IAP Independent Activities Period
overview participate organize offerings calendar  
for-credit subjects non-credit activities by category non-credit activities by sponsor non-credit activities by date

IAP 2012 Activity


Science Writing for Scientists
Seth Mnookin, Thomas Levenson
Tue Jan 10, Thu Jan 12, 01-04:00pm, 4-153

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 09-Jan-2012
Limited to 30 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)
Prereq: Paragraph describing why the student wishes to participate

This class will lead its participants through the journey from facts into story as they learn how to communicate science in ways a broad public audience will engage and remember.
This class introduces participants to the key steps involved in presenting complicated ideas in an accurate and memorable fashion. In the first session we will cover what elements make excellent science writing for the public: structure, metaphor as a tool, translation of complexity, accuracy while simplifying, and the art of triage – telling your audience what it needs to know to grasp your material, but not everything that you know.
Students will discuss a series of research findings and background materials, and transform them into a short popular piece. Those pieces will be workshopped until the participants grasp the idea of story, as opposed to report, down to the bone.
The class will be led by the New York Times bestselling science writer Seth Mnookin, and by Peabody and National Academies award-winning writer and film maker Thomas Levenson, head of 21W.
Web: http://sciwrite.mit.edu/events/science-writing-for-scientists
Contact: Shannon Larkin, 14N-108, x2-5036, slarkin@mit.edu
Sponsor: Writing and Humanistic Studies
Cosponsor: Dean for Graduate Education (ODGE)
Latest update: 15-Dec-2011


MIT  
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Home | Overview | Participate | Organize | Offerings | Calendar | Search
Comments and questions to: iap-www@mit.edu Academic Resource Center, Room 7-104, 617-253-1668
Last update: 7 Sept. 2011