Print Journalism:
Sarah Staples, freelance writer, for "The Forgotten Frontier," which appeared in The Ottawa Citizen from August 3 to August 31, 2003. The judges noted that "The series was an engaging introduction to the work of researchers and an impressive examination of their work. It dealt with topics of the broadest public impact, had strong inherent interest, and was deftly handled. It gave someone who doesn't know much about science an understanding of how science works."
Sarah Staples is a freelance writer who reports on science for the Ottawa Citizen. In addition to writing for the Ottawa Citizen, Sarah Staples has covered science and technology for every major Canadian newspaper, from Montreal's The Gazette and the Toronto Star, to National Post and its financial counterpart, Financial Post; for magazines that include Canadian Business and ROB Magazine; and for the Boston Globe and New York-based Genetic Engineering News. Ms. Staples has also reported for Ottawa television and radio.
Broadcast Journalism:
Daniel Grossman, for "The Penguin Barometer," which was broadcast on The Research File of Radio Netherlands on November 10, 2003. The judges said that the story was "outstanding for a wide range of data, non-cliched use of scene setting, use of humor, and a broad diverse voice. It tracked the issue of the ecosystem impacts of global warming through time, across the globe, and through different media. It highlighted the contributions of amateurs and showed that some really important global change scientists are looking at this data."
Daniel Grossman has been producing radio stories and writing magazine articles since 1986, and has produced material for radio shows and networks as diverse National Public Radio's Weekend Sunday Edition and Living on Earth (where he once worked), Radio Netherlands, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and Germany's Deutsche Welle radio. He writes regularly for Scientific American. Dan's journalism awards include the George Foster Peabody Award (which was awarded to a series in which Dan contributed a one-hour documentary) and the Science Journalism Award of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for a website on Antarctica. His reports generally concern science and the environment. During the 1999–2000 academic year he had a journalism fellowship at the University of Colorado in Boulder. There he studied geology and climate science, taking an important step toward his longstanding goal of bringing more attention to the impact of climate change.
An honorable mention for print journalism was awarded to Philip Cohen, for "Renegade Code," which appeared in New Scientist on August 30, 2003. The judges commented that "the story was outstanding for its courage and confidence in tackling a difficult topic and interpreting it for readers. It explains some provocative research that challenges a biological orthodoxy."
The AIBS Media Awards, given by the American Institute of Biological Sciences, were established in 1995 to recognize outstanding reporting on biology to a general audience. The award is limited to non-technical journalism, including print and broadcast media. The judges for this year's competition were:
DAVID MALAKOFF
David Malakoff is a journalist for Science magazine in Washington, DC, covering research discoveries and the politics of science. His beats include the White House science advisor's office, Congress, and several military and civilian science agencies. He also writes about patent law, marine biology, and ecological issues. A former freelance journalist, he has written for a wide range of magazines, newspapers, and web sites, including The Economist, Audubon, The Washington Post, ABCNews.com, and PBS television's Nature series.
JANET RALOFF
For more than 25 years, Janet Raloff has been writing weekly for Science News, including a weekly electronic column, "Food For Thought," since 1996, on the magazine's website. Earlier, Raloff was managing editor of Energy Research Reports, in the Boston area, and a staff writer for Chemistry magazine, published by the American Chemical Society. With a background in physics, Raloff picked up a couple degrees from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Over the years, she has freelanced articles for more than 4 dozen publications, contributed to several books, and periodically serves as a science commentator for National Public Radio's weekly show, Living on Earth. Raloff's writing has won awards from several organizations, including the National Association of Science Writers.
MICHAEL STROH
Michael Stroh is a science writer at the Baltimore Sun newspaper and a regular contributor to Popular Science magazine. Before joining the Sun in 1998, Stroh worked in the Tokyo bureau of the Los Angeles Times and at Science News, a weekly newsmagazine in Washington, DC.
VALERIE CHASE
Valerie Chase is a former staff biologist at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD. She is a former president and board member of the National Marine Educators Association, and a professional fellow at the Aquarium and Zoo Association. She has been active in the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the National Science Teachers Association.