(updated 4/26/05)
Monday, May 2
3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Registration at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe. Pick up your room key and registration packet at the front desk.
5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Reception
6:15 p.m. to 7 p.m. Keynote: "Behind the Scenes at Science Times." Laura Chang, science editor of the New York Times, talks about how she and the staff go about finding, reporting, and presenting the week's important science news.
7:15 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. Buffet supper. Meet the students and instructors.
Tuesday, May 3
7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.
Breakfast at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.
8:30 a.m. Meet in front of the building for a ride to the Santa Fe Institute.
9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. "SFI -- Does It Work?" Geoffrey West, a particle physicist turned theoretical biologist, will lead a panel discussion on the pros and cons of interdisciplinary science, as practiced at the Santa Fe Institute. (Students may use this as the basis for their writing assignments, which will be critiqued during the workshop sessions. See the FAQ for details.)
Coffee break.
10:45 a.m. to 12 noon. The discussion resumes with pointed questions from the press gallery.
12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. Box lunch on the portal of the Santa Fe Institute. Students will meet with their group for the first time.
1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. "The Art and Craft of Science Writing." Using the current week's issue of Science Times, the instructors, joined by New York Times Science Editor Laura Chang, will deconstruct several stories, showing how they were assembled and reviewing the rules of the game (which are sometimes made to be broken).
3:15 p.m. Return to Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.
3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m. Students will meet again with their
instructors to discuss the morning's sessions and the mechanics of
turning the talks into good stories.
Everyone will have the rest of the day to work on their
assignments or wander around the Plaza.
Wednesday, May 4
7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Breakfast at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.
9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. "Stories That Tell Themselves." Denise Grady describes how she reported and wrote her 2004 New York Times series "Last Resorts," about five people with intractable ailments who became experimental guinea pigs in hopes of finding a cure.
10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m."Writing Essays About Science."
Using some of his own work from Science Times and the Week in Review as examples, George Johnson talks about how to write pieces that go beyond the news, using timely scientific developments as the entry point for exploring new ideas.
12 noon to 1:15 p.m. Lunch at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.
1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. "Why Some Stories Will Always Make the Front
Page and Some Never Will." Michael Lemonick explains why the science stories we see on page one of a newspaper or featured in a weekly magazine like Time are not necessarily the most important ones. Other (sometimes surprising) factors come into play.
3 to 5 p.m. Workshop session. Students will break into groups and meet with their assigned instructor.
6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Public readings of works-in-progress by the instructors. Collected Works bookstore will sell copies of the authors' books.
8 p.m. Explore the Plaza; forage for dinner.
Thursday, May 5
7:30 a.m. to 8:15
a.m. Breakfast at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.
9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. "Why I Like Radio." Joe Palca explains. Sure, there's less space . . . and it would be nice to have graphics or pictures when explaining certain topics. But radio lets you capture people's imagination in a way that neither print nor television can touch, and he'll prove it with examples.
10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. "Ancient Creature of the Deep." A showing of a film by Celia Lowenstein, which she will discuss on Friday morning.
12 noon to 1:15 p.m. Lunch at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.
1:30
p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Workshop session. Meet with your instructor.
3 p.m. Meet in front of Ghost Ranch Santa Fe for a field trip
to Bandelier National Monument. Bring
sunscreen, hat, water, and (depending on the forecast) rain gear.
4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Explore the ruins.
6:30 p.m. to
9:00 p.m.
Dinner at
Rancho de Chimayo in the mountain village of Chimayo, N.M.
9:15 p.m. Return to Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.
Friday May 6
7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Breakfast at
Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.
9 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Meet for the final time with your group.
12 noon to 1:15 p.m. Lunch at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.
1:30
p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Celia Lowenstein on making films about science.
3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Each
instructor will be available to meet informally with students from all
groups. Meanwhile relax and prepare for the week's big event.
5:30 p.m. Meet in front of Ghost Ranch Santa Fe for a ride to the
barbecue at Sandy's desert hideaway.
6 p.m. to whenever.
Barbecue at Sandra Blakeslee's house.
Saturday, May 7
7:30 a.m. to 8:15
a.m. Breakfast at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe. Please check out before attending
the final session. Luggage can be left at the front desk.
9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Freelancing discussion. Denise Grady and Sandra Blakeslee give advice on establishing a career as an independent writer.
10:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. Closing discussion and farewell.