Portfolio

Hire Me

I am a science writer who speaks, writes, and blogs on natural history and the diversity of life. If you’re interested in hiring me as a speaker, freelancer, or guest blogger, write me at

Speaking

You can see my first public lecture, “Life on Earth: The Short, Short Version”, here.

Writing

• “Technology: Audio Recording Systems” on the National Association of Science Writers’ All About Freelancing website, September 22, 2009: bit.ly/VQD5y (NASW members only)

Work from my time as health and environment reporter at the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle in Cheyenne (in reverse chronological order):

• My AAAS-award winning story on mysterious mass elk deaths in Wyoming, November 26 and December 3, 2006: Part One Part Two There was a sidebar on the science of the guilty party, but it was never posted online.
• More red than green, September 9, 2007.  The Mountain Pine Beetle’s Excellent Adventure.
• Rocket Test, June 28, 2007.  Who knew Wyoming had an aerospace industry? In an abandoned missile silo. Really!
• Wyoming gets its state grass, April 1, 2007. Not an April Fool’s story, but I did write this one with tongue planted firmly in cheek.
• A step closer to ancient England, March 27, 2007. In this story, I talked to an émigré from England who decided to build a medieval mead hall in the middle of the prairie. By himself. Irony: The zoning laws in England would have prevented him from doing the same thing there.
• Fawns emigrate south, June 15, 2006.  I found myself running full tilt across the prairie in business casual next to a guy with a giant-butterfly net attempting to capture pronghorn fawns for this story. A personal favorite.
• Medicine Bow clear cutting debated, May 1, 2006.  I climbed into a single-engine aircraft and flew over the Medicine Bow National Forest to report this story.
• 8,900 pounds of elk — free and Lines greet free meat, April 13, 2006. The Wyoming Department of Game and Fish decided to give away 33 35-50 pound boxes of culled elk meat to the first 33 people to show up on a certain day. Some stories write themselves.
• Stormy program begins in Wyoming, August 22, 2005. All about the science of cloud seeding. Wyoming is perhaps the first entity on Earth to have both the need and means to conduct the first scientifically valid test of cloud seeding, which has never been scientifically proven to work, according to a National Academy report that came out just a few years ago.
• Great divide, April 10, 2005.  Won 1st place for Environmental Story in the National Newspaper Association 2006 Better Newspaper Contest, Daily Division. A story about the conflict over oil and gas drilling in the Red Desert. I got to go on a tour of this extremely remote but gorgeous desert for the story — and it stands out in my mind as having the most startling explosion of lichen diversity I’ve ever seen. Plus we passed a sheepherder’s wagon complete with Belgian draft horses, anthills that reached to my knees, and herds of wild horses. Let no one tell you being a reporter in the west doesn’t have its perks.
• What’s next for the sage grouse? May 15, 2005. The plight of the sage grouse in oil and gas country. Complete with exciting sage grouse lekking action.
• Girls’ guide to the galaxy, May 11, 2005. A conference designed to spark girls’ interest in science.
• Meet the Unmakers, January 24, 2005.  A look at e-cycling in Cheyenne at a place called . . . wait for it . . . Tatooine Electronic Systems.

And finally, my very first story ever –

• Scientists Work to Preserve Apple Diversity, Cornell Daily Sun, November 15, 2001.

Brief resume:

Education

A.B. with Distinction in All Subjects, Cornell University 2000. Major: Biology, with a concentration in Systematics and Biotic Diversity. Phi Beta Kappa.

M.S. Plant Pathology, Cornell University 2002. Concentration in Mycology.

M.S. Science Writing, M.I.T., 2004.

Work Experience

Science Writer, The National Center for Atmospheric Research. 2007-present.

Health and Environment Reporter, The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. 2004-2007

Reporter Intern, The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Kentucky. Summer 2004

Intern, Focus, Harvard Medical School. Spring 2003

Staff Writer, The Cornell Daily Sun. 2001-2002