Dear members and attendees,
Next month we will gather in Raleigh, N.C., for our ScienceWriters2024 national conference. The western part of North Carolina, along with many other parts of the Southeast, is grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. Homes, neighborhoods, and entire towns were destroyed by unprecedented flooding and landslides. More than 100 storm-related deaths have been reported in North Carolina, and hundreds of people are still missing. Power and cell phone service are still out in many places, and countless roads are blocked or destroyed. Much of Asheville, the largest city in the area, is expected to be without running water for several weeks. Our hearts are with the communities affected by this tragedy, some of whom are friends, family and colleagues.
At this moment, we do not anticipate that this tragedy will have any impact on our ability to convene in-person at ScienceWriters2024 — most of the damage in North Carolina occurred hundreds of miles from Raleigh.
But how can attendees help? Asheville’s NPR member station, Blue Ridge Public Radio (BPR), is serving as a critical source of information, connecting people with resources and providing updates on locations where residents can find potable water, Wi-Fi and other services. We invite ScienceWriters2024 participants to join us in supporting BPR as it continues to provide life-saving updates and fill the post-storm information void.
Please consider making a donation now by visiting https://go.ncsu.edu/donate-bpr. Additionally, from this point on, we will be forwarding any Community Support Donations collected from our ScienceWriters2024 conference registrations on to BPR. In November, we will also provide other easy ways to donate during the in-person portion of ScienceWriters2024 in Raleigh.
Sincerely,
The ScienceWriters2024 Organizing Team
National Association of Science Writers
Council for the Advancement of Science Writing
Science Communicators of North Carolina
POSTSCRIPT Oct. 31, 2024: We have now added a special plenary session for Saturday, Nov. 9, at ScienceWriters2024 titled "Living and Working Through Catastrophe as Local Journalists — Western N.C. Voices in Helene's Wake" featuring journalists from Blue Ridge Public Radio. We are truly grateful to the energy and contributions of volunteer organizers for quickly mobilizing this timely discussion, with special thanks to our journalist colleagues for lending their precious time to come speak with us.
About the National Association of Science Writers
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.
About the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing
The Council for the Advancement of Science Writing is committed to improving the quantity and quality of science news reaching the public. Led by a board of directors composed of senior journalists and others committed to excellence in the communication of science, CASW develops and funds programs to help reporters and writers produce accurate and informative stories about developments in science, technology, medicine and the environment. Sixty years after its founding in 1959, CASW adopted a new focus on the quality, diversity and sustainability of science journalism, in response to the challenges facing the field in the 21st century. Visit www.casw.org to learn more.
About the Science Communicators of North Carolina
”SCONC” is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit volunteer organization founded in 2007 to connect science communicators and cultivate a love of science across North Carolina. We develop, support and promote high-quality science communication through digital media and in-person gatherings. We welcome scientists, writers, educators, podcast hosts, students, university staff… in other words, just about anyone interested in communicating science. Learn more and join us at www.sconc.org
About ScienceWriters2024
Held each year, the ScienceWriters conferences provide a gathering place for professionals and students working across the science news landscape. From journalists to institutional writers, from editors to producers, from seasoned science communicators to those exploring science and technology beats, from mentors to students, the events provide opportunities for skills development, new tools practice, professional networking, and topic debates for every attendee.
A co-production of the National Association of Science Writers (NASW), the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing (CASW), and the Science Communicators of North Carolina, ScienceWriters2024 continues this tradition with craft and career workshops organized by NASW members, New Horizons in Science briefings curated by CASW, plus additional receptions and tours presented by partners and event sponsors. This is the first time the ScienceWriters annual conference, which began in 2005, has returned to a city: ScienceWriters2012 was hosted in Raleigh in partnership with University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, North Carolina State University, Duke University, and other institutions in October 2012. Learn more here, then register for the conference at www.sciencewriters2024.org/register
