2019 Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists
2019 Theme: Climate Change and Water Resources
Ten journalists were selected to attend Metcalf Institute’s 2019 Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists from a competitive pool of applicants representing 34 nations around the globe.
The workshop, held at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, June 2 – 7, 2019, explored ways in which climate change and other human activities affect global water supplies.
Local news has a significant influence on a community’s ability to make informed decisions about environmental issues, from planning for flood hazards to the adoption of policies to curb water pollution. In spite of the important role for local news, small to medium-sized news outlets have limited resources to support their journalists’ professional development. With that in mind, Metcalf Institute prioritized the selection of Fellows from local and regional news organizations for the 2019 Annual Workshop. These selections were intended to emphasize the importance of consistent, high-quality reporting on local environmental issues.
The Fellows gained hands-on experience and insights from leading scientists, natural resource managers, and private and non-profit sector practitioners working to understand and project the interactions of climate change and water resources and investigating effective ways to communicate these challenges. They discussed links between water and climate systems, discovered the value of long-term data collection, and explored techniques for measuring and addressing water quality and quantity problems that affect communities and aquatic ecosystems.
Fund a Fellow Huge Success
Metcalf Institute extends a special thanks to all the donors who supported Metcalf’s Fund a Fellow initiative in 2019. The initiative was a huge success, exceeding our expectations! Their generous donations covered the entire $8000 cost for one Fellow to attend the 21st Annual Science Immersion Workshop. Learn more.
The following journalists were part of the 2019 Metcalf Fellowship cohort:
Clifton Adcock - Clifton Adcock covers environmental, criminal justice and other public interest issues in Oklahoma as senior reporter for The Frontier, a Tulsa-based nonprofit investigative journalism organization.
Rob Anthes - Rob Anthes is assistant managing editor at Community News Service, a hyperlocal newspaper company covering New Jersey’s capital region. A lifelong resident of the Trenton area, his concern about local drinking water quality led him to his investigation.
Mohammed El-Said - Mohammed El-Said covers the environment as a staff writer for the Daily News Egypt, and as a freelancer for Scientific American Arabic Edition and different international and regional science outlets. 
Corbin Hiar - Corbin covers environmental health for E&E News, an independent news outlet with more than 75 reporters and editors focused on energy and the environment. 
Chloe Johnson - Chloe Johnson covers the coastal environment and climate change from Charleston for the Post and Courier, the largest newspaper in South Carolina. She has reported on hurricanes, land conservation tax schemes, and much more.
Ezra Romero - Ezra David Romero is Capital Public Radio’s environment reporter. His stories have run on many NPR programs. He grew up on a peach farm in California’s Central Valley and spent the last seven years reporting on agriculture across the Golden State. 
Molly Samuel - Molly Samuel is the environment reporter at WABE, the NPR station in Atlanta. She’s also a member of NPR’s collaborative Energy and Environment team. Before WABE, she was a science producer and reporter at KQED in San Francisco. 
Debra Utacia Krol - Debra Utacia Krol reports on Native issues, environmental and science issues, and art; she’s fond of averring that "My beat is Indians." She is an enrolled member of the Xolon (also known as Jolon) Salinan Tribe from the Central California coastal ranges.
Christian von Preysing-Barry - Christian von Preysing-Barry is a reporter for KRGV, located on the southern tip of Texas. He's reported on U.S./Mexico border issues for five years, covering immigration surges and the proposed border wall from just about every angle. 
Kate Yoder - Kate Yoder is the news editor at Grist, a nonprofit environmental news site in Seattle, where she covers climate change with a special focus on language and culture. Her work has been republished by The Guardian, Mother Jones, and Wired.
View Previous Annual Science Immersion Workshops:
2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015