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AGU honors journalists Maya Wei-Haas and Joshua Sokol for outstanding science service
Press release from: American Geophysical Union
Published: Wednesday 11 November 2020
AGU recognizes Maya Wei-Haas, science writer at National Geographic, with 2020 David Perlman Award for Excellence in Science Journalism – News for his story about the discovery of the birth of an underwater volcano. Freelance Science Writer Joshua Sokol Receives 2020 Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism – Features for a story that reveals the pivotal role two female computer programmers played in the birth of chaos theory.
David Perlman Award for Excellence in Scientific Writing – News
Perlman Prize Winner Maya Wei-Haas is honored for “Strange Waves Rippled Around the Earth. Now we can know why. “published by National Geographic, May 21, 2019. The David Perlman Award, named after the late science editor of the San Francisco Chronicle, recognizes excellence in writing science news published with a deadline of one week or less. The prize comes with a $ 5,000 prize and a plaque.
The winning article captured the real-time thrill of the discovery of an expedition to research the birth of an underwater volcano between Madagascar and the African continent near a tiny island called Mayotte. The story explained the previously discovered and unexplained seismic activity in the region that inspired the expedition to search for its source, including slow-rotating seismic waves of unknown origin.
The information and contacts Wei-Hass developed in previous reports about those mysterious waves allowed her to put together a complete and in-depth article on the volcano’s birth and its scientific implications during a remote field trip without computer access, using his phone to reach scientists via email, direct messages on Twitter and other means. Wei-Haas delivered a first draft in one day and his article was published a few days later; it was among the very first news articles in English on the results of the expedition. The article ends by discussing how the links between the volcano and induced seismicity remain a mystery, leaving the reader eager to learn more as scientific history continues to evolve.
The Perlman Prize Selection Committee noted that the story was “a very clear and interesting read despite delving into seismic science,” also highlighting the important implications of the discovery for area residents and others living in earthquake zones. Committee members also noted how “the article illustrates how scientists try to explain and understand unusual phenomena and how citizen scientists can contribute to new discoveries.”
“Maya’s piece was well-written, cutting-edge news, with extraordinary news,” noted one committee member. “I liked that it had so many different sources to comment on and that it covered so many different perspectives, from cultural / social connections to geophysics. It was even more impressive once you got to know the background of how he had to report it so quickly from the field. “
This year’s Perlman Award finalists include: Michael Greshko, science writer for National Geographic, for “The Colossal Volcano Behind the ‘Mysterious’ Global Cooling Finally Found” published in National Geographic on August 23, 2019; and Richard Stone, senior science editor at HHMI Tangled Bank Studios, for “The United States Tests Ways to Clean Up Space of Radiation After Nuclear Attack,” published in Science on December 26, 2019.
Walter Sullivan Award for Excellence in Science Journalism – Features
Joshua Sokol receives the Walter Sullivan 2020 award for “The Hidden Heroines of Chaos”, published in Quanta Magazine May 20, 2019. The Water Sullivan Award, named after the late New York Times science writer, honors excellence in writing scientific articles for work prepared with a deadline of more than one week. The prize comes with a $ 5,000 prize and a plaque.
The winning story reveals the pivotal role two female computer programmers played in the birth of chaos theory more than half a century ago. The article is based on archival material extracted from an MIT geophysicist who wanted to know why a landmark 1963 paper on chaos theory credited a woman named Ellen Fetter for handling the numerical calculations.
Sokol weaves the stories of Fetter and his mentor, Margaret Hamilton, demonstrating their contributions to the work of Edward Norton Lorenz, the meteorologist whose name has become synonymous with the development of chaos theory. This compelling piece not only provides long-awaited credit to pioneering female programmers, but also explains chaos theory, which is critical to understanding weather, climate, and other unpredictable natural systems. The article includes well-chosen illustrations and photos from the early days of chaos theory.
The committee was unanimous in praising the explanatory nature and completeness of Sokol’s work, with one member noting “this story is actually three stories in one: an explanation of chaos theory, the story of the first models of climate change. and mostly uncredited women who made this work possible. ” Members cited Sokol’s unusual feat in bringing the development of chaos theory to life, with a writing, “this caught me immediately”. Another committee member called the article “finished narrative … with excellent detective work aside.”
The committee praised Sokol for writing on such an important topic. “Not only is it critical to look back too for science to become more inclusive,” wrote one member, “but the article also described the development of a science that underlies so much we do every day today: climate modeling. . “
This year’s Sullivan Award finalists include: Craig Welch, senior staff writer at National Geographic, for “Arctic permafrost is thawing rapidly. This concerns us all. “published in National Geographic in September 2019; and Jonathan Webb, scientific editor at ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) News for”The Shadow Chasers, “Published by ABC News (Australia) on January 31, 2019.
The two AGU journalistic awards will be formally presented during AGU’s Autumn meeting 2020 which will be held from 1st to 17th December. Nominations for the AGU 2021 Journalism Awards will open on January 15, 2021.
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AGU (www.agu.org) supports 130,000 passionate experts worldwide in the Earth and space sciences. Through broad and inclusive partnerships, we promote the discovery and science of solutions that accelerate knowledge and create solutions that are ethical, impartial and respectful of communities and their values. Our programs include serving as an academic editor, convening virtual and in-person events, and providing career support. We live our values in everything we do, such as our refurbished zero net energy building in Washington, DC and our Ethics and Equity Center, which fosters a diverse and inclusive geosciences community to ensure responsible conduct.
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