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complementary colors. The students
posted daily blog updates, shared high-
lights from the field through social media,
and ultimately presented their polished
work on a collaboratively designed public
website: http://reportingris4e.com/.
PROGRAM FOUNDATIONS AND Figure 1. In the spring of 2015, five journalism students joined NASA’s RIS4E science team to
INNOVATIONS report on planetary science research in action. Photo credit: NASA/RIS4E/Andrea Jones.
The RIS4E science team, NASA educa- learned the benefits of planning by setting second RIS4E Science Journalism
tion specialists, and journalism professors priorities, laying groundwork, and early Program, to be held in 2017.
with decades of professional print and action, such as conducting film interviews
video journalism experience worked at the start of the field camp in case they ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
together to develop a program that would needed to reshoot). They became familiar
provide an immersive, stimulating experi- with journalism equipment (such as We thank Steven Whitmeyer (editor) and two
ence for learners over an extended period microphones that reduce wind noise) and anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.
of time. Before field deployment, science preparation (such as a background in
and journalism leads discussed how to broadcast journalism) that aid reporting in REFERENCES CITED
navigate difficult situations, such as how the field: “In the field you only get one
to best maintain journalistic integrity and shot to get what you need.” They also Chemtob, S.M., Jolliff, B.L., Rossman, G.R.,
impartiality, while respecting the need for gained confidence in reporting on scien- Eiler, J.M., and Arvidson, R.E., 2010, Silica
scientists’ downtime after intense days in tific research: “In the field I proved to coatings in the Ka’u Desert, Hawaii, a Mars
the field. NASA educators helped answer myself that I am capable of doing report- analog terrain: A micromorphological, spectral,
questions and provided coordination ing and videography alone outdoors.” chemical, and isotopic study: Journal of
between the science team, journalism pro- Survey results indicate that the majority of Geophysical Research, v. 115, E04001, doi:
fessors, and students. They also arranged participants are more likely to pursue sci- 10.1029/2009JE003473.
tours of science and cultural facilities to ence journalism as a career as a result of
broaden students’ perspectives on participating in this program. Student rec- Mooney, C., 2004, Blinded by Science: How
Hawaiian science, life, and culture. ommendations for improving the program ‘Balanced’: Coverage Lets the Scientific Fringe
included providing access to more exam- Hijack Reality: Columbia Journalism Review,
Several science journalism programs in ples of science journalism products, v. 43, p. 26–35.
the United States provide real-world report- spending more time in the field, and set-
ing experiences (e.g., MIT, New York ting clearer expectations for finished Secko, D.M., and Fleury, J.-M., 2014, 1st Kavli
University, Johns Hopkins, and North products. Symposium on the Future of Science
western), but most are designed for gradu- Journalism: Detailed Report: http://www.wfsj
ate students or professional journalists and Scientists reported that discussing their .org/files/file/resources/documents/Final%20
provide only a broad overview of many research with students helped them to Detailed%20Report_KavliSym_Apr10_
research topics, with emphasis on individ- improve their own communication skills. 2014%20for%20website.pdf (last accessed
ual reporting. The RIS4E program uniquely They liked how the student website made Sept. 2016).
enables undergraduate journalism students their research more accessible to the pub-
to gain hands-on reporting experience— lic. Scientists recommended encouraging Seelos, K.D., Arvidson, R.E., Jolliff, B.L.,
as individuals and collaboratively—while students to seek feedback before posting Chemtob, S.M., Morris, R.V., Ming, D.W., and
focusing on a single, multifaceted field- their stories, saying, “Scientific journal- Swayze, G.A., 2010, Silica in a Mars analog
based research effort over six months. ism should involve having the student go environment: Ka’u Desert, Kilauea Volcano,
back to the scientist to see if the science Hawaii: Journal of Geophysical Research,
PROGRAM FEEDBACK was portrayed accurately and adequately.” v. 115, E00D15, doi: 10.1029/2009JE003347.
Student feedback was overwhelmingly Suggestions from students and scien- Manuscript received 27 Apr. 2016
positive. Students reported a better under- tists will help the RIS4E team prepare the Revised manuscript received 21 Sept. 2016
standing of how scientific research is con- Manuscript accepted 23 Sept. 2016
ducted and the time scales over which it
takes place, increased awareness of inter-
connections between scientific fields, and
knowledge of what scientists’ careers are
really like. One student commented, “The
scientific method was abundantly in use in
the field, and this sort of hands-on exposure
is something that I believe everyone should
take part in at some point.” Another said,
“Seeing people who love what they do in
action is the best sort of education I can
imagine.” Students reported gains in prac-
tical science-journalism experience: They
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