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Editor
Researcher
PR
Public Outreach
Student
Leave a comment!
Editor
Are you an editor looking for a writer or editor?
I'd love to work with you. I write news stories, features, university magazine articles, and press releases.
While all things related to space are my primary focus, I am interested in almost any type of science journalism. And space has taken me all over the place! I've covered physics, geology, biology, chemistry, health, and other scientific studies along the way.
I've been published both online and in print, and have a number of magazine cover stories. Clients include Scientific American, the BBC, Smithsonian, Science, New Scientist, Astronomy, Discover, Sky & Telescope, and Georgia State.
Researcher
Are you a science or astronomy researcher who wants to share your research with me?
I have several researchers who send me their studies prior to publication, knowing that I will respect any embargoes the inform me of. Please only contact me regarding studies published or accepted for publication in peer-related journals; I do not publish research that has not been published after peer review. In other words, if you reach out to me with "new" science that has not undergone tried and true publication principles, I will not be able to "break" your news.
Also, please understand that I am a freelancer and may not be able to find an editor interested in a story on your research. However, I am always interested in hearing about new studies and relationships with new scientists! There are a lot of things published in journals and on arXiv each day and unfortunately I cannot keep up with all of them. I'm always glad to keep abreast of new and ongoing astronomy research (and all of its subsets - planetary science, solar astronomy, etc) to stay fresh in the field.
On a side note, I am always looking to speak with researchers of all stripes. At the bottom of the form is an invitation to share different ways that you view yourself. If you are comfortable sharing, please do; it will help me to ensure that I continue to embrace a diversity of voices. However, if you do not wish to share, no worries and no judgement!
PR
Do you have a press release list you think would appeal to me?
As a freelance journalist, I very rarely work on articles from press releases unless they have not received wide coverage. However, I am always on the lookout to tie research to other stories, and find press releases helpful. If you are interested in including me on your press release, please fill out the following information, and I will send you the email I keep specifically for press releases.
Public Outreach
Are you looking for someone to discuss space, astronomy, or science writing?
I
Student
Are you an elementary, high school or college student looking for help with your project?
I receive a number of emails each month asking questions about space and astronomy. It is difficult for me to respond to these for a number of reasons:
First, it is important to understand that I am a journalist and not a scientist. While I am familiar with astronomy, my knowledge tends to be hit or miss. (See the next point.)
Second, most of the questions are very easy to google or lack proper context. Before you reach out to someone - whether journalist or scientist - it is appropriate to have done some basic research. Therefore, asking "how hot does the sun get" or "how is the sun powered" is not a question I should see. However, a question like "what is causing the heat convection on Pluto," while appropriately deep, is somewhat outside of my field of knowledge, though I have some loose ideas.
Third, please note that I am a freelancer. That means I do not receive a steady paycheck but am paid only for the work i produce. If I am working to answer your questions, I am not taking time to earn money to pay my bills. For a long time, I've been a single mom of four kids, which has made it challenging to do outside, unpaid work.
If you have a question about a point I made in one of my articles ("why do you say that there is a consensus in the scientific community that..."), feel free to reach out. However, your questions are most likely best answered by another.
Are you interested in science journalism and looking for questions about how to get started?
The same concerns from section three are still relevant. I will at some point prepare a page to better answer these questions, but for now I recommend
The Science Writer's Handbook, by SciLance (amazon link)
The Science Writer's Handbook, by SciLance (amazon link)
You can also investigate sites like the National Association for Science Writers (NASW) and Open Notebook for additional resources.
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