The 2004 AAAS Science Journalism Award recipients were:
Newspapers with a circulation of more than 100,000
Amy Ellis Nutt of The Star-Ledger in Newark, NJ, wrote a captivating series, "The New Plague," about how killer germs are defeating antibiotics. Nutt's presentation of the scientific information advanced the issue in terms of analysis. One of the award judges said that although resistance to drugs is an important issue, the story is usually not covered by newspapers.
"I'm thrilled to receive this award," said Nutt. "It's a privilege to work for The Star-Ledger where important scientific issues are given the space they deserve, and it's an honor to be recognized by AAAS for work on a subject so vital to the future health of society."
Newspapers with a circulation of less than 100,000
The recipient of the small newspaper award, Melinda Burns of the Santa Barbara News-Press, wrote about an unconventional theory that Polynesians crossed the sea to Santa Barbara 1300 years ago and stayed long enough to share their sea-faring skills with the local Chumash people. The "Ancient Mariners" dramatized the science process and portrays how science is a dialogue.
"What made this story exciting to write was the bold adventure it conjured up - of early ocean voyages to California in plank canoes, of Polynesian know-how passed on to Chumash Indians, and of modern-day scientists who risked their reputation on the canoe connection. Science itself is a great adventure; and writing about it is vicariously thrilling," said Melinda Burns, winner in the small newspaper category.
Magazines
According to the competition judges, W. Wayt Gibbs's winning article, "The Unseen Genome: Gems among the Junk," in Scientific American is a model for science writing. Gibbs wrote about the bits of "junk" DNA that scientists are finding in genes and the discovery "in chromosomes o
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18-Nov-2004