Adapt or Die: Rebooting Science Journalism

I’m Marie Zhuikov, NASW travel fellow and a freelance writer/editor who specializes in environmental and health topics. When not freelancing, I work as a project administrator for the St. Louis River Alliance, a nonprofit group working to protect, restore and enhance the St. Louis River in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

I’ll be one of two bloggers covering Rebooting Science Journalism: Adapting to the New Media Landscape. As a science writer who started out on a typewriter, I’m sure I’ll discover something new in this session designed to explore how science writers need to adapt to the changing media landscape to best serve their craft and audiences. The session speakers should know their stuff: Emily Bell, director of the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia; Betsy Mason, editor of Wired Science; and Bora Zivkovic, blog editor at Scientific American. It's moderated by author David Dobbs.

When not helping to preserve piping plover shorebirds and decontaminate the St. Louis River, I freelance for clients like the Mayo Clinic, Lance Armstrong’s LiveStrong.com health web site, and the University of Minnesota Duluth. From humble beginnings as the environmental reporter for the Minnesota Daily, I’ve risen to public information officer for organizations like the U.S. Forest Service, Minnesota Sea Grant and Mayo Clinic’s Center for Translational Science Activities. I am currently a communications advisor for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Board of Scientific Counselors . I have a master’s degree in health journalism and a bachelor’s in science journalism with a bio minor from the University of Minnesota.

This will be my first NASW conference and I appreciate the opportunity to share this information with you.