WASHINGTON -- Two IEEE-USA Engineering Mass Media Fellows, Wendy Hansen and Maddalena Jackson, are writing news stories on science, engineering and technology as part of a 10-week internship from June to August at the Los Angeles Times and Sacramento Bee, respectively.
Wendy Hansen is a biophysics Ph.D. candidate at the University of California-Berkeley; and Maddalena Jackson is a 2008 graduate of Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, Calif., with a B.S. in engineering.
In her application to join the IEEE-USA Engineering Mass Media Fellows program, Hansen indicated that she was "seriously considering a career in sci-tech communications -- writing, editing or production." In her application, Jackson noted: "I believe that good communication and access to clear information is the key to fostering a productive and healthy society."
Since 2000, nine U.S. IEEE undergraduate and graduate students have been chosen as IEEE-USA Engineering Mass Media Fellows; and have helped journalists in print and broadcast fields communicate authoritatively to the public about science, engineering and technology.
IEEE-USA is the only engineering organization engaged in the Mass Media Fellows program, which is administered by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
IEEE-USA Communications Committee Members Allan Schell and Abby Vogel helped to select the IEEE-USA Engineering Mass Media Fellows.
Between 2006-2007, the AAAS Science & Engineering Mass Media Fellows produced 350 first-run sci-tech news stories. Fourteen individuals are participating in the 2008 AAAS program. For more information on IEEE-USA involvement, see http://www.ieeeusa.org/communications/massmedia.asp .