AAAS Science Journalism Awards

2006 Recipient: Radio

Bruce Gellerman, Steve Curwood, Terry Fitzpatrick, Chris Ballman
Public Radio International's "Living on Earth" program
"Some Like it Hot..."
"Cold Fusion: A Heated History"
"Pebble Bed Technology—Nuclear Promise or Peril?"
30 September 2005

"Living on Earth" took a clear-headed look at the ongoing efforts to understand and tame nuclear fusion, a field in which overly optimistic projections have led some critics to joke that fusion is the energy source for the future and always will be. Kathy Sawyer, a freelance science writer formerly with The Washington Post, called the winning program "a well-produced overview that not only informs listeners about the science, but also about the process of learning the science, with all its uncertainties and controversies." A segment on cold fusion explored why a few researchers continue to study "a concept many would assume is dead," said Josh Fischman of U.S. News and World Report, and showed "how the scientific process works to retain and discard ideas." Robert Boyd of McClatchy Newspapers applauded the "clear, comprehensive reporting."