Resume
EDUCATION
Graduate Certificate, Science Communication, University of California, Santa Cruz (December 2008)
M.F.A., Creative Writing, Indiana University Bloomington (June 2007)
B.Sc., Biology, Minor in Mathematics, Stanford University (June 2000)
WRITING AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Freelance Science Journalist (January 2007–present)
Write news, features, and essays for publications such as NewYorker.com, Nature, NYTimes.com, The Southern Review, New Scientist, Hakai, Audubon, Science News, U.S. News & World Report, Science News for Students, and the San Francisco Chronicle
Received a 2020-21 Project Fellowship from MIT’s Knight Science Journalism Program to work on a collection of long-form reported science essays
Won a 2016 silver AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award in the children's science news category for a Science News for Students feature about electric eels
Won the American Geophysical Union's 2010 Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism for a Nature feature about an asteroid impact
Wrote regularly for the group science blog The Last Word on Nothing (2013–15)
Blogged for Conservation magazine about new studies in environmental science, including climate change, energy, marine biology, and agriculture (2009–10 and 2012–15)
Freelance Science Communications Writer (January 2007–present)
Write articles about business management for Northwestern University and Yale University (2016–present)
Wrote for publications from institutions such as Stanford, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, and National Institutes of Health’s Center for Cancer Research (2007–18)
Writing and Freelancing Instructor (2004–07 and 2019–present)
Instructor at Courage Camp and Level Up, workshops on the business of freelancing led by Christie Aschwanden (2019-21)
Taught profile and Q&A writing to master’s students at UC Santa Cruz science communication program (2020)
Taught creative writing and composition to undergraduates at Indiana University Bloomington (2004–07)
RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE
Scientific Programmer, Stanford Medical Center (July 2003–July 2004)
Developed software and designed database for ProPhylER, a tool for evolutionary analysis of protein sequences
Set up Mac OS X computer server to allow file sharing and website hosting in laboratory
Ontology Engineer, Ingenuity Systems (July 2000–June 2003)
Developed software to build knowledge base of gene pathway data for biotechnology start-up
Managed an interdisciplinary team of scientists, software engineers, and QA engineers
AWARDS
Silver AAAS Kavli Science Journalism Award—Children's Science News (2016)
Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism—Features (2010)
Idaho National Laboratory Fellowship, University of California, Santa Cruz (2007-08)
Ross Lockridge Jr. Award in Creative Writing, Indiana University at Bloomington (2006)
Omar Castaneda Fellowship in Fiction, Indiana University at Bloomington (2004-06)
Phi Beta Kappa Society, Stanford University (2000)
Howard Hughes Summer Research Fellowship (1999)
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Scholarship (1997-98)
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Northwest Science Writers Association; diversity committee member in 2019
National Association of Science Writers; board member in 2014