1999–00 Knight Fellows

1999-2000 Knight Fellows

Top row from left:
Martha Henry, Ganapati Mudur, Andreas Schriber, Peter Spotts, David Chandler, David Talbot, DongHo Shin
Front from left:
W. Wayt Gibbs, Susan Lewis, Boyce Rensberger, Karen Hopkin, Melissa Schorr
photo by Graham Ramsay

David Chandler David Chandler has been a science writer for 22 years, the last 15 of them for The Boston Globe. He covers all areas of science except biomedical fields. Chandler majored in physics at Boston University but left without a degree, a move that has not hampered a distinguished career that has produced two books and earned him the Media Award of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics' New England branch and the Award of Excellence of the Aviation/Space Writers Association. His science writing career began in 1976 with an article on the Viking mission to Mars in the Atlantic Monthly, which led to his first book, Life on Mars. At MIT, Chandler plans to study statistics, ethics and various topics in science. His extracurricular interests include computers, travel and photography.
W. Wayt Gibbs W. Wayt Gibbs, a senior writer for Scientific American based in San Francisco, says that in nearly seven years with the magazine he has covered 23 disciplines in science and engineering. During that time Gibbs twice won honorable mention from the Evert Clark Award for Science Journalism, which is limited to journalists under 30. Gibbs earned a B.A. from Cornell University, double majoring in physics and English. At MIT, he plans to focus on experimental methods in biotechnology and nanofabrication of microelectromechanical devices and "smart" materials. Gibbs also plans to use the year to resume his 12-year study of piano, to play French horn in a campus ensemble and to join a soccer league.
Karen Hopkin Karen Hopkin earned a doctorate in biochemistry from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1992 but switched to science journalism immediately afterward. She began her journalistic career writing science stories for a Columbus, Ohio, radio station, then became a producer for NPR’s "Talk of the Nation: Science Friday" program. After a stint writing for the Journal of NIH Research until it folded in 1997, Hopkin turned to freelancing. She may be best known to the scientific community as the creator of the "Studmuffins of Science" calendar. She also is humor editor of the HMS Beagle web site. During her fellowship year, Hopkin plans to study computational genomics, cosmology and the history of science. For outside interests, Hopkin says, "I enjoy baking cookies, wearing stripes with plaids and trying to play tennis."
Susan K. Lewis Susan K. Lewis has been creating science documentaries for WGBH’s "Nova" series for more than ten years, functioning as writer, producer and director. She's done more than a dozen shows on a wide variety of topics including hydrothermal vents, counterfeiting money, buckyballs, dinosaurs and the Tuskegee syphilis study. The latter, dealing with deep ethical concerns raised by the scientists' research, won an award from the National Association of Black Journalists. Lewis holds a B.A. from Harvard in social studies. At MIT she plans to examine media studies (both traditional and new media), cognitive psychology and science education. In her spare time, Lewis enjoys hiking, cross-country skiing, yoga, theater and movies, travel to exotic locales and "exploring the woods near my house."
Ganapati S. Mudur Ganapati S. Mudur, based in New Delhi, covers science and medicine for The Telegraph, a leading Calcutta daily newspaper. His wide-ranging beats include atomic energy, space technology, industrial research, information technology, biotechnology and medicine. He began his career in 1986 and has been with The Telegraph since 1994. Not averse to investigative journalism, Mudur once exposed a government agency that had given a grant to a "priest-magician" to invoke rain through prayer and he reported on controversial Indian study on cervical cancer that violated medical ethics of informed consent. He is also a regular contributor to the British Medical Journal, Physics World and Chemistry and Industry. Mudur received the M.Sc. in physics from Delhi University. While a Knight fellow, Mudur plans to study biology, including neuroscience and transgenic research. His outside interests include reading and movies.
Melissa Schorr Melissa Schorr has specialized in coverage of health and medicine, especially women's health, for various national magazines and, for the last three years, as a staff writer and columnist for The Las Vegas Sun. In 1998 she won the Nevada Press Association's first place feature story award. Schorr's interest in science was nurtured at the famed Bronx High School of Science and her journalism skills at Northwestern University’s Medill School, from which she earned the B.S. in 1994. During her year at MIT, Schorr plans to focus on science and public policy issues pertaining to women's health. Her extracurricular interests include piano, musical theater, volleyball and skiing.
Andreas Schriber Andreas Schriber, a Zurich-based producer and editor for Swiss Television DRS, specializes in documentaries on science and environmental research, especially in developing countries. His programs have covered such topics as wildlife conservation and biological pest control in African agriculture. Schriber also has produced documentaries for German television and CNN International. He came to television after a seven-year stint as a press officer for the World Wildlife Fund's Switzerland branch. Schriber studied at the Graduate School of Art and Design in Zurich. At MIT Schriber plans to look into new media technologies and how they might influence the public understanding of science. His recreational activities include Zen and martial arts (he holds a 3d degree black belt in Aikido), outdoor activities in the mountains with his family and travel in Africa.
DongHo Shin Dong Ho Shin, who became a Knight Fellow in January 1999 and will continue until December, is the chief science reporter for The Hankyoreh, a major daily newspaper in Seoul. In addition to science, Shin has covered medicine and environmental issues as well as computers and telecommunications. He has received several awards, including one from the president of Korea for excellence in science writing. Before the advent of Korean democracy, Shin's stories exposed illegal wiretapping operations by the Korean intelligence agency and leakages of radioativity from atomic power plants. He was trained as an architect at Seoul National University, graduating in 1985. At MIT Shin has been studying brain and cognitive sciences and the ecological impacts of genetically modified organisms.
Peter N. Spotts Peter N. Spotts covers science and technology for the Christian Science Monitor, which is headquartered in Boston. Spotts was the Monitor's national news editor and chief editorial writer before returning in 1994 to his original science beat which he began in 1987. Among his major stories are a 10-part series from the SHEBA Ice Station in the Arctic Ocean and a search for neutrinos deep inside a Japanese mountain. Spotts holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of Miami in Florida. During the fellowship year he plans to study various areas of research "arranged around the broad theme of managing the planet," including geophysics, climate, genetics and ecology. In other interests include camping, hiking and playing blues harp. Spotts also is active as a Boy Scout leader.
David Talbot David Talbot has been a newspaper reporter for 12 years, the last five with The Boston Herald. During that time he has focused increasingly on investigative stories involving the environment and has won several awards. Most recently, he won the New England Press Association's 1997 second place award for environmental reporting. That was for a story on a local brand of bottled water that he revealed was coming from a well contaminated with industrial solvents. Talbot has a B.A. in English from Colgate University. While at MIT, he plans to study environmental health science as well as global environmental issues. Among his outside interests are piano, gardening and reading.