO—We all know climate change increases the severity of tropical storms, but what about Twitter storms? According to Solomon Hsiang, director of the Global Policy Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, climate change is destabilizing both economies and emotions across the globe. During an eye-opening lecture titled “Economic Inequality, Violence,... Read More -
Earth, Wind & Fire: Reporting on Natural Disasters
By Jennifer Leman Despite flames, rains and the rolling waves of a shaking Earth, a journalist must report the news. Natural disasters like wildfires, hurricanes and earthquakes are among the most challenging topics a journalist will cover. Such field reporting is physically, mentally and emotionally draining—not to mention hazardous. In a 29 October plenary session... Read More -
More People in Science “Must Be Women”: Tackling Global Gender Inequality in STEM
By Kimberly Hickok SAN FRANCISCO—Women have made great strides in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. But in non-Western countries, huge gender gaps remain in both representation and opportunity. That reality drove a vigorous discussion during a special luncheon sponsored by 23andMe and Johnson & Johnson Innovation on 27 October at the World... Read More -
Hit the Accelerator or Slam on the Brakes: Addressing Challenges in Immunotherapy
By Jeremy Rehm SAN FRANCISCO—Our immune system’s actions resemble yours when you drive a car. It presses the “gas” enough to attack and kill foreign microbes or cancer cells, but it also steps on the “brake” to prevent killing everything—including you. When scientists in the 1990s first discovered chemicals that control this balance, it paved... Read More -
How to Defend Science in a Post-Truth World
By Nicoletta Lanese SAN FRANCISCO—Twenty years ago, Susan Desmond-Hellmann was giddy to share Herceptin, the breakthrough breast cancer treatment, with the world. Not once did she worry if the world would believe her. Were Desmond-Hellmann to introduce Herceptin today, she would confront the challenges of conducting and reporting science in a post-truth world. “The scientific... Read More -
Following the Science: How to Chase Stories Across Borders
By Laura G. Shields SAN FRANCISCO—Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate. That’s one core piece of advice echoed by all speakers in a session about cross-border journalism on 28 October at the World Conference of Science Journalists 2017. “Science itself is really international, and science journalists should reflect this as much as they can,” said Helen Briggs, a... Read More -
Turning Slow-Burn Environmental Crises Into News: Use Every Trick In the Book
By Alex Fox BERKELEY, California—Too often, the most pressing environmental issues faced by humankind fade away when the news cycle ends. Without breaking news to inject them back into coverage, these stories can dwindle even as their impacts intensify. But there are reliable ways for journalists to forge compelling stories at any time from ongoing... Read More -
Medical Journal Overload: Databases Help Reporters Mine Healthcare Studies
By Kimber Price SAN FRANCISCO—In any given field of biomedicine, researchers publish thousands of journal articles each year. How can a healthcare journalist keep up? She can’t. But given the most comprehensive databases and the most malleable search tools, any journalist can home in on the information most relevant to their needs. And for... Read More -
Raise Your Hand If You’re Human: Ethical Reporting in Crisis Situations
By Vicky Stein SAN FRANCISCO—Reporters of crises around the globe, remember: the people we are reporting on are us. There should be no difference between ourselves, as journalists, and the people suffering from climate change, natural disasters, and human-caused misery around the globe. That was the consensus of a diverse group of field reporters speaking... Read More
