EurekAlert!, the global science news service operated by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and its sister site, EurekAlert! Chinese, are pleased to announce four recipients of the 2014 AAAS-EurekAlert! Fellowships for International Science Reporters.
The fellowships are intended to help support excellence in science communication worldwide by providing science reporters with the opportunity to cover the latest research, and to network with peers from around the world. Four accomplished science journalists from China have been selected to participate in the 2014 AAAS Annual Meeting (http://www.aaas.org/meetings), 13-17 February in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Sponsorship for the 2014 fellowships is provided by EurekAlert!. The fellowship pays for travel, lodging and meals at the AAAS Annual Meeting.
The recipients of the 2014 fellowships are:
- Hongqiao Liu, Caixin Media
- Xiao Gan, China Science Daily
- Kun Huang, Xinhua News Agency
- Wei Qian, China Newsweek
"The 2014 AAAS Annual Meeting will allow me to continue improving myself as a professional science reporter," said Wei Qian of China Newsweek. It's a unique opportunity for me to attend a renowned science conference, and to learn about the most important advances in science. This experience will provide me with an opportunity to connect with a network of international science journalists and address scientific news in a global context."
The fellowships were originally launched in 2004 with a seed grant from the William T. Golden Endowment Fund for Program Innovation. That year's program brought 10 reporters from China to the 2004 AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle. Subsequent fellowships have sponsored reporters from the Middle East, China, Africa, Central and South America.
The 2014 fellows were chosen by judges from an applicant pool of reporters nominated by their editors at leading Chinese media organizations. Dr. Zixue Tai of the University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications, Dr. Shu-Ling Chen Berggreen of the University of Colorado School of Journalism and Mass Communications, and Ms. Xiong Lei, a guest professor at Renmin University of China and former executive editor of China Features, acted as independent judges.
"I'm looking forward to achieving a better understanding of the role that science, discovery and innovation play in the rapidly changing world, and learning how this interacts with interdisciplinary efforts to find solutions for global issues, such as the food crisis, climate change, and new communicable diseases," said Hongqiao Liu of Caixin Media.
The theme of the 2014 AAAS Annual Meeting is Meeting Global Challenges: Discovery and Innovation. In keeping with this theme, and the mission of both AAAS and EurekAlert!, the reporter fellowship program seeks to promote international scientific dialogue and advance the communication of science news to the public worldwide.
"I look forward to learning more about sustainable solutions that might be suitable for development of China, as sustainability is a major theme of the 2014 AAAS Annual Meeting," Kun Huang of Xinhua News Agency said. "And personally, I am very interested in the Career Development Workshops, which will enhance my understanding of science journalism as a lifelong career."
More information about the 2014 fellowship winners is available at http://www.eurekalert.org/fellows. The website will also publish any meeting coverage by the fellows.
About AAAS
The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is the world's largest general scientific society, and publisher of the journal, Science (http://www.sciencemag.org) as well as Science Translational Medicine (http://www.sciencetranslationalmedicine.org) and Science Signaling (http://www.sciencesignaling.org). AAAS was founded in 1848, and includes some 261 affiliated societies and academies of science, serving 10 million individuals. Science has the largest paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general science journal in the world, with an estimated total readership of 1 million. The non-profit AAAS (http://www.aaas.org) is open to all and fulfills its mission to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy; international programs; science education; and more.
About EurekAlert!
Founded by AAAS in 1996, EurekAlert! is an editorially independent, online news service focused on science, medicine and technology. Thousands of reporters around the globe use EurekAlert! to access news and resources from the world's top research organizations. For free access to EurekAlert!, visit http://www.EurekAlert.org.
About EurekAlert! Chinese
Organized by AAAS, EurekAlert! Chinese is the world's only source of embargoed science news catering to Chinese journalists. Universities, research institutions, corporations, scientific journals and government-sponsored research institutions post their press releases in both English and Chinese on the EurekAlert! Chinese website, often to a special section accessible only to reporters.