Science Writing Symposium

This event was digitally recorded and is available for viewing on the Caltech Theater site, as is year's symposium, held on April 6, 2003.

This second annual Words Matter Science Writing Symposium brings together a panel of prominent science writers to address the challenges of communicating technical information to general audiences. Panelists discuss their work and take questions and comments from the audience. Although the symposium is especially relevant to Caltech juniors taking the Core 1 Science Writing Requirement, it is open to the Caltech community and the general public.

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About Our Panelists

• K.C. Cole is the author, most recently, of Mind Over Matter: Conversations with the Cosmos, published by Harcourt in April 2003. She is a science writer for the Los Angeles Times and commentator for Southern California Public Radio (KPCC 89.3 FM). Her previous books include: The Hole in the Universe: How Scientists Peered Over the Edge of Emptiness and Found Everything; The Universe and the Teacup: The Mathematics of Truth and Beauty and First You Build a Cloud: Reflections on Physics as a Way of Life. She has written for The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Esquire, Newsweek, and many other publications.
• Kip Thorne received his B.S. degree from Caltech in 1962 and his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1965. He returned to Caltech as an Associate professor in 1967, and has been the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics since 1991. His research has focused on Einstein's general theory of relativity, with emphasis on black holes and gravitational waves. His book for nonscientists, Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy, received the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award. In 1973 Thorne coauthored the textbook Gravitation, from which most of the present generation of scientists have learned general relativity theory.
• Robert Winston is Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College, London University, and Director of the National Health Service (NHS) Research and Development for Hammersmith Hospital NHS Trust. His research has focused on gynecological microsurgery and reproductive genetics. His group pioneered preimplantation genetic diagnosis, including techniques to help families with genetic disorders produce healthy children. He has written several books and over 300 scientific publications. As a member of the House of Lords, Professor Winston speaks regularly on education, science, medicine, and the arts. He often writes about science for the general public and has written or hosted many science programs for the BBC and the Discovery network. These productions have received awards from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, an Emmy nomination, a Peabody award, and other accolades. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, and is President-elect of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.