AAAS

Mass Media Science and Engineering

Fellows Program

THE PURPOSE: Increasing public understanding of science and technology is one of the principal goals of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). AAAS has improved coverage of science and technology in mass media for more than twenty years through the Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellows Program. This highly competitive program strengthens the connections between scientists and journalists by placing advanced science students in newsrooms across the country.

The AAAS Fellows use their academic training in the sciences as they research, write, and report today's headlines, sharpening their abilities to communicate complex scientific issues to non-specialists.

THE PROGRAM: The AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellows work for 10 weeks during the summer as reporters, researchers, and production assistants in mass media organizations nationwide. Fellows collaborate with media professionals at radio and television stations, newspapers, online sites and magazines. The student-scientists and their host-journalists strive to make science news clear and comprehensive to the public.

The fellowship program is designed to enhance coverage of science-related issues in the media in order to improve public understanding and appreciation of science and technology. Fellows have the opportunity to observe and participate in the process by which events and ideas become news, improve their communication skills by learning to describe complex technical subjects in a manner understandable to the lay public, and increase their understanding of editorial decision making and the way in which information is effectively disseminated. Now in its 27th year, the program has supported more than 400 Fellows.

CRITERIA: The selection process is designed to recruit all qualified candidates. Minorities and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be enrolled as college or university students (in their junior or senior years, or in any graduate or post-graduate level) in the natural, physical, health, engineering, or social sciences in order to apply. Students enrolled in English, journalism, science journalism, or other non-technical fields are not eligible for these fellowships. Successful applicants will attend an orientation at AAAS headquarters at the start of the summer and a wrap-up session at the end of the summer. They will prepare reports on the progress of their fellowships throughout the summer.

THE AWARD: AAAS selects 20-30 Mass Media Fellows each summer. Fellows are provided a weekly stipend as well as travel expenses to and from AAAS and their sites.

THE RESULTS: The program's impact extends beyond the 10 weeks Fellows spend at their summer sites. A significant number of program alumni have been encouraged by their fellowship experiences to pursue careers related to science journalism. Others working as scientists or engineers become more adept at describing scientific concepts to reporters who call their institutions for information. Some hire on as freelancers, or have otherwise incorporated new activities related to public understanding of science into their academic or professional work in science and engineering.

SPONSORS FOR SUMMER 2000: The AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Program is sponsored by the American Geophysical Union, the American Mathematical Society, the American Physical Society, the American Physiological Society, the American Psychological Society, the American Sociological Association, the American Society for Microbiology, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, CNN, the Dannon Institute, the Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., the Ford Motor Company, the Foundation for Child Development, the Institute of Food Technologists, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (USA), and the Society for Industrial & Applied Mathematics.

HOST SITES FOR SUMMER 2000: ABCNEWS.com, Albuquerque Tribune, BusinessWeek, Cable News Network (CNN), Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, Discovery Online, Good Morning America, KUNC-FM, Los Angeles Times, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, National Public Radio (NPR), News and Observer, Newsweek, OnHealth.com, Oregonian, Popular Science, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Sacramento Bee, Scientific American, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, US News & World Report, Voice of America, and WOSU-AM.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: To download an application for the Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellows Program in Adobe Acrobat PDF format, click here. You can also download a copy of this application brochure.

To receive an additional application form or more information please contact:

AAAS Mass Media Science and Engineering Fellows Program
1200 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 326-6760; FAX (202) 371-9849

In addition to the completed application form, candidates must submit a current resume, brief writing sample(s) of three to five pages directed to the general public, transcripts of under-graduate and graduate work to date and three letters of recommendation. Two of these letters should come from faculty members; the third should be a personal reference. Transcripts and letters of recommendation should be submitted directly to the program. A selection committee composed of experts in the sciences, education, and the media will evaluate applicants. The committee will make recommendations to the AAAS staff who are responsible for the final decisions and for negotiations between the candidates and the media hosts. Candidates will receive final notification of the status of their applications by April 15.

NOTE: All applicants should be available for telephones interview in March and be able to accept assignments anywhere in the United States.

The deadline for receipt of applications is January 15, 2001.