San Diego Science Writers Association
By Nicole Woolcock
A common refrain resounds throughout the Black community when national hardship strikes the United States: ‘When White folks catch a cold, Black folks get pneumonia.’ That is to say, systemic racial inequities cause economic and public health issues to disproportionately impact the Black community. The coronavirus pandemic is no exception.
Continue reading “How to End the Pandemic: Facts, Patience and Love”By Monica May
Mario Aguilera was scrolling through Twitter when a post caught his eye. UC San Diego biologist Fabian Rivera-Chávez, Ph.D., had co-written an article in Spanish for the LA Times with the goal of encouraging vaccination in the Hispanic community. Aguilera, the director of strategic communications for UC San Diego’s Division of Biological Sciences, immediately recognized the importance of the story and followed up with Rivera-Chávez.
Continue reading “Communicating Science to Spanish Speakers: Takeaways from the July meeting of the SANDSWA Social Justice in Science Writing club”
We are pleased to announce the inaugural 2021 SANDSWA Writing Awards. The competition is open to all SANDSWA members, and there are four categories: Best Traditional Media Story; Best Institutional Writing; Best Multimedia Piece; and Best Student Writing Assignment.
Winners receive a free SANDSWA membership for the upcoming year. The Best Student Writing Assignment winner will receive free registration for the next NASW annual meeting.
Continue reading “The 2021 SANDSWA Writing Award”By Monica May
Whether you are navigating getting a COVID-19 vaccine, helping children return to school or determining if you should go back to the office in person, we know this is a busy time.
In an effort to share insights with club members who weren’t able to make it to the March meeting of the SANDSWA Social Justice in Science Writing Club, here are highlights of our discussion that may be helpful.
Continue reading “Highlights from the March meeting of the SANDSWA Social Justice in Science Writing club”By Nicole Woolcock
A curious, shining object glimmers through the tentacle-like arms of a knotted pile of kelp along the beach. Upon further inspection of the object, a pang of sadness dims the original excitement of coming across an interesting beach find. This is not a dazzling sea treasure but a piece of discarded trash.
“Often the plastic you pick up on the beach is something you’ve used and thrown away without thinking about it,” says Dr. Jenni Brandon, biological oceanographer and microplastics expert at Applied Ocean Sciences, “so you feel personally guilty for the problem.” She explains that microplastics—tiny pieces of plastic often undetected by the human eye—are found everywhere, including our oceans, food sources, wind, and sediment. This means we are ingesting microplastics every day.
Continue reading “Dr. Jenni Brandon: Microplastics Pioneer and Ocean Advocate”
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