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May
2006
 Job
title and general description
I’m a working Science Journalist and Post-Doctoral Fellow
at the W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics, UBC. This
dual life involves both academic research and freelance writing.
My research involves studying the role of science journalism
in a democracy. In particular, this focuses on genomics and
the methods journalists use to tackle such a complex scientific
topic. My writing often appears in The
Scientist Magazine, the Canadian
Medical Association Journal, The
Science Creative Quarterly, as well as the Genome British
Columbia’s Genomics Education website.
What
specific skills and qualities are needed to do your job?
To be a Science
Journalist you have to love learning about science. This learning
then has to creatively encapsulated to be of interest, and
understandable, to whatever audience you’re called to
write for. In the media-rich world we live in, comprehensive
work at break-neck speed is also an asset.
What
do you like most about your work?
I love learning
new things, and bringing out that information in my writing.
It’s a challenge to put complex topics into understandable
formats.
What
don’t you like about your job?
I really have no
complaints about my work. It is what I make it. At the moment,
I am exploring new models of journalism is my research, while
also applying some of this to fun and casual articles at the
Quarterly and the Genomics Education website, as well as more
formal writing at other outlets.
Where
do you see your career going from here?
I see myself continuing
my dual life for a while with my research and writing -- there
is so much going on in genomics right now that the options
are wide open.
What
is the range in salary that comes with your job?
Of course, as a
just graduated student, my salary has largely been 0. But,
as a Post-Doctoral Fellow, my salary can range between $30,000
and $40,000. And with people always looking for freelance
journalism about science, this can be supplemented with all
sorts of projects.
When
did you know you wanted to work in sciences?
Science has been
on my mind since I was old enough for my father to share his
love for physics, and writing didn’t follow too far
behind with my early discovery of Isaac Asimov. I was better
at science so that was where I started my career. After working
in a lab for a while, I realized it was time to write about
science, so I moved into journalism.
What
is your educational background? Degrees? Specific courses?
I started at Queen’s
University where I did a BSc in Life Sciences. Then I came
to UBC to do a PhD in Microbiology. I continued my studies
here at UBC in the School of Journalism where I have done
a Masters degree.
What
was your favorite course(s) and why?
At Queen’s my favorite course was Microbial Diversity
(nothing like seeing what you can grow from the bottom of
your shoe). Here at UBC my favorite was Science and Society.
What
other hobbies and interests do you have?
My hobbies include
writing, writing and more writing (and after that taking my
camera out and about in Vancouver).
Do
you have any advice for young people thinking about getting
into your line of work?
Science Journalism
is about being a citizen of science. You know it’s for
you when you realize that learning, debating, and sharing
science, is exactly what you want your days to be.
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