Simon's Rock Student Awarded Major Science Fellowship
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The National Association of Science Writers awarded Bard College at Simon’s Rock senior Rachel Feltman a travel fellowship to attend the Association for the Advancement of Science’s annual meeting.Feltman is one of eight recipients who will travel to Canada for the February 17-19 gathering of science luminaries.
NASW Education Committee Co-chairs Jeff Grabmeier and Robert Irion informed recipients, "we have chosen you from among a large pool of talented applicants to attend the AAAS meeting in Vancouver.”
To compete for the fellowship Feltman had to submit a story about a scientific researcher. An aspiring science writer with a concentration in environmental studies, she needed an interesting topic to stand out against applicants from much larger institutions with well-funded research programs.
"We’re a small college with a limited number of research projects. When I heard Professor Mike Bergman speak about his research on the Earth's inner core," Feltman explained. "I knew that’s what I wanted to write about."
During the conference, Feltman and the other recipients will be paired with veteran science writers for mentoring and conversation. Each recipient will cover a scientific session and prepare a report for the NASW web site.
"It’s such a great opportunity to have our articles edited and posted on the NASW site," Feltman said. "I’ll also use it in my portfolio of science writing for my thesis."
NASW will also hold an internship fair at the AAAS meeting for young science journalists.
