science writing for college newspapers

Science writing for college newspapers

Writing about science and medicine for a college newspaper can be

intimidating. How do you make scientific advances and medical concepts

interesting to college students? How do you write about things you

barely understand yourself? And how do you get people with all those

letters after their names to speak English?

But many students who report on science come to appreciate -- and even

learn to love -- the intellectual and practical challenges that come

along with it. With science writing, you're always learning something

new. You get to understand cool stuff, like how the human body fights

off invading organisms or what black holes really are.

And experience on a science beat can pay off down the career road.

Some solid clips and a line on your resume that says "science writer"

or "medical writer" can lead to lucrative and satisfying careers in

medical journalism, public relations, government and private agency

work, as well as health and science fields. For those thinking about

graduate programs in science writing like the one at MIT (my brother

Robert Kanigel is the director--tell him I sent you), UC Santa Cruz,

Johns Hopkins, and Boston University, experience writing about science

will help set you apart from the pack of applicants.

So how do you cover science and medicine? Here are some tips to get

you started:

* Cultivate sources. As with any beat, you're only as good as your

sources. You can find them in the laboratories around campus, in

student associations of medical or nursing students, in

environmental groups, in the student health center, in academic

departments. Don't feel that you have to only use top officials

and professors. Graduate students who work in a lab and

receptionists who work in the health center can also be helpful

sources of information.

* Ask the right questions. In talking to sources, always ask: What's

new? The answer may be a scientific advance, a troubling trend,

the outbreak of an illness or the launch of a new treatment or

product. You should also ask what's not going well. Are scientists

frustrated because their funding is running out? Is there a

shortage of equipment? Are cadavers being misused?

* Do your homework.To find story ideas and to educate yourself about

science writing, you should regularly read The New York Times,

particularly Science Times, the weekly science section that comes

out on Tuesday; some of the major scientific journals like

Science, the New England Journal of Medicine, and the Journal of

the American Medical Association; and whatever other specialty

publications you can find about the field you're covering.

* Milk your public affairs office. Try to get a line not just on

upcoming press releases but on ongoing research on your campus.

Who are the major players? Who's getting the biggest grants? What

kinds of research is your campus best known for?

* Use online science information services. Regularly check Newswise

and Eurekalert, which distribute press releases from research

institutions around the nation.

* Localize national stories. Think about how national headlines

apply to your campus and community. If there's a new contraceptive

on the market, see if it's available at your campus health center

or at local drug stores. If a natural disaster strikes elsewhere

in the country, see if experts from your campus will be providing

any technical assistance.

* Explore the science behind the news. Many news stories have a

scientific angle -- the injury that sidelined your team's starting

quarterback, the earthquake that struck a nearby community, weird

weather patterns. Find scientists and physicians who can put these

stories into context for your readers.

* Learn the lingo. Writing about science means translating foreign

or complex concepts into simple language. Learn what the

scientific terms mean and then figure out how to explain them to a

lay audience. If you can find the right metaphor, you can explain

nearly anything. But don't just make these up. Science writing is

really a partnership between the experts and the journalists --

make sure whatever you write is technically accurate.

Resources

Organizations

National Association of Science Writers

Council for the Advancement of Science Writing

American Medical Writers Association

Association of Health Care Journalists

Books

Best American Science Writing, an annual series published by Harper

Collins

Ideas Into Words, Mastering the Craft of Science Writing by Elise

Hancock

A Field Guide for Science Writers edited by Deborah Blum, Mary

Knudson, and Robin Marantz Henig