Nine selected for UAF Arctic Journalism Fellowship

February 11, 2016

The University of Alaska Fairbanks has selected nine journalists for the inaugural cohort of the UAF Arctic Journalism Fellowship.

The fellows will travel to Fairbanks for the 2016 Arctic Science Summit week in mid-March, where they will meet with international Arctic researchers and policymakers and have the opportunity to participate in excursions to scientific field sites. The fellowship offers journalists a chance to pursue stories they might not otherwise be able to report. The goal is to expand public knowledge and understanding of the Arctic and its global importance. The 2016 Arctic Science Summit Week coincides with the Arctic Observing Summit, Model Arctic Council and the eight-nation Arctic Council's Senior Arctic Officials meeting.

The fellows were selected from a field of 36 international applicants. The selection committee included Mary Beth Leigh, a UAF professor of microbiology; Bruce Lewenstein, a Cornell University professor of science communication; Victor McElheny, a science journalist who established Knight Science Journalism at MIT; Brian O’Donoghue, a UAF professor of journalism; and Kristin Timm, science communication lead for the UAF Scenarios Network for Alaska and Arctic Planning.

The nine fellows are:

Catalina Arevalo, an environmental writer and multimedia communicator based in Madrid.

Ian Cheney, an independent filmmaker known for his work on the feature documentary "King Corn."

Gloria Dickie, an environmental reporter and photographer based in Boulder, Colorado.

Suzanne Goldenberg, who has covered the environment for The Guardian from Washington, D.C., since 2009.

Sarah Keller, an independent journalist based in Bozeman, Montana.

Tim McDonnell, Mother Jones’ environment reporter and the associate producer of Climate Desk.

Hillary Rosner, an independent journalist who has been writing about environmental issues and the complex science behind them for more than a decade.

Zoë Schlanger, a staff reporter at Newsweek magazine covering the environment, science, human health and climate change.

Ryan Schuessler, a Chicago-based independent journalist.

Additional information about the UAF Arctic Journalism Fellows

Catalina Arevalo is an environmental writer and multimedia communicator based in Madrid. For the last 15 years, she has worked as a senior environment correspondent, editor and producer for the world’s largest Spanish-language news organization, EFE News Service. She primarily covers climate change, energy, biodiversity and sustainable development, and she was co-founder of EFEverde, EFE’s online platform for environmental news.

Ian Cheney is an independent filmmaker perhaps best known for his work on the feature documentary "King Corn," which was released in 60 cities and awarded a George Foster Peabody Award in 2009. His other documentaries include "The Greening of Southie," on green building; "Truck Farm," on urban agriculture in New York City; and "The City Dark," on light pollution. Cheney has also produced short-form media and photography for a range of outlets.

Gloria Dickie is an environmental reporter and photographer based in Boulder, Colorado, where she writes on biodiversity loss, climate change, ecology, land management, environmental policy and sustainable agriculture. Her multimedia work has appeared in a range of outlets, including High Country News, National Geographic News, The Denver Post, Discover and Outside. She also works on multimedia projects for James Balog’s Extreme Ice Survey.

Suzanne Goldenberg has covered the environment for The Guardian from Washington, D.C., since 2009. Her biggest stories have included the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010; the Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in 2011; Hurricane Sandy in 2012; and the contamination of West Virginia's water supply in 2014. She has also covered U.S. politics and has reported from Middle East war zones.

Sarah Keller is an independent journalist based in Bozeman, Montana. She writes about the science, technology, policies and people behind climate change; wildlife conservation; and natural resource management. Her work has appeared in High Country News, VICE News, Ensia, Conservation Magazine, New Scientist, Science Insider, Adventure Journal, Wired.com and others.

Tim McDonnell is Mother Jones’ environment reporter and the associate producer of Climate Desk, a collaboration among several publications (Mother Jones, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Slate, Wired, Grist, Huffington Post, Newsweek, Medium and The New Republic) that produces original multimedia journalism on climate change. McDonnell’s stories cover the intersection of science, business and politics, and he often complements his feature writing with original video.

Hillary Rosner is an independent journalist who has been writing about environmental issues and the complex science behind them for more than a decade. Her work on biodiversity conservation, renewable energy, climate change and related issues has appeared in a wide range of publications, including National Geographic, The New York Times, Wired, Mother Jones, Scientific American, Popular Science, Discover and many more.

Zoë Schlanger is a staff reporter at Newsweek magazine covering the environment, science, human health and climate change. Schlanger previously was an editor at Talking Points Memo and the Nation magazine, and has written for The New York Times, the Nation, Buzzfeed, El País and other outlets. She is particularly interested in the intersection of health and the environment — and in new ways to tell stories about science online, in print and on the air.

Ryan Schuessler is a Chicago-based independent journalist whose work has appeared in Al Jazeera America, The Guardian, The Washington Post, The New York Times and others. He most frequently writes on the intersection of the environment, politics, social justice, and religion and identity.