{"id":2645,"date":"2019-01-25T18:12:34","date_gmt":"2019-01-25T23:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metcalfinstitute.org\/?page_id=2645"},"modified":"2025-12-09T12:29:30","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T17:29:30","slug":"2016-science-immersion-workshop-for-journalists","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/metcalf\/2016-science-immersion-workshop-for-journalists\/","title":{"rendered":"2016 Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

2016 Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cMy head is alive with so many ideas,\u201d said freelance reporter Kate Siber as she headed home after an intensive week at Metcalf Institute\u2019s 18th<\/sup> Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography. She was one of ten Fellows selected to attend the workshop, which took reporters into the field, laboratory and classroom to strengthen their understanding of the scientific process and sharpen their investigative reporting skills. \u201cRight now I\u2019m just so overwhelmed with gratitude that I had this opportunity,\u201d Siber added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fellows were chosen from the largest pool of applicants to date and hailed from a variety of media organizations including Marketplace, WHYY, the Dallas Morning News, NBC News, and the Cape Gazette in Delaware. The group also included journalists from Pakistan and Nigeria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI now know how to interpret the science for my publication and actually tell audiences the stories they need to hear,\u201d said Doyin Adeoye, reporter for the Nigerian Tribune. \u201cI\u2019m ready to take environment reporting in Africa to a new level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fellows learned about coastal environmental responses to human activities from GSO scientists; they experienced, first-hand, how researchers conduct field surveys to monitor changing fisheries in Narragansett Bay; they visited salt marshes to observe the effects of sea level rise on coastal wetlands; and they learned about a range of water quality management issues facing coastal communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sessions on science translation gave Fellows tips on reading and translating science journal articles. Participating scientists also gained new skills from the journalists, including how to identify and pitch newsworthy research to journalists<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I really liked was the exercise of pairing journalists with scientists\u2026so journalists and researchers can share their different perspectives on how they see these stories,\u201d said Susan Phillips, energy and environment reporter for WHYY. \u201cOne of the tips I got that I never thought about before was if you\u2019re reading one of those scientific papers, just look in the references and see who they cited, and those are the sources you can call up to ask questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The workshop ran concurrently with Metcalf\u2019s 19th<\/sup> Annual Public Lecture Series, which featured speakers on a range of topics including the potential effects of limiting carbon dioxide emissions on ocean life, policies to address flood risks, and public opinion on climate change. The series concluded with an inspiring talk by the investigative reporter who broke the story about the Flint, Michigan water crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now the Fellows are back on their beats, ready to put their new insights to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel like I\u2019m going back home with a great foundation for reporting on the environment, and I feel a great deal of confidence that I didn\u2019t feel before,\u201d said Jeff Mosier, reporter for the Dallas Morning News. \u201cIt was one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 The following journalists were part of the 2016 Metcalf Fellowship cohort:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n