Saturday, June 15
3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Registration at Plaza Resolana. Pick up your room key and registration packet at the front desk.
5:30 p.m. Reception at Plaza Resolana.
6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Buffet dinner. Meet the students and instructors.
Sunday, June 15
7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Breakfast at Plaza Resolana.
8:30 a.m. Meet in front of Plaza Resolana for a ride to the Santa Fe Institute.
9 a.m. to 10:15 a.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 Cornelia Dean, will deconstruct several stories, showing how they were assembled and reviewing the rules of the game (which are sometimes made to be broken).
Coffee break.
10:30 a.m. to 12 noon. First press conference. Harold Morowitz, Clarence J. Robinson Professor of Biology and Natural Philosophy. George Mason University and the Santa Fe Institute. Question-and-answer session will follow.
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. Second press conference. Eric Blinman, Office of Archeological Studies, Museum of New Mexico. Question-and-answer session will follow.
3:15 p.m. Return to Plaza Resolana.
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. (Beginning students will use the
press conference as the basis for their writing assignments -- a good,
strong introduction and an outline -- which will be critiqued during the workshop sessions. Advanced students will bring other material for discussion. See the FAQ
for details.)
Everyone will have the rest of the day to work on their assignments or
wander around the Plaza.
Monday, June 17
7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Breakfast at Plaza Resolana.
9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. "Science on (and off) Broadway." Cory Dean discusses how science is portrayed in several recent dramatic productions: "Copenhagen," "Proof," and "Arcadia." Can a playwright, like a good science writer, convey abstract ideas while keeping the audience entertained?
10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. "Years of Research Yield Nothing." This was the headline of a recent piece by George Johnson in the New York Times. Hooking his laptop to a digital projector, he traces the development of the story, from email to edit to final publication (which made several Fermilab physicists very mad).
12 noon to 1:15 p.m. Lunch at Plaza Resolana.
1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. "Earth Warms, Seas Rise, Ecosystems Unravel." You'll never see a news story with that headline in the Times or anywhere else. Andrew Revkin explains how the important environmental stories involve creeping phenomena like greenhouse emissions, urban sprawl, and fine-particle pollution. How, as an environmental reporter, do you grab the attention of the public (and your editors) while being true to the science?
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.
Tuesday, June 18
7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Breakfast at Plaza Resolana.
9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. "From Scientist to Science Reporter." Rosie Mestel tells why a geneticist in a fruit-fly lab decided to switch careers and go into the writing business. Was a scientific background an advantage or a handicap?
10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
"Turning Science Into Stories." Narrative nonfiction is all the rage these days, with writers looking for a good story through which to unfold some truths about science. But sometimes the technique doesn't work. Robin Marantz Henig will discuss the difference between old-fashioned explanatory science writing and the new narrative approach, using her own books as examples.
12 noon to 1:15 p.m. Lunch at Plaza Resolana.
1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. . Workshop session. Meet with your
instructor.
3 p.m. Meet in front of Plaza Resolana for a field trip to the
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 Plaza Resolana.
Wednesday, June 19
7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Breakfast at Plaza Resolana.
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 Plaza Resolana.
1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Freelancing discussion. Robon Marantz Henig, Rosie Mestel, and Sandra Blakeslee will give advice on establishing a career as a freelancer.
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 Plaza Resolana for a ride to the
barbecue at Sandy's desert hideaway.
6 p.m. to whenever. Barbecue at Sandra Blakeslee's house.
Thursday, June 20
7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. Breakfast at Plaza Resolana. Please
check out before attending the final session. Luggage can be left at the
front desk.
9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Closing discussion and farewell.