4.12 Assignments (1-5)


ASSIGNMENT 1:
Take a look at some of the following English-language science publications and discuss with your mentor how their audiences might vary and as a result how your own writing might vary for each of them:
  1. New Scientist [ http://www.newscientist.com ]
  2. Nature [ http://www.nature.com ]
  3. Science [ http://www.scienceonline.org ]
  4. Scientific American [ http://www.sciam.com ]
  5. Nature News [ http://www.nature.com/news/index.html ]
  6. National Geographic [ http://www.nationalgeographic.com ]
  7. SciDev.Net [ www.scidev.net ]
  8. BBC News Science/Nature [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/default.stm ]
  9. Science in Africa [ http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/ ]
  10. Smithsonian.com [ http://www.smithsonianmag.com ]
  11. ABC Science [ http://www.abc.net.au/science/ ]
ASSIGNMENT 2:
Take a look at the following articles. What do you think their story pitches were like? Practice writing a story pitch for each of the following articles and discuss them with your mentor:
  1. Cutting China's carbon cost
    2. [ http://www.scidev.net/en/features/cutting-chinas-carbon-cost.html ]
  2. Antarctic glaciers picking up speed
    3. [ http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2007/1943662.htm ]
  3. Beauty with a purpose
    4. [ http://www.islamonline.net/English/Science/2004/05/article05.shtml ]
  4. Autism symptoms reversed in lab
    5. [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6245742.stm ]
.ASSIGNMENT 3: Take one of your more exciting articles, write a 1000-word blog related to the topic and share it with your mentor. Is it written well enough that it deserves publication?

Experiment with setting up your own blog at [ www.blogger.com ], [ http://wordpress.com/ ], [ http://int.blog.com/ ], or countless other websites that provide this free service. Encourage friends and colleagues to post their own comments to your blog posts.

ASSIGNMENT 4:
Take your latest news story and practice writing it as a feature story or vice versa. Discuss with your mentor.

Attend a conference session or a press conference in your city on some science- or health-related issue. Practice writing one advance news story and one people-talking news story about the event you attended. Share with your mentor.

Visit the university or scientific institution nearest to you. Find an interesting research study that was just published by one of its researchers and write about it in spot news format, then write about it as a feature story. Remember to do enough background research and interviews to manage both!

ASSIGNMENT 5:
Before you start writing your next feature article, write its nut graf and discuss it with your mentor. Is your idea focused enough? Is the nut graf compelling enough?


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