Articles

Mark Pendergrast: The Most Hated Man in America

Allegations of sexual harassment or assault by powerful men generate daily news headlines. In Advance Copy, Mark Pendergrast discusses how he jumps into the fray with his newest book, The Most Hated Man in America: Jerry Sandusky and the Rush to Judgment. Pendergrast asks: Did false memories, uncritical reporting, and the lure of potential large financial settlements contribute to Sandusky’s conviction as a serial child molester? “Weigh the evidence,” Pendergrast urges. “Then form your own conclusions.”

From ScienceWriters: Bringing PIO skills to Ethiopia

In January, an invitation to speak at a public-health workshop in Ethiopia arrived in Emily Caldwell's email inbox. The presentation topic was vaguely described as "health communication." Caldwell was thrilled to accept.

Applications due Dec. 15 for Peggy Girshman Idea Grants

The NASW Grants Committee is now accepting applications for 2017-2018 Peggy Girshman Idea Grants for projects from $1,000 to $25,000. Applications are due on December 15, 2017. Read more for application instructions and helpful hints.

Arcand/Watzke: Magnitude

The Grand Canyon in Arizona occupies about triple the area of the world’s ten smallest countries. Land used for farmland worldwide would fill an area about 10,000 times that of the Grand Canyon. In Magnitude: The Scale of the Universe, Kimberly Arcand and NASW member Megan Watzke show how scientists reliably distinguish large from small, fast from slow, hot from cold, far from near, and much more. Using everyday experiences and extensive color illustrations, Arcand and Watzke explain how orders of magnitude enable us to make sense of the world around us.

From ScienceWriters: NIH study dives into writer's baffling condition

Science writer Brian Vastag is taking part in an intense experiment aimed at finding out if and how an infection may have disrupted his nervous system, leaving him with myalgic encephalomyelitis, commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS.

Juli Berwald: Spineless

“Once I started looking, I found jellyfish stories everywhere,” Juli Berwald writes in Spineless: The Science of Jellyfish and the Art of Growing a Backbone. “I spent hours reading about their shape, how they swim, what they eat, whether they think, how they reproduce, how they sting, how they glow.” Berwald traveled the globe to observe and swim with jellyfish, and talk with scientists working with them. Her odyssey — an instructive guide to researching and writing a book — provides a first-hand look at the lives of the historically understudied jellyfish, and perspective on the likely future of our oceans.

WCSJ2017 conference coverage

From ScienceWriters: A decade of NASW Travel Fellowships to AAAS

The NASW Travel Fellowship to AAAS is one of three signature programs of the NASW Education Committee (together with the NASW Mentoring Program and NASW Internship Fair). The fellow experience includes specialized training and guidance on how to cover a meeting and how to report and structure stories, and several rounds of one-on-one editing by NASW volunteers.

Svec: Balance, Our Most Delicate Sense

The physical skill required to walk a tightrope differs little from that required to walk across a room, Carol Svec writes in Balance: A Dizzying Journey Through the Science of Our Most Delicate Sense. The body’s balance systems, Svec reports, integrate signals from the inner ear, eyes, and sensory nerves to enable us to stand up without toppling over, maneuver snaky mountain passes, and relish roller coaster rides. To research her book, Svec talked with scientists, clinicians, and individuals with balance disorders. She also gamely explored a tumbling room, swaying hallway, and menacingly named “Vominator.”

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