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REGIONAL GROUPSby Suzanne Clancy New England That evergreen conundrum “How to Make a Living as a Freelance”
was the subject of a New England Science Writers’ Association workshop,
on May 18, at the Harvard Faculty Club. Freelance Pat McCaffrey moderated
a panel organized by Carol Cruzan Morton, a freelance as well as a staff
writer for the Harvard Medical School publication FOCUS. The
speakers agreed that newcomers will do best by easing into freelancing
from a stable base job, maintaining a steady number of relationships with
a few publications and diversifying into other, dependable publications.
Most said their fees range from one to three dollars a word, but they
make sacrifices for fun or easy stories, or to market their work. New Mexico-new group! The newly formed New Mexico Science Writers Association held its first meeting earlier this year at the Albuquerque restaurant Kelly’s. The group’s stated purpose: to foster interaction with colleagues, get briefed on science by researchers, and to take part in outings/events. The groups aims to arrange quarterly tours or science briefings at institutions such as the National Solar Observatory or at recreational/natural attractions such as Carlsbad Caverns. The key to these events is that they should involved presentations by researchers who are actively involved in the place being visited. The group welcomes science writers outside the immediate Albuquerque area. For more information, please contact Larry O’Hanlon at larryo@nasw.org. New York Science Writers in New York has had a busy 2004 so far. To foster community (AKA schmoozing), SWINY began a quarterly series of munchies-and-chat “socials” at the Windfall Lounge, in Manhattan, the most recent on April 6. At a May 1 Hands-on Science Workshop, metro area science writers spent a day doing molecular biology experiments at SUNY Stony Brook Long Island Group Advancing Science Education’s Manhattan campus. Later in May, SWINY cosponsored an event with the Acoustical Society of America, which recently held its 75th anniversary meeting in New York City. About 35 science writers, musicians, and other acoustics experts gathered to learn about the science of music. Demonstrations of melodious acoustics at this fascinating event ranged from The Federation Bell Installation in Melbourne, Australia, to the bagana, a 10-string Ethiopian lyre. Want to learn more? The SWINY Web site also is undergoing change. Patrick Berzinski and Rahul Sasidhar of the Stevens Institute of Technology expect to launch a new version of the site soon at www.nasw.org/users/swiny. A last update: After leading SWINY through three fun and, after Sept. 11, sometimes challenging years, Mariette DiChristina, an NASW board member and executive editor at Scientific American, stepped down as chair, in May. Beth Schachter, a freelance science writer and editor, and Cathy Yarbrough, vice president of communications and public affairs at Rockefeller University, will serve as co-chairs through May 2005. Northern California NCSWA kept its members occupied with dinners and outings this winter and spring. Just before the holidays, more than 100 members and guests gathered at Yank Sing, in downtown San Francisco, along with reporters covering the American Geophysical Union meeting, to hear from journalist Michael Pollan, best-selling author of The Botany of Desire. Pollan, who now teaches at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, regaled the crowd with the story of his investigation of the life-to-death experiences of a feedlot steer, which he owned. An Albert Einstein Action Figure was the party’s most coveted door prize. February saw a group of intrepid NCSWAns hiking across the dunes of Ano Nuevo State Reserve for an up-close look at the lives and mating exploits of elephant seals. The guide was Patricia Morris, associate director of the reserve. In March, a dinner program featured a dialogue between Hubble Space Telescope astronomer Garth Illingworth, of UC Santa Cruz, and NASA planetary geologist Pascal Lee, chairman of the Mars Institute, about their research projects and the impacts of President Bush’s new initiative on space exploration. Philadelphia area In March, the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia hosted members of the PASWA for an evening discussing the work of Fritz Haber. Haber expert Declan O’Reilly helped guide the group through the life and discoveries of this German patriot who developed the process to turn atmospheric nitrogen into fertilizer. Ironically, while Haber has been credited with saving billions of lives, his later development of chemical warfare is blamed for the deaths of millions. Summer events are being planned. For more information about the Philadelphia Area Science Writers Association, e-mail Karen Mallet at k_carter@fccc.edu. # Suzanne Clancy is a science writer with The Burnham Institute in La Jolla, CA. Send information about regional meetings and events to sclancy@burnham.org. |
