Charlottesville, VA, Jan. 23, 2007 -- A group of 10 scientists will help increase public awareness and understanding of environmental health science as part of a new program that aims to publish and promote new research findings to a general audience. Each will receive a $5,000 stipend for their yearlong appointment to the Science Communication Fellows Program.
Starting in February, the first ever Science Communication Fellows, sponsored by the non-profit organization Environmental Health Sciences (EHS), will assist in identifying important new research findings about environment and health that are just published or about to be published in peer-reviewed journals. The Fellows will help translate the findings so they are more accessible to working reporters and a broader public.
New findings emerge daily that, during the past two decades, have led to significant changes in how environmental health is studied and clinically practiced. Most of the public and many journalists are unaware of how profoundly this research domain has evolved and haven't yet developed a thorough understanding of the significance and implications of new results for human and planetary health.
The program was developed to address these concerns by alerting journalists and the public to new findings. The Fellows will work closely with writing staff at EHS, publisher of Environmental Health News (environmentalhealthnews.org), to produce original and easy to understand articles about important and innovative research. Distribution will vary depending upon each finding's substance and significance.
The 12-month experience will allow the Fellows to gain experience working at the interface between science and journalism. This innovative training program is the first of its kind and is meant to address the large gap that exists between current frontiers of environmental health science and public understanding of the discipline.
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Contact: Amy Kostant
amy@ems.org
202-463-6670
Science Communication Network
30-Jan-2007