Skip To Main Content
Nicholas Gerbis on Muck Rack

Nicholas Gerbis

(He/Him)
Phoenix
As seen in: American Scientist, Education Cliff, How Stuff Works, NewsBreak, Bryan-College Station Eagle, Killeen Daily Herald, Arizona PBS, Cronkite News, Phoenix New Times, Arizona Daily Sun, KJZZ-FM (Phoenix, AZ), Yuma Sun and
Covers:  Science, technology, innovation, medicine, culture, social justice
Doesn't Cover: Sports
Associate editor for American Scientist magazine | Spoudon Xynones | Nullius In Verba | he/him | opinions mine

Get in touch with Nicholas

Contact Nicholas, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.

Learn more about Muck Rack

Actions

Share this page

Nicholas Gerbis’s Biography

Read Full Bio →

I currently specialize in developmental editing as associate editor at American Scientist magazine, where I also write articles and news briefs. I have won multiple editing awards for my work, including the 2025 Jesse H. Neal Award for Best Technical/Scientific Content for "Gliflozins for Diabetes" and the 2025 APEX Grand Award for "Estuaries Face a Stormy Future."

Prior to that, I worked as the senior field correspondent for science, health, innovation and technology at KJZZ News public media …

Nicholas Gerbis’s Journalist Portfolio

See all →
Systematizing Scents

Systematizing Scents

Poets and novelists have long lamented our lack of a language to describe smell. Attend a wine tasting, watch…

View article →
First Principles and Beyond

First Principles and Beyond

Chris Pickard is a materials scientist who employs what are called first principles methods—modeling techniqu…

View article →
Getting That Glow

Getting That Glow

Amid the dim light suffusing the subjects of Rembrandt van Rijn’s 1642 masterpiece The Night Watch, the centr…

View article →
American Scientist News and Briefs

American Scientist News and Briefs

A roundup of my writing and reporting published in American Scientist magazine.

View article →
Nicholas Gerbis

Nicholas Gerbis

A roundup of my work while as senior field correspondent for the Science, Health, Innovation and Technology D…

View article →
Returning to the fold: examining prions from new angles

Returning to the fold: examining prions from new angles

When a protein folds properly, it carries out normal tasks without a hitch. But when it folds into the wrong …

View article →

Articles

Systematizing Scents

|
By Nicholas Gerbis
| American Scientist Verified
July-August 2025 Volume 113, Number 4 Poets and novelists have long lamented our lack of a language to describe smell. Attend a wine tasting, watch a cooking show, or visit a local perfume counter, and you’ll hear visual terms such as “bright,” “shimmering,” or “sparkling.” Compared with our brief olfactory glossary, our visual vocabulary, like our sense of eyesight, is vibrant and specific.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

Getting That Glow

|
By Nicholas Gerbis
| American Scientist Verified
November-December 2024 Volume 112, Number 6 Amid the dim light suffusing the subjects of Rembrandt van Rijn’s 1642 masterpiece The Night Watch, the central figure of Lieutenant Willem van Ruytenburch appears almost to glow, with his golden outfit cast in stark contrast to his companions’ somber tones. Rembrandt famously employed this artistic interplay of light and shadow, called chiaroscuro, in many of his works.
Open in Who Shared Issue with article?

These sounds make no echoes. UA researchers say that's important for cellphones and more

|
By Nicholas Gerbis
| NewsBreak
By signing up for our newsletter, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Open in Who Shared View Duplicates (699) Issue with article?
See all 796 articles

Interview

See all →

Have you ever used a typewriter?

Several, most of them cheap manuals with sticky keys and gummy typebars.

How is social media changing news?

In too many ways to name, but here are a few standouts: more rapid spread of news (and (mis/dis)information); algorithmic personalization (at the cost of exposure to wider viewpoints); greater capacity to find one’s crowd (even if that crowd is domestic terrorists or propagandists); liberalization of information (while devaluing expertise, experience and reputation)

Who's your favorite fictional journalist?

Jorge Luis Borges.

Awards

See all →

APEX Awards for Publication Excellence

2026 - Writing: Regular Departments and Columns

The awarded article included the following works edited by me: “Finding the Rules that Work,” by Richard Fiene https://www.americanscientist.org/article/finding-the-rules-that-work “Teams of Rivals,” by Stephen J. Ceci, Cory J. Clark, Lee Jussim, and Wendy M. Williams https://www.americanscientist.org/article/teams-of-rivals

APEX Awards for Publication Excellence

2025 - Grand Award: Current Events and Trending Topics

Presented for work on "Estuaries Face a Stormy Future," by Michael J. Kennish, Hans W. Paerl, Joseph R. Crosswell, and Kenneth A. Moore. https://tinyurl.com/EstuaryFuture APEX is the Annual Awards for Publication Excellence Competition.

View Award

Jesse H. Neal Award (issued by SIIA)

2025 - Best Technical/Scientific Content

Presented for work on"Gliflozins for Diabetes: From Bark to Bench to Bedside," by Philip A. Rea. https://tinyurl.com/AmSciGliflozins For over 70 years, the Neals have honored the brightest, most tenacious, and innovative journalists, content creators, and designers for their passion and exceptional work.

View Award

Edward R. Murrow Award (Regional)

2021 - Excellence in Writing

Since 1971, RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards. Among the most prestigious in news, the Murrow Awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community.

View Award

Edward R. Murrow Award (Regional)

2020 - Excellence in Writing

Since 1971, RTDNA has been honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast and digital journalism with the Edward R. Murrow Awards. Among the most prestigious in news, the Murrow Awards recognize local and national news stories that uphold the RTDNA Code of Ethics, demonstrate technical expertise and exemplify the importance and impact of journalism as a service to the community.

View Award