The 10 Researchers Will Translate and Communicate New Research Findings

Charlottesville, VA, March 1, 2008 -- A new group of 10 scientists will continue to increase public awareness and understanding of environmental health science as Science Communication Fellows. The Fellows are part of a program that trains junior scientists to communicate and promote new research findings to a general audience.

The program is sponsored by the non-profit Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) organization. Each Fellow will receive a $5,000 stipend for the year-long appointment.

Every month, the Fellows will identify important new research findings about the environment and its links to human health, which have just been published or are about to be published in peer-reviewed journals. They will translate the findings to make them more accessible to working reporters and to a broader public audience.

New findings during the past two decades have led to significant changes in how environmental health is studied and clinically practiced. Most of the public and many journalists are unaware of how profoundly this research domain has evolved and have not yet developed a thorough understanding of the significance or context of new results.

The program addresses these concerns by alerting journalists and the public to new findings. The Fellows will work with writing staff at EHS, publisher of Environmental Health News and the Daily Climate, to produce original reviews and commentary on the broader implications of significant and innovative research.

Unique to the program is the use of scientists to find and place into context important new research findings. This innovative training program, placing the Fellows at the interface between science and journalism, addresses the large gap between current frontiers of environmental health science and public understanding of the discipline.

The 2008 Fellows are accomplished scientists representing a wide range of interests, experiences and universities. They bring to the program a commitment to public education and collective skills as educators, writers and lecturers. Their professional and academic backgrounds range from environmental toxicology, to epidemiology, to nanotechnology.

A selection committee of seven prominent scientists chose the Fellows. Members of the selection committee are: Lynn R. Goldman, Johns Hopkins University; Louis J. Guillette, Jr., University of Florida-Gainesville; Patricia A. Hunt, Washington State University; Richard J. Jackson, University of California-Berkeley; Shuk-mei Ho, University of Cincinnati; Shanna H. Swan, University of Rochester; and Frederick vom Saal, University of Missouri-Columbia.