image: (L-R) Roberto González (Mexico) and Malena Stariolo (Brazil) are the winners of the 2023 EurekAlert! Fellowships for International Science Reporters.
Credit: Roberto Gonzalez/Tayná Gonçalves
The 2023 EurekAlert! Fellowships for International Science Reporters have been awarded to Roberto González, a Mexican freelance science journalist, and Malena Stariolo, a Brazilian science reporter for Jornal de Unesp. The fellowship program returned this year after a two-year hiatus during the pandemic. The winners were selected by an independent panel of judges made up of experienced and veteran science reporters from Latin America.
Fellows will receive travel support to the 2024 AAAS Annual Meeting in Denver, Colo., the organization’s first fully in-person yearly gathering since 2020. At the meeting, fellows will have opportunities to cover the latest scientific research and make connections with scientists and communicators from around the globe.
The 2023 fellowships built upon momentum from concerted efforts to support science journalists and communicators in Latin America, including sponsorships to the World Conference of Science Journalists in Colombia, the Symposium to Advance Science Communication and Journalism (SAPeCCT 2023) in Chile, the Hispanic American Forum of Scientific Journalism in Mexico City, and an online science communication workshop for Latin American scientists held in collaboration with SciDev.Net.
According to judge and Brazilian science journalist Sofia Moutinho, “Science journalism is especially important in the Global South to show society how fundamental science is, in settings where research often does not receive adequate funding. There are a lot of good scientists and interesting studies being conducted in South America, but these often don't get to a larger audience due to language and economic barriers.”
“This fellowship is an amazing opportunity for young reporters to be in close touch with top scientists and the most edgy research topics in discussions today,” said Moutinho, who received the EurekAlert! Fellowship in 2013. “I believe the selected fellows will return from the meeting full of story ideas and excited to share what they learned with their audience and other South American reporters.”
The 2023 fellowship competition was open to journalists in Latin America with five years or fewer of professional science reporting experience. Candidates submitted samples of their published journalistic work, as well as an essay on the role of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in science and journalism and how the fellowship would enable their development as a science journalist. An independent, four-member judging panel reviewed and scored applications to determine the winners.
“The hiatus provided an opportunity to examine how to improve the program and make it more accessible while remaining competitive,” said Jennifer Holshue, EurekAlert!’s deputy director, who manages the program. “In preparation for relaunching, I gleaned a lot of insightful feedback from past participants and looked for ways to incorporate principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion into our outreach and application requirements.”
Unlike in previous iterations, applicants did not have to submit English translations of their work samples and could write their essay in their preferred language. Additionally, a recommendation letter was optional. “Judging by the outcomes, in terms of the number of high-quality applications, successful outreach, primarily via organic, word-of-mouth channels, and the winners themselves, the changes to the program were positive and will become standard for future cycles,” Holshue said.
In this same vein, the relaunched program drew on knowledge from the platform’s long history of engagement in regions where science communication norms and news consumption habits differ from those more familiar to North American and European audiences. In many low- and middle-income countries, for example, science news often comes from educational or research institutions in the form of press releases as many news outlets aren’t adequately resourced to cover science consistently.
“Our broader goal is to support better science reporting practices in general, and the fellowship can introduce career pathways that result in the winners becoming better science journalists, or in other science communication roles,” Holshue noted. “Having one of this year’s winners from a university-based independent publication, for example, shows our understanding and commitment to that inclusiveness.”
Meet the fellows
Both winners approach storytelling and unpacking scientific research by centering in on the human element, such as delving into how climate change and other pressing issues impact local populations and sharing firsthand experiences and perspectives of scientists and citizens in the community. Each write for different types of publications, one as a freelance contributor to online news magazines and one as a reporter for a university-based independent newspaper.
Roberto González (he/him) is a freelance science and environmental journalist from Mexico City. His work has been published in media outlets such as SciDev.Net and the American Geophysical Union publication, Eos. Data journalism and using cartographic software for mapping environmental conflicts are two of Roberto’s main reporting interests. Previously, he studied Communication Sciences at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, where he also worked with the university student publication, La Razita Cósmica. Apart from freelancing, Roberto does fixed-gear urban cycling (his bike's name is Carmen), which is also his primary mode of transportation. His favorite hobbies are cooking, reading, and taking pictures of his dog. Roberto is member of the Mexican Network of Science Journalists (RedMPC).
The AAAS Annual Meeting will be González’s first reporting trip and scientific conference abroad. He hopes to connect with colleagues and scientists from other parts of the world on issues concerning his audiences in Mexico, and throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
“This fellowship is a step toward one of my professional goals, which is to build relationships with other journalists from the Global South to collaborate on future stories with regional implications,” González said. “I would like to meet scientists working on the most pressing issues for my region, such as climate change, disaster prevention, and addressing inequalities within the scientific community. I also want to learn about programs that promote scientific advancement and impact in developing countries in hopes of writing about such efforts, especially those related to Latin America and the Caribbean.”
On a personal note, he added, “I'm also very proud to be the fourth Mexican to receive this fellowship and to have the opportunity to represent the Mexican Network of Science Journalists at this AAAS Annual Meeting.”
Malena Stariolo (she/her) is a São Paulo-based science journalist. Since 2023 she has been reporting for Jornal da Unesp on research carried out at the São Paulo State University and helps produce and present the Prato do Dia (Dish of the Day) podcast. Since the start of her professional life, Malena has been interested in science and sharing stories for and about everyday people. In her previous role as scientific communications coordinator at the international physics institute, ICTP-SAIFR, she developed podcasts, videos, and multimedia exploring the world of physics. Malena has studied at the Federal University of Viçosa and the State University of Campinas in Brazil, during which she produced a children's book, "Exploradoras do Universo" (“Explorers of the Universe”), composed of stories about female Brazilian scientists.
On attending the AAAS Annual Meeting, Stariolo said “One of the things I'm most excited about is meeting new people and exchanging ideas with them, both about the practice of scientific journalism and also the way they see scientific practice.” She also aims to connect with other journalists and discuss the difficulties and particularities of their work and how they overcome them. “I feel that this will be an important moment to create a network of connections and support between professionals, and that this exchange - which I hope will extend beyond the days of the AAAS Annual Meeting - will help me improve and transform my practice as a researcher and journalist.”
For more on the fellowship program and past winners, visit eurekalert.org/fellows.
###
About the Judges
Nicolás Luco Rojas (he/him)
Nicolás Luco Rojas is a veteran science journalist and communicator from Chile. He has been with El Mercurio, the main Chilean national newspaper, since 1979, first as a reporter and then as science and technology editor, and now as a columnist writing weekly about cutting-edge research. He studied in the United States at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and at the University of Chile, where he has also taught. In addition to reporting and teaching science journalism throughout Chile, he has received a number of prizes, including the Chilean National Science Journalism prize in 2004 and a formal recognition from the Chilean Senate in 2023 for his contributions to science communication.
Sofia Moutinho (she/her)
Sofia Moutinho is an award-winning Brazilian science journalist based in Rio de Janeiro. She has over a decade of experience covering the environment, science, and health (with a focus on vulnerable communities). Her bylines include Science, Nature, The Guardian, Scientific American, The Center for Public Integrity, among others. She worked as a reporter fellow with Columbia Journalism Investigation's series "Hidden Epidemics," looking into how climate change affects human health. Her work was awarded 1st place in the 2020 American Association of Health Care Journalists Award, 1st place in the 2020 Dateline Awards, and an honorable mention in the 2020 National Press Foundation's Stokes Award. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Science Journalism from Columbia University and a Bachelor in Journalism from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
Rodrigo Pérez Ortega (he/him)
Rodrigo Pérez Ortega is an award-winning, bilingual science journalist based in Mexico City. He’s a staff writer at Science magazine focusing on diversity in science. He’s also editorial director of The Open Notebook en Español. He covers life sciences, medicine, health, policy, and academia. His work has also appeared in the The New York Times, Nature, Science News, and Knowable, among others. He’s a founding member of the Mexican Network of Science Journalists. He’s also on the board of the National Association of Science Writers.
Roxana Tabakman (she/her)
Roxana Tabakman is a Brazil-based science and health journalist and author from Argentina with over 30 years of experience writing and editing for numerous publications in Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and the United States. She has also taught graduate science communication courses at the University of São Paulo and Federal University of Paraná and serves as communications director for Weizmann Brasil in a voluntary capacity. She is a co-founder and member of Redecomciência (Brazilian Network of Science Journalists and Communicators) and a member of RADPC (Argentine Network of Science Journalists). She is married and has two daughters.
About EurekAlert!
EurekAlert! is a news release distribution platform operated by the nonprofit American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The platform, launched in 1996, was created to facilitate the sharing and independent reporting of scientific research. Supported by content submission fees and free for working journalists to use, EurekAlert! has served tens of thousands of science journalists, publishers, and research institutions worldwide through its distribution service and other mission-driven programs that support advancing science journalism and communication.
About AAAS and the Annual Meeting
Founded in 1848, the American Association for the Advancement of Science is the world’s largest multi-disciplinary science society, fulfilling its mission to advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people through a broad array of initiatives focused on communication, public engagement, education, scientific responsibility, public policy, and science diplomacy.
Each year, the community of leading scientists, educators, policymakers, and journalists gathers to discuss cutting-edge developments in science, technology, and policy. Next AAAS Annual Meeting will convene in Denver, Colo., February 15-17. To advance Toward Science Without Walls, the theme of the 2024 AAAS Annual Meeting, we shall explore a wide range of problem areas, and aspirations, and proposals for addressing them. The meeting will include Scientific Sessions, Workshops, 10-minute Lightning Talks, E-poster Sessions, international Expo, and more!