SBU Students Awarded HHMI Science Journalism Fellowships
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| Front row: Students Matthew Gerardi (Lindenhurst), Marta Lora Reina (Spain), Ansa Varughese (Deer Park); back row: Howard Schneider, Elizabeth Bass and David Bynum. |
STONY BROOK
, NY, November 15, 2011 – Stony Brook University graduate students Matthew Gerardi, Marta Lora Reina, and Ansa Varughese have been awarded Howard Hughes Medical Institute Science Journalism Fellowships for the 2011-12 academic year. The $3,000 fellowships are given to students who have outlined a strategy for communicating some aspect of science to the public and who, under the mentorship of a faculty member, will make their proposal a reality. The fellowships result from a partnership between the Center for Communicating Science and the Center for Science and Mathematics Education (CESAME) at Stony Brook.
Students are enrolled in the new Master of Science program in Stony Brook School of Journalism, which is the only journalism master’s program in the State University of New York. The program focuses and builds on Stony Brook’s strength in science, health, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“In its first year our program is already providing excellent opportunities for our students,” said Howard Schneider, Dean of the School of Journalism. “What a wonderful way to attract and reward the talent we need in the coming years.”
Elizabeth Bass, Director of the Center for Communicating Science, added, “This is an outstanding opportunity to recognize and encourage students who will be shaping the journalism profession for the next generation. We are thrilled to be able to do this and eager to see what these students can accomplish.”
David Bynum, Director of CESAME and Professor of Biochemistry, leads the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science Education initiative at Stony Brook. “It is a pleasure to award these fellowships to such outstanding students who will provide critical leadership in science journalism,” Dr. Bynum said. “Stony Brook University is making a concrete difference, and the students, New York State and the nation are the beneficiaries.”
