Applications open for Logan Science Journalism Program

Courses

The fellows choose between two introductory, intensive courses:

• Biomedical Hands-On Research Course
  • The course is designed to provide fellows with hands-on laboratory experience in carrying out some of the cutting-edge methods underlying exciting developments in modern biomedical research.
  • Fellows have the unique opportunity to experience how basic biomedical researchers approach questions, at an institution renowned for contributing to the understanding of life at the cellular and molecular levels.
  • Working with scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory, fellows will collect, analyze, and interpret data. The main emphasis is on hands-on activities with two experimental foci: the human microbiome and gene editing using CRISPR-Cas9.
  • At the end of this intensive, 10-day course, fellows will interpret and present some of their laboratory data to their colleagues at a mini-symposium. In addition to spending time at the lab bench, fellows will have both formal and informal discussions with scientists on topics ranging from the fundamentals of molecular biology to the culture and politics of science.
• Environmental Hands-On Research Course
  • This intensive course introduces fellows to the experiments that scientists conduct, and the measurements they make, to discover the complex ways that added nitrogen alters coastal ecosystems, such as their capacity to keep up with sea level rise and impacts on marine organisms and coastal food webs.
  • The fellows will make field and laboratory measurements that address questions about how added nitrogen affects estuaries and marsh and eelgrass habitats. They will work in a ecosystem-scale “space-for-time” experiment in Waquoit Bay on Cape Cod, where watershed development has added nitrogen and caused eutrophication.
  • Fellows will take measurements to estimate the nitrogen loading to a local estuary. They will also take samples to determine if eutrophication increases or decreases the capacity of salt marshes to keep up with sea level rise, and consider how it alters the plants and animals in food webs. They will work with scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory to analyze their samples, interpret their data, and present it to their colleagues at a mini-symposium.

Funding and Support

• Financial support for Logan Science Journalism Program Fellows includes travel to and from Woods Hole, housing, meals, and all costs associated with the Hands-On Research Course and other program activities.
• Foreign nationals who are accepted into the program must secure a visa and will be reimbursed for visa fees.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be professional science journalists, writers, editors, or producers with at least three years experience. Preference will be given to applicants who do not have significant prior scientific research experience. A basic knowledge of biological principles and methods is advantageous, but is not essential.
• Journalists who previously participated in the Biomedical Hands-On Research Course are eligible to apply for the Environmental Hands-On Research Course, and vice versa.
• Applicants from underrepresented sectors are strongly encouraged. Foreign nationals are eligible to apply. If accepted into the program, foreign nationals must hold or obtain a visa to enter the U.S.

For more information, visit Marine Biological Laboratory.