Writing Samples

Health and Medicine Stories
Environment/wildlife Stories
Stories for Kids
Other Stories

Basic Ability
Developing a new, safer smallpox vaccine is a national priority. But vaccine development takes a long, long time. Bert Jacobs has a head start.

Fighting AIDS at the Gates
Most vaccines help you fight off an infection once it's already inside your body. Researchers at ASU are developing an HIV vaccine that they hope will keep the virus from ever getting that far.

A Spoonful of Vinegar Helps the Sugar Go Down
Controlling diabetes usually requires massive lifestyle changes or expensive medications. Carol Johnston says there may be a cheaper, easier way to get the same results‹in fact, you probably have some in your kitchen cabinet.

Strength in Numbers
So you want to start an exercise program. How do you weed through all the conflicting advice and find the best workout program to follow?

Vegetable Vaccines
A banana a day keeps the virus away.

Protected Species (PDF file)
Preventing the spread of animal disease.

Unraveling the Stress Within
A stress-induced rush of hormones like cortisol can be a good thing‹if you are running from a lion. But over the long term, ASU scientists are finding that the normal human response to stress might be a real killer itself.

A Case for C
Lots of Americans aren't meeting the recommended daily allowance for vitamin C. Carol Johnston thinks they need to consume much more.

Patient Power (PDF file, story starts on fourth page)
How informed patients are changing the face of healthcare.

Sounding Better All the Time
Michael Dorman studies the progress of patients fitted with cochlear implants. He wants to know how much better they're doing, and why.

Signs of Change
Communication graduate students use a sign language game to improve Alzheimer's patients' ability to communicate.

Hip New Hips
ASU scientists are searching for ways to bond artificial joints to bone better and longer.

Will My Baby Be Normal?
Genetic testing offers parents a peek at potential problems.

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The Wave
The December 26, 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia killed hundreds of thousands of people and left many others homeless. Joe Fernando says that illegal coral mining along coastlines made the devastation worse than it should have been.

Set in Stone
Imagine if we could capture all the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and put it back in the ground from whence it came? ASU's Carbon Sequestration Research Team is trying to do just that.

Oscine Serenade
Pierre Deviche and his colleagues study the interactions between hormones, brains and reproductive behavior in songbirds. Their work provides clues to understanding human neurobiology.

Planting Water-Wise
Laziness is a virtue. At least, it can be when it comes to maintaining your yard.

A Shady Situation
Sarah Celestian may be the only person who voluntarily loiters in Phoenix-area parking lots on blazing summer afternoons. She has her reasons.

Beneath the Forest
ASU plant biologist Jeff Klopatek studies a vital layer of the forest that many people overlook -- the forest floor and what lies beneath.

Living Under the Carbon Dioxide Dome
Metropolitan Phoenix lies under a dome of carbon dioxide. Researchers at ASU are using the city to help predict the effects of rising CO2 worldwide.

Evolution of a Biologist
David Pearson never set out to be a conservation biologist. But the shiny, colorful tiger beetle led him down a new career path.

What To Do About Those Dammed Rivers?
Juliet Stromberg studies how the flow patterns of a river affect the plant life that grows on its shores.

Extinction On The Steppes
Don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. Andrew Smith and Heather Triplett struggle to protect biological resources in Central Asia.

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Phoenix: A City for the Birds
How many different kinds of birds live in Phoenix? No one is sure, but lots of people are counting birds to find the answer.

Once Bitten
How to prevent and care for a rattlesnake bite.

Going Buggin'
Students at Brimhall Junior High School are counting bugs in the name of science.

Terrible Tigers of the Desert
Tigers in the Arizona desert? No way, you say. Believe it. But these tigers are not giant cats. They are beetles.

The Virtues of Venom
Allan Bieber uses rattlesnake venom to study how the human body works.

Numbers Tell the Story…Sometimes
How exactly do scientists turn numbers into meaningful answers? The not-so-magic tool they use is called statistics.

What is a Control Group?
How do scientists know if an experiment worked? They use a control group.

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The Real George Washington
Nobody knows what George Washington really looked like, especially as a young man. ASU researchers are using 3D imaging to figure it out.

Crossing Borders (PDF file)
Arizona has a reputation for many things: year-round sunshine, giant cacti, the Grand Canyon—and illegal immigration. An international, interdisciplinary group of scholars is tackling the issue head-on.

It's All About Hair
In her new book, sociologist Rose Weitz shows us how hair is tangled up with all aspects of life, including sexuality, age, race, social class, health, power and religion.

Seeing Stars
In lines from Moby Dick that have stumped literary critics for years, Dan Matlaga has found stars and planets, galaxies and moons.

Who Cares?
One in four American households is involved in caring for a person over the age of 50. Who are these caregivers, and what kinds of help do they need?

A Nation Claims its Voice
Once considered lowbrow, cordel folk poetry is gaining recognition in its native Brazil.

To Make a Quake
Intermediate depth earthquakes are often considered low risk, but they can cause major damage. Simon Peacock is working to discover what causes these types of quakes.

A Walk Through Time
Kaye Reed examines animal fossils to reconstruct the environment that surrounded early humans.

Why You Need a Portfolio
Think career portfolios are just for creative types? Think again.

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