Writing long-form essays and profiles in our annual winter course guides our students to develop their voices as journalists. Assignments focus on evocative interpretations of research, the art of self-expression, the craft of writing about a scientist's life and career, and honing prose with style and grace. Here, we offer selected pieces from the winter 2011 course, taught by freelance author and former Outside essayist Janet Hopson.


Researched science essays

Frail Forest Phantoms, by Nadia Drake

Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made On, by Catherine Meyers

Alternative Energy on the Frontlines, by Donna Hesterman

The Menace of Vaccine Avoidance, by Melissae Fellet

Hitchhikers and Hangers-On, by Jane J. Lee

Lessons in a Glass of Milk, by Susan Young


Profiles of San Francisco Bay Area scientists

Stanley Falkow: Gut Instincts, by Sandeep Ravindran

Randall Morgan: Santa Cruz Field Notes, by Keith Rozendal

Frank Drake: Undetected Worlds, by Danielle Venton

Bruce Suba: Glowing with Excitement, by Melissae Fellet

Nathalie Cabrol: Life at the Margins, by Nadia Drake

Robert Full: View the Locomotion, by Catherine Meyers