About NSWA

Nuss-wah? New-swah? En-swah? Don’t worry too much about how to pronounce the acronym: The important thing is that we’re working on a new and improved Northwest Science Writers Association (NSWA), with a wider territory and a broader agenda.

For years, we were known as the Puget Sound Science Writers Association, the science group with the risqué acronym. If anything, Puget Sound is becoming even more of a center for the stuff of science journalism: In aerospace, we’ve got Boeing as well as a piece of SpaceShipOne. Our region has made a name for itself in research ranging from oceanography to cosmology. There’s a whole crop of biotech companies and computer companies, and new initiatives in neuroscience and genomics are taking root as well.

But there’s also great science, and great science reporting, happening elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest, from Spokane to Portland. Our new name reflects that wider geographical reach. We also want to reach out to other organizations involved in science communication. For that reason, we hope you’ll see NSWA as a hub for information about all sorts of ventures, including lectures, readings and get-togethers such as Science on Tap.

NSWA is a work in progress, so we hope you’ll offer suggestions on the kinds of activities and functions you’d like to see presented by your core group for science communications. It’s important that you join up, and join in.

Click here for information on joining NSWA.

Best regards from your Board Members

2008 Board

• President: Tom Paulson, science reporter, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
• Vice president: Sally James, freelance science writer
• Secretary: David Williams, naturalist and author
• Treasurer: Deanna Frost, biologist, writer, editor

At-large board members:

• Michael Bradbury (program chair), founder and CEO of Real Science
• Sandi Doughton, science reporter, The Seattle Times
• Lisa Farino, freelance science writer
• Stephen Hart (Webmaster), freelance science writer and editor
• John Roach, freelance science writer

Hannah Hickey remains a “friend of the Board.”

2007 Board Members

• Alan Boyle—President
• Tom Paulson—Vice President
• David Williams—Secretary
• Annette McCully—Treasurer
• Michael Bradbury—Program Chair
• Hannah Hickey—at large board member
• Deanna Frost—at large board member
• Manny Frishberg—at large board member
• Sally James—at large board member
• Sandi Doughton—at large board member