Scientists selected for journalism internships
Two University scholars were awarded Mass Media
Science and Engineering fellowships by the AAAS
NICHOLAS WILBUR
NEWS REPORTER
No scientist from the University
had ever won a Mass Media Science
and Engineering fellowship from
the American Association for
the Advancement of Science
until this year, when two scientists
at the University were selected for
the program.
Bradley Wible and Tran My
Phung will replace their University
laboratory jobs with writing posi
tions at major U.S. newspapers this
summer thanks to their fellowships.
A mentor of 18 previous fellow
ship winners, science writer for The
Oregonian Richard Hill met Wible
and Phung, describing them as
“very bright and enthusiastic about
learning how to translate scientific
subjects for the general public.”
“They have shown they not only
have a broad understanding of sci
ence, but also have the communica
tion skills necessary to improve
public understanding,” Hill said.
TYan My Phung, a doctoral candi
date, has worked with professor
David Johnson of the University De
partment of Chemistry. She will be
reporting with the medicine and sci
ence editor of the Chicago TYibune.
“This will be a tremendous
experience for Tran,” Johnson
said in an e-mail, “It will comple
ment her technical training and
skills and will provide her new
career opportunities.”
Phung, who finished her under
graduate degree in chemistry at
Whittier, said that winning the fel
lowship was a fluke. “I found it on
a random Google search and had 15
days to apply,” she said.
For her thesis project, Phung has
been building an atomic layer dep
rivation system and has developed
a detraction technique to measure
thermal expansion of thin film. She
said, however, that winning the fel
lowship was unrelated to her work.
The application process does not
ask for current research projects or
research history, Phung said, it only
requires the ability to write on a sci
entific subject in layman’s terms.
Phung will return to the Universi
ty after her internship and plans to
receive her doctorate next spring.
Bradley Wible, a post-doctoral re
searcher and cognitive neuroscien
tist of learning disabilities and de
velopment in the University
Department of Psychology, has al
ready begun his 10-week fellowship
at the Los Angeles Times.
“I’m used to explaining my exper
iments to little kids,” Wible said,
“because you have to make them
comfortable with these shower cap
looking things on their heads.” Ex
plaining complex techniques in sim
ple terms, he said, “is the same
thing I’m doing at the L.A. Times.”
Wible will not be returning to the
University psychology department
after his 10-week internship, how
ever. The AAAS also awarded Wible
with a yearlong Science and Tech
nology Policy Fellowship in the Of
fice of Behavioral and Social Sci
ences Research at the National
Institutes of Health in Bethesda,
Md., starting in the fall.
“It puts scientists at the interfaith
between science and government to
aid public policy,” Wible said.
Science and Technology Policy
Fellowships, the AAAS Web site
states, “help to establish and nur
ture critical links between federal
decision-makers and scientific pro
fessionals to support public policy
that benefits the well-being of the
nation and the planet.”
As the world’s largest general sci
ence organization, the non-profit
AAAS has promoted science
“around the world” by advancing
the careers of scientists in all areas
of research for over 30 years, its
Web site states. Publisher of the
journal Science and other science
related publications, the AAAS also
“undertakes numerous programs
and activities that promote science
to the public.”
Founded in 1848, the main
goal of the AAAS has been to in
crease public understanding of sci
ence and technology. Past fellow
ship winners have worked as
reporters, editors, researchers and
production assistants.
“I think the University of Oregon
should be proud that two of its sci
ence students have been selected
for this extremely competitive pro
gram,” Hill of the Oregonian said.
nwilbur@dailyemerald.com
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IN BRIEF
Lost caiman crocodile
reunited with owner
The stray caiman crocodile found
wandering North Eugene last week
end was returned to his owner.
The animal, named Tank, had
escaped from his cage. When Lane
County Animal Control officers
responded to calls of a “small
alligator,” they found and captured
the crocodile on Lindley Lane
near Martin Luther King Jr. Boule
vard together with the Eugene
Police Department.
“It’s not the first time we’ve come
across an unusual reptile, but
it’s certainly one of the biggest
we’ve encountered in some
time,” said LCARA Program Manag
er Mike Wellington in a press
release. “We’re just glad, that with
the help of the Eugene Police De
partment, we were able to round
him up safely and get him back to
his owner. ”
Police hold public forum
to hear community's input
Tonight the Eugene Police Depart
ment’s Police Commission will hold
the final public forum for communi
ty input on its recommendations on
the civilian police oversight model.
The public forum is one of the fi
nal steps in a nine-month-long in
vestigation by the commission into
current policies for handling com
plaints against police.
Before the plan is submitted
to the City Council on July 25, there
will be chances for certain
stakeholders to offer input. Howev
er, this is the last opportunity for
input from the general public before
the plan is submitted to the
City Council.
The current draft of the plan
includes a professional auditor
and a review board made up
of civilians in order to make sure
complaints against police are given
due attention.
The Commission would like feed
back on “the roles and responsibili
ties of the oversight system, the se
lection process for establishing the
system, and how the oversight bod
ies interact with and report to city
decision-makers,” according to an
EPD press release.
The meeting will take place at the
Hilyard Community Center tonight
from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
For more information on the draft
oversight model, visit www.ci.eu
gene.or.us/poiicecomm/.
— Gabe Bradley