Whether we are trying to figure out how to avoid participating in a “trust fall” activity at an office team-building event or debating how much our key stakeholders trust the scientific information that they see in the media, trust is a recurring theme in our professional lives. With all of the time our community spends focusing on trust, we thought it would be worth exploring some recent research that can provide some insight into how issues of trust play out in science communication.
Science writing news
NASW member Kathleen Wong and colleagues tell the story of the University of California Natural Reserve System (NRS) and its mandate to provide outdoor classrooms, protect research sites, and conserve ecosystems for the people of California. Wong, a science writer at NRS, pulled the book together in only six months.
The Eighth World Conference of Science Journalists opened today in Helsinki with about 850 registrants expected to attend. If you're not among them, you can check in via the Twitter hashtag #wcsj2013 or the conference Twitter feed. Also be sure to check the conference site for webcasts, or see Facebook and the conference program booklet.
For many who write about science for kids, the ground is about to shift, or is already trembling. When the tremors stop, the altered landscape may hold new opportunities for science writers. The movements come in the form of nationwide initiatives to rewrite the standards for literacy, science, and mathematics.
Since its inception in 2010, more than $265,000 has been awarded in NASW's Idea Grants program. The Idea Grants program has been refunded for the coming year, and a new request for proposals will be published this summer. In the meantime, here are the winners of the inaugural ScienceSeeker Awards, funded by an Idea Grant. You can also read this list all of the Idea Grants awarded to date.
The Supreme Court declares — unanimously — that the Myriad Genetics patent on BRCA genes is not valid. The decision is being interpreted to mean no "natural" genes can be patented, but that patenting cDNA is a possibility. Patent lawyers are hopeful. Is the Court's genetic ignorance patently obvious? Justice Scalia expresses a second opinion that reveals he's a genetic ignoramus — or maybe a very clever wordsmith. The disgraced and disgraceful Jonah Lehrer has bounced back with a new book.
The contraception debate gets legally weirder. Judges and the FDA don't agree on how the morning-after pill should be sold. The two-pill version is really one-step too. The health care system is a dumping ground for all our sexual anxieties. Michael Douglas, the poster child for HPV vaccination. An etymological aside on Latinate dirty words. A NASA video assures young gays that things will get better.
ScienceWriters columnist Julian Block answers questions from readers about the IRS rules for deducting expenses for conferences such as ScienceWriters2013 and whether an honorarium donated to charity is eligible for a deduction.
This month’s books explore the secret world of red wolves; the work of an influential and colorful, yet little known, 20th century physicist, George Gamow; astronomy science and the delights of amateur astronomy; and the natural world via sonnets written by a nature writer.
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