Monday, May 24
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.
5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Reception followed by buffet supper in the courtyard (if the weather is good) or dining room. Meet the students and instructors.
Tuesday, May 25
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. "The Nuts and Bolts of Science Writing." By dissecting the current week's issue of Science Times, the instructors, joined by David Corcoran, the section's deputy editor, show how the pros turn science's discoveries into compelling, accurate stories.
10:45 a.m. to 12 noon. Presentation by theoretical physicist Tanya Elliott at SFI.
12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Box lunch on the portal. Meet with your group for the first time and discuss the morning's presentation.
1:45 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Presentation by anthropologist Laura Fortunato at SFI.
(Students may use the talks as the basis for a writing assignment, which will be critiqued during the workshop sessions. See the FAQ for details.)
3:45 p.m. Return to Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.
4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Meet in the Atencio Room (to the right as you pass through the lobby) for more discussion about what we learned at SFI.
6 p.m. Explore the Plaza; forage for dinner.
Wednesday, May 26
7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Breakfast at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.
9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. "Behind the Scenes at the New New York Times." David Corcoran describes how he and the staff go about finding, reporting, and presenting the week's science news, both on paper and online.
10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. "Inside the Yellow Border." While best known for its photography, National Geographic Magazine has also begun to draw critical acclaim for its writing. Jamie Shreeve will give us an inside look at how all components of a story -- text, photography, graphics, mapping, and design -- come together to make a feature story.
12 noon to 1:15 p.m. Lunch at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.
1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. George Johnson. "Science and the Narrative Form." In a magazine article, you might have the luxury of 4,000 to 5,000 words to play with, a perfect size for narrative journalism. But with some artful compression you can set scenes and tell stories that are newspaper-sized: 2,000 words or less.
3 to 4:45 p.m. Workshop session. Students will break into groups and meet with their assigned instructor.
5:45 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Public reading of works in progress by the instructors at Collected Works bookstore.
7:45 p.m. Explore the Plaza; forage for dinner.
Thursday, May 27
7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Breakfast at Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.
9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. "Writing About Ideas." Much of science and environmental reporting involves bringing abstractions to life. Frank Clifford talks about how to write about laws, theories, and values in a way that is accessible and interesting to a general audience.
10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. "The Journalist and the Monkey Murderer." Daniel Engber talks about what it's like to go from working in a lab (where he had his very own monkey) to writing about science for one of the preeminent publications on the Web.
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 an optional field trip to Bandelier National Monument. Bring sunscreen, hat, water, and (depending on the forecast) rain gear. (If you prefer to stay in town, you can walk to the Plaza and some good museums or explore Santa Fe's historic Eastside.)
4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Explore the ruins at Bandelier.
7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dinner at Cowgirl Hall of Fame. (Cash bar -- drinks not included.)
9:15 p.m. Return to Ghost Ranch Santa Fe.
Friday May 28
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. Freelancing workshop. Christie Aschwanden leads a discussion on how to survive and even prosper as a self-employed science writer.
3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Instructors will be available to meet informally with students. 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.
6 p.m. to whenever. Barbecue at Sandra Blakeslee's house. (The drinks are on us.)
Saturday, May 29
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. "Dueling Authors." Sandy Blakeslee describes her current project -- working with two neuroscientists on a book about magic -- and considers the benefits and pitfalls of journalist-scientist collaborations.
11 a.m. to noon. Closing discussion and farewell.