WASHINGTON, D.C.-- (January 2, 1998) -- The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) announced today the 1997 winners of its prestigious national science writing awards, which are sponsored by the Whitaker Foundation:
- Robert Lee Hotz and Julie Marquis, Los Angeles Times
- Jenni Laidman, The Bay City Times (Michigan)
- Fred Guterl, Discover
- Lee Carey and Doug Bolin, (with Kristian Berg, Lisa Blackstone, Kim MacDonald, Jeff Nielsen, Erin Rasmussen, and Kevin Williams), Twin Cities Public Television
- Joe Palca and Michelle Trudeau, (with Robert Stein, Peggy Girshman, and Jane Greenhalgh,) National Public Radio
The AAAS Science Journalism Awards honor excellence in science writing in large newspapers (daily circulation more than 100,000), small newspapers (daily or weekly circulation less than 100,000), and magazines, and on radio and television. The winners will be honored on February 14, 1998, at a special ceremony during the Association's annual meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The competition was open to newspaper and magazine articles as well as radio and television shows that were originally published or aired in the United States between July 1, 1996, and June 30, 1997. Independent screening and judging committees consisting of journalists and scientists selected the winners.
Robert Lee Hotz and Julie Marquis of the Los Angeles Times won the competition for the large newspaper category for their October 3 & 13--17, 1996, series entitled "The Brain: A Work in Progress." The series demonstrated how the latest research on the human brain is shedding light on disease, trauma, emotions, and identity. The team is recognized for its comprehensive package of articles that connect issues of neurophysiology and policy in a compelling way.
Jenni Laidman of The Bay City Times won the award for the small newspaper category for her February 2 -- July 2, 1997, series entitled "Unnatural Resources: Playing God in the Great Lakes." Laidman is honored for her enterprising effort in documenting the threat of vanishing species in the Great Lakes.
The award for outstanding science writing in the magazine category goes to Fred Guterl of Discover for his November 1996 article "Riddles in the Sand." Guterl's article examines the unpredictability surrounding the behavior of grains of sand. He is honored for ambitiously tackling a novel topic and making it interesting to the reader.
In the television category, Lee Carey and Doug Bolin, (with Kristian Berg, Lisa Blackstone, Kim MacDonald, Jeff Nielsen, Erin Rasmussen, and Kevin Williams) of Twin Cities Public Television are honored for an episode of "Newton's Apple," a family science series that broadcasts on PBS. The winning episode included a segment on cave formations and an in-studio demonstration of the human eye. The producers are honored for providing clear explanations using basic and engaging methods.
In the radio category, Joe Palca and Michelle Trudeau, (with Robert Stein, Peggy Girshman, and Jane Greenhalgh), are honored for their five-part series entitled "How the Brain Works," which aired on National Public Radio on September 16--18, 1996. The team is honored for its excellent presentation of complex concepts related to current brain research.
The AAAS Science Journalism Awards, first presented in 1945, are sponsored by the Whitaker Foundation, a private nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting research and training in biomedical engineering.
AAAS is the world's largest federation of scientists, with more than 144,000 members. It conducts a variety of meetings and programs in science education and career development, science policy and international scientific cooperation. It publishes the weekly peer-reviewed journal Science and administers EurekAlert! [www.eurekalert.org], the online news service featuring discoveries in science, medicine, and technology.