Reporters, freelancers, university science writers, students and others interested in science -- together, we make up the Northern California Science Writers Association with some 250 members. Our web site includes information about NCSWA (pronounced NICK SWA), our activities, our officers, and how to become a member. Welcome, please indulge your curiosity, and we appreciate your feedback.

NCSWA Summer Dinner: The Hunt for Planets Like Earth

Who: Astronomer Bill Borucki, NASA Ames Research Center
When: Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Where: Basque Cultural Center, 599 Railroad Ave., South San Francisco

It's an ancient question: How special is Earth? Astronomers have found nearly 350 planets circling other stars, all bigger than our home world. This size bias is an artifact of the way we've spotted most planets: the whomping big ones tug back and forth on their parent stars, creating a wobble that telescopes can detect. Little planets do the same thing, but far more subtly. So, while our galaxy may be chock-full of rocks like Earth, we just haven't been able to find them yet.

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NCSWA Science Journalism Workshop April 25, 2009

Saturday, April 25, 2009
9:30am-4:00pm
Northgate Hall at UC Berkeley
Cost: $32.00/professionals and $22/students (includes lunch and a reception)
Registration is currently closed

A one-day workshop open to established Bay Area journalists, aspiring journalists, and students.

Changes in news delivery mechanisms, shifting editorial perceptions of the public’s interest, and, most important, challenging economics mean fewer staff positions and increasing competition. Yet science journalism remains an immensely rewarding and important career. Join us for a day of professional development, as we explore the range of career options available to science journalists and communicators today. Established journalists and editors will discuss topics ranging from reporting long narrative features to the art of the infographic to the transition from journalist to book author. We’ll also explore other work available to science writers, including writing for non-profits and working for other science-based institutions, from universities to corporations.

Our keynote speaker is Michelle Nijhuis, an award-winning freelance science and environmental journalist. Nijhuis has written for National Geographic, The New York Times, Smithsonian and many other publications. Based in western Colorado, she is a contributing editor to High Country News and a correspondent for the environmental magazine Orion. Her writing and reporting focus on long-term narrative stories about conservation and global change, but she also covers subjects ranging from border security to wrestling.

Please go to workshop details for a full list of speakers and to register.

Brain Food: Check out our menu of past dinner meeting speakers.

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Job Listing Service
Looking for a communications professional to join your staff or take on a contract assignment? We will announce your position to our members.

NCSWA's quarterly dinners included this December 2005 holiday event, an evening when old friends reconnected and the energy from new acquaintances and connections warmed our San Francisco venue. Photos are by Michael Barnes.

Golden oldies: a slideshow of the NCSWA party for writers atttending AAAS 2001 in San Francisco