Rennie to be science writer in residence

John Rennie, a veteran science journalist, blogger and editor, has been named the Fall 2011 University of Wisconsin–Madison Science Writer in Residence.

A former editor in chief of Scientific American, Rennie is now a freelance science writer, editor and speaker. His blog, The Gleaming Retort, is published on the Public Library of Science blogging network. He also serves as an adjunct instructor at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute.

Rennie will spend the week of Oct. 23 on the UW–Madison campus visiting classes and working individually with Wisconsin students, faculty and staff to provide insight into science news and how it is reported and written.

Rennie will also deliver a free public lecture, “What the Tumultuous State of Science Publishing Means for Science Writers (and for Science),” at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26 in the Memorial Union. (Check TITU for location.)

To read an interview with Rennie, click here.

The UW–Madison Science Writer in Residence Program, now in its 25th year, brings some of the nation’s top science writers to Wisconsin as a resource for the university community and others. It was established with support from the Brittingham Trust and continues with support from the UW Foundation. Past visiting writers include many of the nation’s leading science writers, including three whose work subsequently earned them the Pulitzer Prize.

The UW–Madison Science Writer in Residence Program is sponsored by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and University Communications.