EurekAlert! Announces the 2011 Fellowship Recipients for International Science Journalism

Nadia El Dakroury Andrea Obaid Carrión

Federico Kukso Dawei Yu

Four accomplished science journalists—from Argentina, Chile, China, and Egypt—will attend the AAAS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., under the AAAS-EurekAlert! Fellowships for International Science Reporters.

EurekAlert!, the global science news service operated by AAAS, offers the fellowships 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.

“I hope to learn more about science research done in the United States, and know more about how U.S. reporters handle science,” Nadia El Dakroury, a science journalist with the El Dostor newspaper in Egypt, said upon receiving the 2011 fellowship.

The other recipients of the 2011 fellowships are:

• Andrea Obaid Carrión, Radio Cooperativa, Chile;

• Federico Kukso, Muy Interesante magazine, Argentina; and

• Dawei Yu, Caixin Media, China.

“I find it very exciting to be at an event organized by AAAS, a world leader in science that I admire very much, and one that has been a source of science information during my career,” said Obaid. “I am very grateful for this opportunity. It will allow me to grow as a person and as a professional, and gain new tools to continue learning and be able to pass on my experience to others.

“My radio program, Tecnociencia on Radio Cooperativa, is the only radio program in Chile that broadcasts news on science, technology and the environment,” Obaid added. “This award can motivate other journalists to communicate science, and to create more science media outlets in Chile and other countries.”

The theme of the 2011 AAAS Annual Meeting is Science Without Borders. In keeping with this theme, and the mission of both AAAS and EurekAlert!, the fellowship seeks to promote international scientific dialogue and advance the communication of science news to the global public.

The fellowships were originally launched in 2004 with a seed grant from the William T. Golden Endowment Fund for Program Innovation. It brought 10 reporters from China to the 2004 AAAS Annual Meeting in Seattle. Subsequent fellowships have sponsored reporters from the Middle East, China, Africa, and Central and South America.

Sponsorship for the 2011 fellowships is provided by EurekAlert! The fellowship pays for travel, lodging, and meals at the AAAS Annual Meeting.

Jennifer Santisi

15 February 2011