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knight-science-journalism-fellowship

Knight Science Journalism Fellowship 2023/2024 for Science Journalists – MIT, USA ($USD 70,000 Stipend)

by OFA November 15, 2022

written by OFA

Application Deadline: January 15th, 2023.

Every year, the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT offers academic-year fellowships to 10 science journalists, to give them an opportunity to explore science, technology, and the craft of journalism; to concentrate on a specialty in science; and to learn at some of the top research universities in the world.

Each fellow largely designs his or her own course of study, in consultation with the director and Knight Science Journalism Program staff. Fellows are required to audit at least one science course per semester but are otherwise encouraged to explore the wide range of offerings at MIT, Harvard, and other institutions in Cambridge and Greater Boston. The program is designed to offer a rich and varied mix of coursework, colloquia, research trips, lab visits, interviews, reading, and writing.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for a Knight Fellowship, applicants must:

Be full-time journalists, whether on staff or freelance. Part-time writers or producers are not eligible.
Have at least three full years of experience covering science, technology, the environment, or medicine.
Be reporters, writers, editors, producers, illustrators, filmmakers, or photojournalists. This includes work for newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and digital media.

Applicants must not have completed a fellowship of four months or longer during the two years prior to applying for the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship.

Program Activities

Seminars: Fellows meet regularly for seminars with top researchers and media professionals.

Field Trips: The program organizes several trips each year to locations of special interest to science and technology writers. Past destinations have included the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA, the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, ME, and the Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA.

Digital Media Training: The number of storytelling channels open to journalists is multiplying, and we want our Fellows to return to the workforce with more technical skills than they had coming in. We offer workshops in various technologies, including mobile video, still photography, digital editing, data journalism, and podcasting.

Benefits

Fellows are required to reside full-time in the Boston/Cambridge area for the MIT academic year, from mid-August to late May.
Fellows receive a $70,000 stipend, a $2,500 relocation allowance, and other benefits, including basic health insurance for each fellow and their family.
Under the terms of MIT residency, fellows must refrain from paid professional work during the course of the 9-month program, unless written permission has been granted by the director.

Application Procedure:

Required Documents

The following documents are required for 9-Month Fellowship applications:

Professional Autobiography: Describe, in 500 words or less, why you want to participate in the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program and how it fits with your professional goals.
Résumé or Curriculum Vitae: Provide a brief overview of your education and work history. (Freelancers should include a list of freelance jobs completed in the past 12 months. Include each story, venue, and date of publication or broadcast.)
Research Project Proposal: Describe, in 500 words or less, a project you intend to develop during the fellowship year. The goal is for fellows to create a Cambridge, Massachusetts based project, something that uniquely leverages their time and experiences at MIT, using the resources and connections available to them while they are here. Some element of the research project must be journalistic in nature, but it can expand beyond traditional parameters and be created in any format: long-form, story series, multimedia, video, audio, installation, etc. Fellows deliver formal presentations about their projects at the end of the academic year and are expected to successfully pitch a component for publication within the fellowship year or shortly thereafter.
Work samples: Please provide five relevant work samples. Choose samples that best illustrate your interest and abilities. Please include a translation for any work not produced in English.
Professional references: Please provide three letters of recommendation. Letters should come from individuals familiar with your work and should comment on your abilities and your commitment to journalism.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship

November 15, 2022 0 comments

Fellowships

Knight Science Journalism Fellowship 2018/2019 for Science Journalists – MIT, USA ($USD 70,000 Stipend)

by OFA February 21, 2018

written by OFA

Application Deadline: February 28th 2018

The Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program at MIT supports a global community of dedicated and thoughtful journalists specializing in science, health, technology and environmental reporting. The program is designed to recognize journalists who demonstrate a high level of professional excellence and accomplishment as well as a long-term commitment to their craft. Journalists from all countries compete on an equal basis and are encouraged to apply.

To be eligible for a Knight Fellowship applicants must:

Be full-time journalists, whether on staff or freelance. Part-time writers or producers are not eligible.
Have at least three full years’ experience covering science, technology, the environment, or medicine
Be reporters, writers, editors, producers, illustrators, filmmakers, or photojournalists. Applicants may work for newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and digital media.

To be awarded a Knight Fellowship selected applicants must agree to the following requirements:

To reside full-time in the Boston/Cambridge area for the academic year, August 12th, 2018 through May 25th, 2019.

To attend field trips, seminars, and required training sessions arranged by the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships.

To participate in at least one science course per semester.

To produce a well-thought research project or story series during the academic year.

To refrain from outside professional work during the Fellowship, unless written permission has been granted by the Director.

International candidates must obtain a J-1 visa from the U.S. State Department after being awarded the Fellowship.

Applicants must complete all fields and attach the required supporting documents, according to these guidelines:

Professional Autobiography: Provide a brief statement (500 words maximum) about why you want to participate in the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program and how it fits with your professional goals.

Résumé or Curriculum Vitae: Provide your education and work history. (Freelancers should include a list of freelance jobs in the last 12 months. Include each story, venue, and date of publication or broadcast.)

Project Proposal: In consultation with the KSJ staff, Knight fellows will develop and produce a research project in a specified area of science or science journalism. This project can take the shape of a formal report or be developed for publication, in formats ranging from multimedia to long-form story. All projects will be reviewed by the staff and considered for publication by KSJ during the academic year. Fellows will discuss the research progress in regular group meetings and in individual meetings with staff advisers and will deliver a formal presentation on their topic at the end of the fellowship. All applicants should describe, in 500 words or less, a project to be developed during the fellowship year.

Work samples: Five work samples are required. Choose samples that best illustrate your interest and abilities. Please include a translation for work not written in English.

References: Three letters of recommendation are required. Letters should come from individuals familiar with your work and should comment on your abilities and your commitment to journalism.

Application Process:

Applications, including all supporting documentation and letters of reference, must be submitted by February 28, 2018. Semi-finalists for the Fellowship will be notified by April 6, 2018. Skype interviews will be scheduled for all those wishing to continue further in the process. Applications and interview transcripts will be reviewed by a panel of nationally-known science journalists, including KSJ@ MIT Director, Deborah Blum; Associate Director, David Corcoran; Undark magazine Editor, Tom Zeller Jr. Finalists will be notified during the first week of May 2018.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship 2018/2019

February 21, 2018 1 comment

2016/2017 Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT, USA ( $USD 70,000 Stipend)

by OFA January 16, 2016

written by OFA

Application Deadline: February 29, 2016, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

The Knight Science Journalism (KSJ) program, founded at MIT in 1982 with a generous endowment from the James S. and John L. Knight Foundation, has hosted more than outstanding 300 mid-career journalists, specializing in coverage of science, medicine, technology, and the environment, since its inception.

Every year, the Knight Science Journalism Program (KSJ) offers ten science journalists a 9-month fellowship — geared to the September-to-May academic year — designed to enable them to explore science, technology, and the craft of journalism in depth, concentrate on a specialty in science, and to learn at some of the top research universities in the world.

Each Fellow largely designs his or her own course of study, with consultation offered by the director and the KSJ staff. Fellows are required to audit at least one science course per semester but are other wise encouraged to explore the wide range of offerings at MIT, Harvard, or other institutions in Cambridge and Greater Boston. The program is designed to offer a rich and varied mix of coursework, attendance at departmental colloquia, research trips, lab visits, interviews, reading, and writing.

Eligibility Requirements:

To be eligible for a Knight Fellowship, applicants must:

• Be full-time journalists, whether on staff or freelance. Part-time writers or producers are not eligible.
• Have at least three full years of experience covering science, technology, the environment, or medicine.
• Be reporters, writers, editors, producers, illustrators, filmmakers, or photojournalists. They may work for newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and digital media.

Benefits:

Fellows receive a $70,000 stipend, spend an academic year in Cambridge, Massachusetts, studying at both MIT and Harvard University, and enjoy a rich offering of science seminars, training workshops and field trips offered by KSJ.
Each Fellow largely designs his or her own course of study, with consultation offered by the director and the KSJ staff. Fellows are required to audit at least one science course per semester but are other wise encouraged to explore the wide range of offerings at MIT, Harvard, or other institutions in Cambridge and Greater Boston.
The program is designed to offer a rich and varied mix of coursework, attendance at departmental colloquia, research trips, lab visits, interviews, reading, and writing.

Among the many Knight Fellowship programs and activities:

• Seminars: Fellows meet regularly for seminars with top researchers and media professionals.

• Field Trips: The program organizes several trips each year to locations of special interest to science and technology writers. Past destinations have included the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA, the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, ME, and the Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA.

• Digital Media Training: The number of storytelling channels open to journalists is multiplying, and we want our Fellows to return to the workforce with more technical skills than they had coming in. MIT offer workshops in various technologies, including video and audio capture, still photography, digital editing, animation, data journalism and podcasting.

• Workshops: Occasionally the program organizes special 1- or 2-day workshops on science, technology, and journalism issues. These have ranged from policy-based questions, such as a focus on food security, to basic science backgrounders, such as a series of lectures from leading nanotechnology researchers. The Knight Fellows gain automatic admission to these workshops.

Application Process:

Required Documents:

In the course of completing the online application form, you will be asked to submit several supporting documents. For each required document, you can either upload a PDF file, or type (or copy/paste) the document’s contents into the text area provided. File formats other than PDF are not accepted.

The following documents are required for 9-Month Fellowship applications:

Professional Autobiography: Provide a brief statement (1 page maximum) about why you want to participate in the Knight Science Journalism fellowship program and how it would fit with your professional goals.
Resume or Curriculum Vitae: Be sure to include your education and work history. (Freelancers should include a list of freelance jobs in the last 12 months. Include each story, venue, and date of publication or broadcast.)
Undark proposal: Each semester, Knight fellows will be required to develop and produce, in consultation with the publication’s editor(s), an essay, feature story, multimedia package, or other contribution to the program’s forthcoming science magazine, Undark. Describe one story or project you might like to pursue during your time in Cambridge. Information on the magazine’s format and editorial mission can be found here.
Work samples: Five work samples are required. Choose samples that best illustrate your interest and abilities. If work samples are not in English, a translation must also be submitted.
Recommendations: Three letters of recommendation are required. Letters should come from individuals familiar with your work and should comment on your abilities and your commitment to journalism.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the 2016/2017 Knight Science Journalism Fellowship

January 16, 2016 1 comment

Fellowships

2014-15 Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT.

by lanredahunsi January 20, 2014

written by lanredahunsi

Application Deadline: February 28 2014

The Knight Science Journalism Fellowship is a nine-month Knight Science Journalism Fellowship offers time for learning and enrichment, away from the pressure of deadlines and job demands. Since 1983, the program has helped hundreds of journalists move to the next level in their careers.

The basic premise of the fellowship is to lay aside the journalist’s normally narrow focus on getting “the story,” and instead to explore science more deeply and more broadly—to follow intellectual digressions, to learn the history of a field, to understand how scientists and engineers pursue their work.

Qualifications

Applicants must be full-time journalists, whether they are on staff or freelance. Part-time writers or producers are not eligible. Applicants must have at least three full years of experience covering science, technology, the environment, or medicine; or at least five years of other journalism experience and a desire to cover those areas in the future.

Journalism experience must be in the years immediately prior to applying.

Applicants may be reporters, writers, editors, producers, illustrators or photo-journalists. They may work for newspapers, magazines, television, radio or the Web.

There are no educational prerequisites, nor is there an age-limit.

Professionals working in public information, public relations, the trade press, government or academia are not eligible.

Proficiency in English is necessary for Fellows to make the most of their time at MIT.

Knight Fellowship programs and activities

In addition to their individually selected courses, Fellows are expected to attend the following programs:

Seminars: Fellows meet twice weekly for seminars with top researchers. Sometimes the presenter comes to us, and sometimes we visit them in the lab. A few seminars are devoted to the craft of science writing and issues involving interactions between science and society. See our seminar schedule.

Boot Camps: Knight Fellows also gain automatic admission to our highly competitive week-long Boot Camps, one per semester. See our upcoming boot camps.

Field Trips: Each fall, Fellows spend a few days in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, visiting the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory. Other field trips to local science centers may arise during the course of the year.

Digital Media Training: Due to the changing nature of journalism, we want our Fellows to return to the work-force with more skills than they had coming in. As of 2009, we now offer training in various technologies, including audio and video capture, and digital editing.

Knight Fellowship programs and activities

In addition to their individually selected courses, Fellows are expected to attend the following programs:

Boot Camps: Knight Fellows also gain automatic admission to our highly competitive week-long Boot Camps, one per semester. See our upcoming boot camps.

Stipends & Benefits

Fellows receive a stipend of $65,000 divided into ten installments over the academic year. Our $65,000 stipend is awarded to all Fellows, regardless of nationality.

Additional Benefits

Health Insurance: Fellows who elect to participate in the MIT Affiliate Health Insurance program may have their own coverage paid by the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships. Fellows who wish for their spouses and children to join the same plan must arrange to pay the cost for their families.

Access to everything at MIT and Harvard: With few exceptions, all MIT and Harvard University courses are available for audit by Knight Fellows.

Stipulations

To be awarded our 9-month academic year Fellowship, selected applicants must agree to the following requirements:

To reside full-time in the Boston/Cambridge area for the academic year: August 15 through May 15.
To attend all boot camps, field trips, seminars, and new media training sessions arranged by the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships.
To participate in at least one science course per semester.
To refrain from professional work during the Fellowship, unless written permission has been granted by the Director.
For international candidates: To obtain a J-1 visa from the U.S. State Department after being awarded the Fellowship.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship

January 20, 2014 0 comments

Fellowships

Knight Science Journalism Fellowship 2013/2014 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

by lanredahunsi March 13, 2013

written by lanredahunsi

Application Deadline: April 15 2013

The Knight Science Journalism program at MIT will offer a new kind of Fellowship during the 2013-2014 academic year to add to the traditional 12 Fellows who come to Cambridge to study for the academic year at MIT and Harvard. This new Fellowship is intended to produce a publishable product instead of coming only to study.

The proposed projects should combine in some way science journalism and digital media. The product at the end of the year should be something tangible such as a video, audio, or digital piece or a written work if the subject includes or can be published in some digital form. Collaborations with news organizations are strongly encouraged.

The requirements of the Fellowship will be to work at least partly in Cambridge, to attend some seminars of the Knight Fellowship, and to present updates on the project to the director and the other Knight Fellows. The final project should be completed by May 30, 2014.

The length of the Fellowship is up to nine months starting in August 2013. A stipend based on your proposed project, project expenses and the length on the project will be determined once the project is chosen.

View the Project Fellowship applications instructions for a detailed list of application requirements.

Application requirements:

A) Online Application form. Application deadline: April 15, 2013.

Please email your subsequent materials, listed below, to [email protected] with “Project Fellowship” in the Subject field.

B) Professional autobiography: Tell us about your professional life, with specific attention to any experiences that have prepared you to execute your proposed project. Not to exceed 750 words.

C) Résumé or curriculum vitae: Be sure to include your education and work history.

D) Project proposal: Describe your project, its goals, and how you plan to execute it. Include a timetable for completion and a description of your plans for publication. Not to exceed 1200 words.

E) Budget: Provide and estimated budget for your project. This should include travel, specialized equipment or software, contract labor, and any other expenses necessary for the successful completion of the project. Items that are optional depending on available funding can be identified as such.

F) Samples of professional work: Please provide four samples. If your work is in a format that cannot be submitted electronically, please contact us for submission details. Note: mailed submissions will not be returned.

Guidelines for samples:

Select four works that best show your interests and abilities. Samples that illustrate your command of the skills necessary to complete your proposed project are especially desirable.

If work is available online, we prefer you provide a PDF (for print), an .mp3 (for audio) or an .mp4 (for video) in addition to the URL for each work sample.
If original work is not in English, English translations are required for all works.
Editors/Producers/Directors should indicate their involvement in the piece.
For series, send only the first and last pieces, with a brief outline of other items in the series.
For books, submit one chapter. (PDF files preferred.)
For audio/visual, submit a sample (or samples) with a total running time of up to 40 minutes. If samples are submitted on a CD or DVD, please include a written manuscript or synopsis indicating where each item (program, story or segment) begins. Please contact us first before sending CDs or DVDs. For online submissions, .mp3 or .mp4 files are preferred. Please contact us for details on how to upload your samples.
For photography/graphics, submit published works in context or as unmounted printouts. (For electronic submissions, JPG or GIF files preferred.)

G) Two Letters of Recommendation:

Letters should be from individuals familiar with your work, commenting on your abilities and your commitment to journalism.

Letters may be emailed to [email protected], and should come directly from the recommender, not from the applicant. Letters must reach us by April 15. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure that the recommenders submit their letters of recommendation to us by the April 15 deadline.

All application materials must be received by April 15:

Please email materials, with “Project Fellowship” in the Subject field, to: [email protected].

We prefer PDF files, but if you are unable to send a PDF we also accept DOC or TXT files.

We have a dropbox for submitting large audio or video files. We prefer .mp3 for audio and .mp4 for video files. However, we do accept most other formats. Please contact [email protected] for details and dropbox URL.

If you cannot—or prefer not—to email your application materials, we’ll happily accept mailed copies. Make sure they reach us by April 15, 2013. Please contact us first before sending CDs or DVDs.

To send by US Mail use this address:

Knight Science Journalism at MIT
MIT E19-623, 77 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139

To send by Fed Ex, UPS or DHL use this address:

Knight Science Journalism at MIT
MIT E19-623, 400 Main St.
Cambridge, MA 02142

617-452-3513
[email protected]

Selection process:

The Project Fellow will be selected by a panel of leading journalists and MIT faculty. All application materials must be received by April 15. Finalists will be chosen in mid-May and interviewed by telephone. Winners will be announced by early June.

A few things everyone should be aware of when they apply for our Project Fellowship

If you are selected as a Project Fellow:

You will need to pay for you and your family’s travel to and from Boston.

Your housing search should begin early! We’ll share information from previous Knight Fellows and apartment listings, but securing an apartment is your responsibility.

Before signing a lease or sending any money for an apartment either see it in person or have someone you know and trust, like a friend or relative in the area, check it out for you.

Housing in the Cambridge area is expensive. To finalize a rental agreement, it is often required that a person pay their first and last month’s rent, plus a security deposit of one month’s rent. MIT’s International Scholars website has information everyone should read about housing, utilities, and food prices in Cambridge.

The Project Fellow will receive a stiped based on the project’s length and expenses. The stipend amount will not exceed $65,000 over a 9-month period. If you are selected as a Project Fellow, your first stipend payment will be on August 31. Unfortunately, salary advances and loans are not possible.

FOR INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS: If you are selected as a FINALIST, please make sure that you and your family’s passports are current. The visa process must begin immediately after the Fellows are selected, and that process cannot start without a valid passport.

March 13, 2013 0 comments