Science Writer

University of Chicago Physical Sciences Division Communications Office

Mentors

Maureen Searcy Assistant Director of Content, University of Chicago Physical Sciences Division
Marcela Reyes Director of Communications, University of Chicago Physical Sciences Division

Background

The Physical Sciences Division has a rich history of advancing and defining new fields of discovery in the physical and mathematical sciences, spanning Astronomy & Astrophysics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geophysical Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics. Eight institutes further interdisciplinary excellence. With a student body that is 55% international and a faculty of top scientists from around the world, the impact of PSD is global.

The Office of Communications in the Physical Sciences Division (PSD) seeks to maximize positive exposure for the discoveries by our world-leading researchers through news stories, press releases, profiles, and social media posts that highlight PSD’s field-defining work. The team also partners with central communications to call local and national media attention to this exciting scholarship.

Externship Description

Under the guidance of the Asst. Director of Content and the Director of Communications, the intern will learn to identify compelling story ideas; translate technical research into plain but engaging language; and develop a variety of content, including research articles, profiles, long-form features, and/or announcements for PSD’s communications channels.

Interns gain marketable science writing skills like how to pitch compelling leads and identify the most attractive angles to translate science for broad audiences. They meet with faculty and research groups to discuss findings and have the opportunity to tour research facilities, labs, or classrooms. Professional writers and editors coach them on story craft, fact-checking, ethics, and design considerations. Upon completion, they have professional work samples and clips that will enhance their portfolio and give them an edge for national opportunities and science writing careers. Recent interns have gone on to internship placements and careers with The New York Times, Scientific American, Wired, and ScienceBytes.,.

Specific Objectives

• Identify topics that will be of interest to a public audience (i.e., climate change, black holes and exoplanets, human-computer interaction, data science, quantum, inspiring stories of women in STEM) and transform them into story pitches
• Develop diversified and complementary angles for each story
• Learn how to structure and conduct interviews with researchers
• Review research papers and communicate complex concepts in plain language
• Source relevant artwork or graphics for publication
• Work closely with an editor and vet work with faculty
• Learn AP style and journalistic standards
• Explore different styles of science writing beyond academic reporting

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Deliverables

The extern will pitch, research, and draft three articles over the course of a 9-week internship, revising them carefully with the PSD Comms mentors and working with the scientists to review and revise the final stories. The extern will also find artwork to include with the publication, requesting permission as necessary. Finally, the extern will share the published story with interested parties.

Qualifications

• Basic English language writing skills.
• Ability to comfortably receive and respectfully respond to and act on constructive feedback
• Access to Zoom for meetings with remote mentors
• Familiarity with science news written for general audiences (such as articles published in The New York Times, Popular Science, The Atlantic, Scientific American, etc.)
• A resume and cover letter describing why this internship is relevant to your career goals

Before submitting an application, please visit the Externships page for instructions regarding our new application platform: myCHOICE-Symplicity.