What was your first job as a journalist?
Technology Reporter - MassDevice.com
Have you ever used a typewriter?
No
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
A tie. Spider Jerusalem from Transmetropolitan and Jane Winslett-Richardson from The Life Aquatic
What does it mean to be a journalist?
As a science writer, my job is to make the big issues easier to understand. It means staying true to the science, and to the facts.
What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?
is an old favorite.
What tools and software do you use to do your job?
Google Docs, mostly.
What's your favorite social network?
Twitter.
Why did you become a journalist?
I'm a marine biologist turned science writer. I knew a PhD track wasn't for me, with writing, I get to become a mini-expert with each article
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
I was a writer for the one semester the "Green and White Gazette" had funding.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Climate & Lobsters, a long feature analyzing the effects of climate change on the American Lobster populations.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Everyone gets turned down. Keep pitching and keep writing.
What's your favorite drink?
Dark and Stormy
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
On a hike with my dogs.
Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?
The Atlantic
What's the most common misperception about your beat?
I'm not here to regurgitate press releases. Science journalism requires reporting and analyzing, the same as any other type of journalism.
