Honored to receive another national journalism award, this time for ‘Outstanding Feature Story.’ You can read that story here: https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/human-composting-how-our-bodies-can-nourish-new-life-after-death
So grateful for everyone who has supported my late-stage career shift with encouragement, moral support, edits, mentoring or even just reading and sharing my work. You make it all worthwhile! I’m still (most days) loving this journalism journey.
In September I found out that our ProPublica series had also been awarded the 2020 Nina Mason Pulliam award for Outstanding Environmental reporting, in addition to the 2020 Kevin Carmody award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting. I had the honor of accepting this top award in environmental journalism live at the virtual awards ceremony at the opening of the Society of Environmental Journalists Annual Meeting. It was strange thanking a room of people I couldn’t see, but I’m 72% sure I didn’t say anything crazy, so we’ll call it a success. Anyway, this was a huge honor (and it comes with $10K!) and I’m still dumbstruck when I think about it.
Just a few weeks before we got that news, I got an email that our Polluter’s Paradise series also won the National Association of Science Writer’s 2020 Science in Society award for best coverage of science topics in a story series. Since everything is virtual now, they asked me to record an award acceptance video, which I did but I hate (don’t watch it!). This award meant a lot to me because it came from the organization that first got me excited about science writing when I sheepishly attended their annual meeting in Flagstaff in 2011.
Then finally, just this week, I found out that I won the Southwest Science Writers Association’s award for best long form science writing of 2020 for my Discover Magazine feature on the ecology of burial practices, Life After Death. I loved researching and writing this story and I’m honestly just so excited that people are enjoying reading my work and think I’m a good writer (imposter syndrome averted, for today).
This number of awards in just my third year as a journalist is honestly pretty overwhelming and makes me feel like I should probably just quit now while I’m ahead. But maybe there’s just a few other things I want to write first. Thank you all for reading and for visiting my site! Send me email through my contact form. I love hearing from you.
I’m a few weeks late in posting this, but so, so honored that our series on pollution from the oil and gas industry in Louisiana was recognized by the Society of Environmental Journalists as the first place winner in the Kevin Carmody Award for Outstanding Investigative Reporting in a Large Newsroom.
Read more about the award here: https://www.sej.org/winners-sej-19th-annual-awards-reporting-environment#carmody-large and read the full series here: https://www.propublica.org/series/polluters-paradise.
Check out the story online here: https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/human-composting-how-our-bodies-can-nourish-new-life-after-death
Or pick up a copy of the September/October 2020 issue of Discover Magazine to enjoy the beautiful 10-page feature spread!
Check out our chat here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/smart-athlete-podcast/id1488647752?i=1000463800666
Feels great to be done.
Check out Jeanne Nathan’s show highlighting conversations important for the New Orleans community. I’m on air, talking about our Polluter’s Paradise series, at minute 20.
I was interviewed for the Utah Public Radio show ‘Undisciplined,’ which brings two scientists together to explain their work and then interview each other. The scientist I was paired with was Dr. Tara Deans, cancer researcher at the University of Utah. I had a great time being on this show. Give it a listen!
More stories to come in the rest of 2019!
I was invited to come give a talk at Dixie State University in St. George, Utah about native bees and bee biodiversity. I’m excited to return to one of my favorite states and talk about one of my favorite topics!
Erica Eller contacted me about writing up this spotlight for the STEM women page. I’m glad she did! It was fun to talk with her about my research, in the same moments that I’m preparing to defend it as my dissertation.
