Alexa Elliot

Award-winning journalist Alexa Elliott gets to suit up for work sometimes at WPBT2 in Miami, Florida, where she dives into her job as creator, writer and producer of “Changing Seas,” a half-hour science and adventure series focusing on ocean issues and exploration. A 2004 Metcalf alumna, Elliott says she continues to draw from her experiences at the Annual Science Immersion Workshop.

“At the time of the workshop, we talked a lot about how some scientists are hesitant to work with the news media because they fear their work will not be accurately represented, “ said Elliott. “The workshop helped me see things from scientists’ point of view and gave me a better understanding of how scientists approach their work.”

During her six years as a producer of science documentaries for WPBT2, Elliott says her Metcalf experience has helped her to “better understand how to communicate science to a broader audience.”

Winner of a 2011 communications award from the National Academy of Sciences for the film, “Sentinels of the Seas,” Elliott describes the honor as her proudest accomplishment. The film, which was part of the “Changing Seas” series, focused on the impact of legacy contaminants on Florida’s bottlenose dolphins. Legacy contaminants are potentially hazardous chemicals that remain in the environment long after they were first introduced.

Reflecting on her Metcalf experience, Elliott has this advice for future Fellows: “It is a great way to think and learn about your craft outside of a deadline-driven environment and a great opportunity to meet fellow journalists who may face some of the same challenges and questions you do.”