Get tips on applying for science journalism fellowship Nov. 7

Have you always wanted to break the news? Can’t wait to learn about the latest scientific discoveries? Dream of rubbing elbows with the best science journalists in the country?

Are you a graduate student or postdoctoral researcher in the sciences or engineering?

Then come to the Landmark room in Union South at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7, to learn about the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship. Three former fellows will share what it’s like to go from the lab to the newsroom and back and what careers the fellowship can lead to. Plus, they’ll offer tips on how to prepare a successful application.

For 45 years, the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship has trained early-career scientists in science journalism and communication. For 10 weeks in the summer, fellows work as full-time science journalists in top newsrooms around the country, including at National Public Radio, The Washington Post, Wired and National Geographic. Past fellows have gone on to become leading journalists, educators, policymakers and researchers.

The University of Wisconsin–Madison will fund a graduate student from the university to attend the fellowship in 2020. However, participation in the fellowship is not limited to just one UW–Madison graduate student or postdoc, as other sources of funding are available.

The panelists for the informational event include Kelly Tyrrell, interim director of research communications for University Communications; Sarah Perdue, director of communications for the Department of Physics; and Eric Hamilton, science writer for University Communications.

UW–Madison’s funding for a graduate student fellow comes from University Communications, the Graduate School, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education. Fellows are paid a $6,000 stipend and their travel is covered to and from their news sites and Washington, D.C., where they receive training in science journalism at the headquarters of AAAS.

The fellowship runs from June 3 to Aug. 18, 2020. Applications are due by Jan. 1. Upper-level undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the sciences or engineering — or those who are within one year of completing these positions — are eligible. Students with training primarily in journalism, including science journalism, are not eligible.

For more information, visit the Facebook event page or contact Eric Hamilton at eshamilton@wisc.edu.