The National Association of Science Writers congratulates Bing Lin, Jordan Chapman, Maria Isabel Barros Guinle, Nina Foster, Sumeet Kulkarni, and Vivian La on receiving their 2024 NASW Diversity Summer Fellowships.
Trainees in science writing and journalism must balance financial needs with new challenges, especially amid pandemic, economic, and media industry impacts. To ease this journey for students and early career professionals — and to encourage new talents of diverse identities and lived experiences — NASW began offering the Diversity Summer Fellowship program in 2017.
Administered by the NASW Diversity Committee, the program provides supplemental income for trainees to pursue their chosen summer internship. Applicants must have been accepted for training in any medium by a newsroom or communications office; the NASW funds then supplement any stipend they receive from their summer employer. Awardees receive $3,000 — plus a one-year complimentary membership to NASW, availing them to mentoring, job listings, and other professional development resources.
“Summer internship stipends don’t always cover the full costs of temporarily relocating to a new city or making other ends meet,” said journalist Nicholas St. Fleur, NASW Diversity Committee co-chair. “This NASW Diversity Committee program is one great way to support these blossoming reporters — especially those amplifying underrepresented voices. I’m proud that NASW continues to use this program to invest in the next generation of science journalists.”
This year’s application review committee consisted of NASW member volunteers Amanda Heidt, Elliot Richman, Kat Eschner, Kelly Tyrrell, and Nicholas St. Fleur. NASW thanks these volunteers for making the Diversity Summer Fellowship program possible.
Meet Our 2024 NASW Diversity Summer Fellows:
Bing Lin (he/him)
Princeton University
Internship Site: Inside Climate News / AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship
Instagram: @earth.abloom; Twitter: @thebinglin
Jordan Chapman (he/him)
Baylor University / Black Science Coalition and Institute (B-SCI)
Internship Site: The Dallas Morning News / AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship
Twitter/Instagram/Tik Tok: @jchapnocaps
Maria Isabel Barros Guinle (she/her)
Stanford University School of Medicine
Internship Site: National Public Radio / AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship
Twitter: @belguinle
Nina Foster (she/her)
Freelance
Internship Site: Acadia National Park
Sumeet Kulkarni (he/him)
University of Mississippi
Internship Site: Nature
Instagram: @the.sumeetsonian
Vivian La (she/her)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Internship Site: AAAS Diverse Voices in Science Journalism Intern
Twitter: @vivian_la_
The six recipients of the 2024 NASW Diversity Summer Fellowship. Top L-R: Bing Lin, Jordan Chapman, Maria Isabel Barros Guinle. Bottom L-R: Nina Foster, Sumeet Kulkarni, Vivian La. (Courtesy of Taili Ni, Jordan Chapman, Elijah Peake, Hannah Chew, Sumeet Kulkarni, Vivian La)
The NASW Diversity Committee focuses on special projects and programs that support diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in science journalism. The committee’s initiatives are intended to support writers from underrepresented communities and bring new members into the field. Connect with committee chairs at diversity@nasw.org
NASW members interested in supporting the Diversity Summer Fellowship can volunteer to serve on the NASW Diversity Committee. Find out more about NASW’s growing programs sustaining talented colleagues and untold stories at nasw.org/awards/diversity
Founded in 1934 with a mission to fight for the free flow of science news, NASW is an organization of ~2,400 professional journalists, authors, editors, producers, public information officers, students and people who write and produce material intended to inform the public about science, health, engineering, and technology. To learn more, visit www.nasw.org and follow NASW on LinkedIn and Bluesky. And join us in celebrating #NASW90th.
