Science Writers in New York

Because we are postponing the summer social, tonight’s COPUS brainstorming session bas been canceled. Please check back here for a new date.

Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS) is a new grassroots organization to help educate the public about the process of science.

Some of us at SWINY want to brainstorm about the possibility of SWINY initiating activities under the COPUS/Year of Science 2009 umbrella. We’ll let you know when a brainstorming meeting has been scheduled.
In the meantime, read about COPUS, including how to start a regional hub or a thematic hub.

Note that COPUS encourages organizations to register and identify a contact person. SWINY co-chair David Levine has graciously offered to register and serve as the contact for SWINY.

Due to high likelihood of rain and hail tonight, the SWINY summer social has been postponed until July 17.

Cool off with fellow science writers at a summer social!

Join us for a cool evening on the pier.

When: Thursday, July 17, at 6:00 p.m.

Where: Pier 1 Café (70th Street Pier on the Hudson River)

Directions: From subway (Red Line, #1, 2, 3 stop at 72nd Street and Broadway), walk west toward the Hudson River. At 72nd and Riverside, pass Eleanor Roosevelt statue on northwest corner, continue towards the river, through short tunnel, then down the stairs. At bottom of stairs, turn left. Go south along the riverwalk to the pier, which will be to the right. The Pier 1 Café is on your left.

Rain date: To be determined.

This free event is open to all. Cash bar and food. Pier 1 Café has lite fare (burgers, salads, and such) and a full bar.

Questions? Contact Beth Schachter, bschachter@stillpointcoaching.com

SWINY is singing in the Rain(garden)!

Join us on Tuesday, May 13, to explore Rainwater Harvesting, the urban adaptation of the ancient technique to catch rain for later use, at Dias y Flores Garden on East 13th Street between Avenues A and B. Please note this is a new location. (Singing optional, but you may feel like it during our Science Writers-only guided tour of a vast green facility.)

Background: Gardens in Austin, Seattle, and Chicago save money and reduce serious pollution

caused by combined sewer overflows (CSO) by utilizing rainwater.

A 2002 drought spawned New York’s Water Resources Group (a collective of environmental professionals and community gardeners), which has now built 40 rainwater-harvesting systems in the five boroughs. One of the most impressive is at Dias y Flores community garden in the East Village.

Visiting that facility, we’ll learn how rainwater harvesting works, and see their
* state-of-the-art system
* gorgeous, photo-op flower gardens
* intricately-patterned pathways designed of recycled bottles

This SWINY event, like rainwater, is chlorine- and cost-free.

When: Tuesday, May 13, 6-8 pm

Where: Dias y Flores Garden
520 East 13 Street (between Avenues A & B)

Who: Program led by Lars Chellberg, Site Coordinator, Open Space Greening Program, Council on the Environment of New York City. (And one of the Rain or Community Gardeners.)

How to get there: L Train to 1st Avenue (transfer from 14th Street stop of any subway line). Walk South 1 block, turn Left on East 13 Street
OR
F train to First Ave exit of Second Ave station. Walk north for 13 blocks, turn right on East 13 Street.

Bonus: food and beverage opportunities at dozens of nearby restaurants

RSVP to Carol Milano by May 1, milano@nasw.org.

This event is on come shine or rain — the better to see the harvest!

More info on rainharvesting at www.waterresourcesgroup.org.

Science Writers in New York is pleased to present Sue Halpern to discuss her new book, Can’t Remember What I Forgot: The Good News From The Front Lines of Memory Research, which debunks some of the more common myths surrounding Alzheimer’s disease and normal memory loss and provides readers with information about important discoveries being made in these fields.

In researching the book, Halpern visited brain scanning suites, chemistry labs, mice nurseries, pharmaceutical companies, and scientific meetings.

She also spent time with the doctors and scientists at Columbia University’s Taub Center for Research on Alzheimer’s and the Aging Brain, New York University’s Center for Brain Health, and other leading institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Her book is also a personal memoir as her father had been experiencing serious memory loss before his death;

although his doctors could not say for certain if he had Alzheimer’s disease or not.

Halpern is a frequent contributor to The New Yorker, The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Audubon, and Good Housekeeping. She is the author of two previous books of non-fiction, Migrations to Solitude, a New York Times notable book of the year, and Four Wings and a Prayer: Caught in the Mystery of the Monarch Butterfly, which is soon to be released as a feature-length documentary.

When: Wednesday, May 7, 2008, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Room 018, Conference Center, Lower Level
Science, Industry and Business Library
188 Madison Avenue
Directions
Reservations are required! Please call 212-592-7000, Monday to Saturday, 10 a. m. to 5 p. m., or send e-mail to siblreservations@nypl.org, starting April 23, 2008.

Science Writers In New York Spring Social

Date: Wednesday, April 9

Place: Windfall Lounge&Grill

23 W. 39th St. (betw/5th and 6th)

Time: 6:30-8:30p

Cover Charge: $2.50 online, $5 at the door

Cash bar, complimentary hors d’oeuvres

Cosponsored by SWINY and the Science Communication Consortium:

People get news about science and technology in many ways. If you had to list the sources, you would probably include TV, newspapers, magazines and web sites. Chance are, you wouldn’t think of a science center or museum.

In fact, more and more of these venues have special programs designed to deliver up-to-date stories about the latest breakthroughs and discoveries in science and technology. Join us on March 27th to hear from some of the science writers who produce science news in a museum setting.

Speakers include:

Susan Heilman of the Current Science and Technology department at the Boston Museum of Science
Susan will be on location in Boston and will participate via videoconference. At the Museum of Science, Susan gives daily presentations in the museum. She also discusses the latest science news stories during a weekly cablecast on New England Cable News and in regularly produced podcasts.

Laura Allen, senior writer and news producer of Science Bulletins at the American Museum of Natural History
Since 2004, Laura has managed the editorial and visual production of all biweekly news updates and writes the essays that supplement each semiannual Science Bulletin feature documentary online. Part of her job involves explaining how scientist collect and interpret scientific data, such as satellite imagery.

Karen de Seve, senior exhibit developer and project manager of Breakthroughs at the Liberty Science Center
Karen edits and manages current e-news stories, displayed on a small fleet of roving electronic graphics in each of the science center’s exhibition galleries. She also develops and writes Breakthroughs exhibitions, which change to a new topic every three to four months.

The event will take place at NYU’s Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program headquarters, 20 Cooper Square.
March 27th, 7:00 -8:30 PM

To register, e-mail: sciencealliance@nyas.org

This year, it’s a GROUNDHOG DAY CELEBRATION!

No matter what the groundhog predicts for the duration of winter, we predict that YOU will have a GREAT TIME! And, we’re ALWAYS right (well, most of the time anyway).

Monday February 4, 2008, 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Friend of a Farmer
77 Irving Place, New York 10003 (between 18th & 19th Sts)

Join your fellow Science Writers, and anyone who would be affiliated with such bipeds, for great music, fun door prizes, yummy food (featuring a groudnhog’s favorite: crudité) A cozy atmosphere and happy-inducing drinks (including one free on SWINY) await!

Admission can be purchased through Paypal via the following links…

SWINY Members: $25

Non-members: $35

Student: $15

To RSVP: swinyevents1@yahoo.com

SWINY-Members is a mailing list limited to dues-paying members of SWINY. Members get first crack at both jobs and events. To become enrolled automatically, simply join SWINY (it’s only $20 a year!).

SWINY-Talk is a mailing list that’s free for both members and non-members alike. Join SWINY-talk to find out about SWINY and non-SWINY events, and for discussion about matters of interest to science and medical writers in the region. (Unlike SWINY-members, SWINY-talk does not include jobs from the SWINY job board.)

	Subscribe to swiny-talk
	Email:
	Browse Archives at groups.google.com/group/swiny-talk

• And they include:

• * SWINY’s latest job postings in your mailbox up to a week before they are posted on the site
• * Discounts on SWINY events
• * First dibs on reserving a spot at SWINY’s (often limited-access) events
• * First dibs on new SWINY benefits, as they become available (currently in the works: user homepages on SWINY.org, NASW-style)
• * Invisibility
• * X-ray vision
• * etc.

• All for the low, low price of $20! Use Paypal, it’s easy!