AGU Congressional and Mass Media Fellows spoke to an overflow audience at the 2000 Fall meeting about their experiences and perspectives on Capitol Hill and the print media world. Last year's Congressional Science Fellow Bryan Hannegan explained how his background in climate chemistry provided a natural fit for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, where committee members grapple with understanding the science of climate change. Hannegan's Fellowship ended when he accepted an offer to become Staff Scientist for the Committee, his current position.
This year's Congressional Science Fellow Kirsten Cutler got very close to spending her Fellowship in the White House, signing on to work for Senator Joe Lieberman in October. Cutler described the chaotic atmosphere surrounding the campaign, highlighted by a long night spent in the rain in Nashville on election night. Now that the chad debris has settled from the prolonged election, Cutler has launched herself into the hectic pace of a typical Senate office, dealing with a variety of environmental, energy, and other issues for Senator Lieberman.
Marian Westley wrote articles for Newsweek magazine during the summer of 1998 as AGU's Mass Media Fellow. Westley found that her scientific training was helpful, as it made it easier to converse with fellow scientists. But she noted that she was expected to research and write about almost any topic that had a science component, even if she had never studied it. Westley continues to freelance articles as she pursues her Ph.D. in oceanography at the University of Hawaii.
Matthew Carr got a taste of life as a cub reporter for the Dallas Morning News over the past summer, while taking a timeout from graduate school at the University of Washington. Carr's experience paralleled Marian Westley's, as he delved into topics as diverse as the nutritional benefits of fish fat and Dallas's hot weather. He received a special thrill when one of his articles was picked up by his parents' hometown newspaper. Like all the other Fellows, Carr described the newspaper experience as one of the best things he has ever done.
Figure Caption: From left to right: Marian Westley, Matthew Carr, Kirsten Cutler, and Bryan Hannegan.