Kelly Reeves, 2006 AAAS/ASPB Mass Media Fellow, Spending Summer at NPR

Kelly Reeves

Kelly Reeves, University of Wyoming, has been awarded the 2006 AAAS/ASPB Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship. She is spending 10 weeks this summer at the Science Desk at National Public Radio (NPR).

Kelly is a graduate student in the Department of Botany at the University of Wyoming. She studies the environmental controls on the postglacial migration of beech near its northwestern range limits. She has a BA in earth and planetary sciences from Johns Hopkins University, where she assisted a project through the Baltimore Ecosystem Study documenting long-term vegetation change in an urban watershed. Although her current research interests are in plant paleoecology, working toward a master’s degree in botany has exposed her to the broader field of plant biology. Coursework in science writing sparked her interest in science journalism, and she is thrilled to have the opportunity to put her skills to practice and grateful to ASPB for sponsoring her.

The AAAS/ASPB Mass Media Fellowship is designed to enhance coverage of science-related issues in the media to improve public understanding and appreciation of science and technology. Fellows work for 10 weeks during the summer as reporters, researchers, and production assistants in mass media organizations nationwide. They collaborate with media professionals at radio and television stations, newspapers, and magazines to make important science news clear and comprehensible to the public. This is ASPB’s third year of participation in this 32-year-old program that has supported nearly 500 fellows.

We wish Kelly a fun and productive summer and look forward to reading a full report of her adventures at NPR in a Fall issue of the ASPB News.