The Arctic Circle Artists and Scientists Residency in Svalbard, October 2024
With 29 other artists, writers, and academics (and crew), I spent three weeks in the Norwegian territory of Svalbard on a research expedition for my in-progress biography of William Scoresby, Jr. As we cruised the coastal waters between 78° and 81° north latitude aboard the sailing bark Antigua—our home in the wilderness—I observed the cryoscapes that Scoresby witnessed in the early 19th century and compared his descriptions with their altered states amid climate change today.
Knight Science Journalism @ MIT/Kavli Science Editing Workshop, September 2018
I was chosen to participate in a two-day intensive workshop in Austin, Texas, preceding the annual Online Journalism Association conference. With speakers including Laura Helmuth, Deborah Blum, Ivan Oransky, and Samantha Ragland, the participants discussed best practices and new methods for brainstorming ideas, collaborating with newsroom colleagues, promoting content, evaluating research, and mentoring writers.
Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources Independent Reporting Grant, July 2018
I won a $4,250 grant to pursue a self-designed reporting project around themes presented during the IJNR Great Bear Institute in British Columbia’s Central Coast. My forthcoming project will explore an effort to engage First Nation students in science by combining traditional and Western ecological knowledge in their ancestral territory.
Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources Great Bear Institute Fellowship, September 2017
I was one of 13 journalists chosen for a 10-day reporting trip to Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia, Canada, to explore environmental issues in the territory. I interviewed First Nation leaders, local officials and community members about economic development, natural resource stewardship, and building capacity in First Nations communities.
COMPASS Journalism Fellowship at the North American Congress of Conservation Biologists, July 2016
I won a fellowship to attend the annual conference of conservation biologists in Madison, Wisconsin. I gathered story ideas from symposia, co-led a question-and-answer period following a session, and networked with researchers.
American Society of Journalists and Authors Fellowship, April 2013
I received this fellowship to attend the society’s annual conference on freelance journalism practices in New York City. I participated in panel discussions and met one-on-one with a mentor to improve my craft.
Nancy Lynn Schwartz Prize for Fiction, May 1997
I won first place and a cash prize in the annual undergraduate short story competition at Sarah Lawrence College.