The Wisconsin Association of Science Writers met May 2 for an informal briefing on the chemical makeup of the "Mars Rock," a.k.a. ALH84001, given by University of Wisconsin geochemist John Valley. The group will next meet this summer at the Milwaukee County Zoo for a behind-the-scenes tour and a look at the Zoo's programs of scientific research.--Terry Devitt, University of Wisconsin-Madison; phone: (608) 262-8282; e-mail: trdevitt@facstaff.wisc.edu
The Northern California Science Writers Association traveled on March 27 to @Home, a Silicon Valley firm at the forefront of Web-based journalism (http://www.home.com/). Fortified by coffee and ample rich desserts, more than 60 NCSWA members waded into the glitzy future of interactive media. @Home delivers personalized news at the touch of a keypad, plus features generated in house--news as well as video features on trendy topics. And it's all delivered speedily through fiber-optic cable. Our tour leader was Ty Ahmad-Taylor, a senior designer and former New York Times writer who convinced us that Web journalism combining may kinds of media is the wave of the future. Look out for @Home in your neck of the woods.
Environmentalist Archie Carr III is scheduled to speak at NCSWA's summer dinner meeting June 9. The Wildlife Conservation Society's regional coordinator for Mesoamerica and the Caribbean, Carr pioneered a strategy in 1987 that led to the formation of a corridor of connected parks and protected areas for wildlife in Central America. Carr and the WCS would like to expand this corridor to encompass the entire "biological highway," a narrow strip of land that extends from Patagonia to northern Canada, joining South and North America.--Bob Sanders, Public Information Office, University of California (Berkeley).
Members of the District of Columbia Science Writers Association met at the National Academy of Sciences on April 3 to hear experts discuss the risks and benefits of genetic testing. Speakers were Francis Collins, of the National Human Genome Research Institute; Neil("Tony") Holtzman, chairman of the federal Task Force on Genetic Testing; and Anne Merrifield of Genzyme Corporation.
On April 24, DCSWA members learned how to locate the best Internet databases and other online science information resources. Our guides were Larry Kingsland, assistant director of the National Library of Medicine; David Lipman, head of the National Center for Biotechnology Information; and John Makulowich, vice president of The Writers Alliance, Inc.
DCSWA members joined in a discussion of US-Russia space collaboration, federal support of science, and Congressional science initiatives on May 20 with Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., (R-Wisconsin),who chairs the House Committee on Science. They met in the Rayburn House Office Building.
The Freedom Forum in Arlington, Virginia hosted "Science Writing in Washington," a June 3 program organized in recognition of the publication of A Field Guide for Science Writers. Local authors scheduled to participate were Victor Cohn, Richard Harris, David Jarmul, Richard Kerr, Mary Knudson, Julie Miller, Boyce Rensberger, Carol Rogers, Abbie Trafford, and Patrick Young.
String theory is the scheduled topic June 23 at the American Chemical Society in Washington. Jim Gates, a physicist at the University of Maryland, will explain why string theory could lead to a unified field theory that explains the fundamental nature of all matter and energy.--Lisa Orange, DCSWA Program Chair; orange@nasw.org; CompuServe: 73420,1311
SWINY, Science Writers In New York, learned about the rapidly advancing field of medical illustration April 30 from a panel of experienced medical illustrators and animators, including Craig Foster of Foster Medical Communications, Bert Oppenheim of Magno Sound and Video, and Sue Weil and Christine Schaar of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The event was sponsored by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Department of Public Affairs.--Marion E. Glick, The Rockefeller University.
Science writers: Want to get together with other Florida science writers? Learn what local science editors are looking for? Find out about freelancing opportunities in the state? So would I, and I believe we can as founding members of a local NASW chapter. If you're interested, please contact Cynthia Washam at (561)334-1834 or e-mail cwash3@juno.com.