Category Archives: Awards

Poulson recognized for decades of Great Lakes environmental journalism

Knight Center Senior Associate Director David Poulson was recognized by the International Association of Great Lakes Research for important and sustained efforts to inform the public and policymakers on Great Lakes issues.

BURLINGTON, Vt. – The International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) has recognized David Poulson, the senior associate director of Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, for a career-long dedication to inform and educate the public and policymakers on Great Lakes issues.
Poulson, a 1982 graduate of MSU’s School of Journalism, is also editor of Great Lakes Echo, the Knight Center’s award-winning regional online environmental news service.
The IAGLR board of directors recognized him with the John R. (Jack) Vallentyne award given for contributing substantially to education and outreach in the Great Lakes community for at least 20 years and with an impact beyond the awardee’s local community.
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Knight Center students earn top honors

Environmental journalism students Kevin Duffy, Jenna Chapman, Amanda Proscia and Danielle Woodward are among those recently recognized by Michigan State University’s School of Journalism for outstanding accomplishments. Image: Barb Miller

Eleven students affiliated with the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism are among the award winners recognized recently by Michigan State University’s School of Journalism.
They include:

Chelsea Mongeau, Edward J. Meeman award for outstanding undergraduate student in environmental journalism
Perry Parks, Rachel Carson award for outstanding graduate student in environmental journalism and also recognized as outstanding doctoral student
Danielle Woodward, Knight Center Service Award and also a National Pulliam Journalism Fellowship
Amelia Havanec, co-winner of the Len Barnes Scholarship and a Mary Adelaide Gardner Scholarship
Colleen Otte, co-winner of the Len Barnes Scholarship and a Mary Adelaide Gardner Scholarship
Kevin Duffy, co-winner of the Don Caldwell Memorial Scholarship
Amanda Proscia, co-winner of the Outstanding Masters Student award and co-winner of the Don Caldwell Memorial Scholarship
Jenna Chapman, winner of the Larry Lee Overseas Study Scholarship
Nyla Hughes, winner of the Michael A. and Sandra S. Clark Scholarship
Collin Krizmanich, winner of the Donald F. & Katherine K. Dahlstrom Scholarship
Carie Cunningham, winner of the Mickie L. Edwardson Endowed Scholarship

Information and past winners of Knight Center awards are here. Information and past winners of Knight Center scholarships are here.

Knight Center graduate student lands tech fellowship

Amelia Havanec

Michigan State University Knight Center graduate student Amelia Havanec recently snagged a summer fellowship with a Seattle independent electronic journal.
Crosscut is a non-profit publication founded in 2007 and that serves residents of the Pacific Northwest with facts and analysis of local news. Seattle is the home of such tech giants as Microsoft, Amazon, Expedia and Zillow. Amelia will report on the region’s growing science, environmental and tech space.
She will also help implement Crosscut’s third “Community Ideas Lab,” an ideas contest that organizes people of the Pacific Northwest around local issues that need collective attention. The contest helps put Crosscut’s news stories into perspective.
Amelia has a bachelor of sciences degree in Brain and Cognitive Sciences from the University of Rochester. She has immersed herself in the pursuit of a scientific journalism career and has written for Scientific American MIND, LiveScience.com and The Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, in La Jolla, California.
She enrolled in MSU this past January and is the recipient of The Len Barnes AAA Scholarship and The Don Caldwell Memorial Scholarship in Environmental Journalism.
Amelia is also a producer and host of The Food Fix, a student-led podcast that explores food systems innovations around the world.

Knight Center awards grants for documentary film-making

The Knight Center for Environmental Journalism has awarded four $3,500 grants to support documentary film-making projects by MSU faculty-student teams.
The winning proposals:

“Creative Demolition/Reuse” will look at the nontraditional side of recycling through the concept of creative reuse in the Midwest. Faculty: Geri Alumit Zeldes, School of Journalism; Bob Albers, Department of Media & Information; Troy Hale, School of Journalism. Students: Elise Conklin, Department of Media & Information; William Bridgforth, Department of Media & Information; Nik Siddall, Department of Media & Information; Tyler Clifford, School of Journalism; Kabine Diane: Departments of Finance and Media & Information.
“Tsunami: Relief and Rehabilitation” will focus on the impact 10 years later of the 2004 tsunami on the southern India town of Nagapattinam. Faculty: Swarnavel Eswaran Pillai, Departments of Media & Information and English. Student: Dakshaini Ravinder, Department of Advertising & Public Relations. Alum: Ryan Frederick. Staff: Peter Johnston, specialist, Department of English.
“Flint Brewers: Water in the Works” will explore the importance of clean, safe drinking water through the eyes of local brewery owners in Flint. Faculty: Jennifer Ware, School of Journalism. Students: Daniel Hamburg, School of Journalism; Katherine Kuhne, School of Journalism and Department of Political Science.
“The Environment of Extreme Sports” will explore the connection that extreme athletes feel with nature and the environment. Faculty: Troy Hale, School of Journalism; Bob Albers, Department of Media & Information; Geri Alumit Zeldes, School of Journalism. Students: Elise Conklin, Department of Media & Information; William Bridgforth, Department of Media & Information; Nik Siddall, Department of Media & Information; Alex Scharg: School of Journalism; Tyler Clifford, School of Journalism; Kabine Diane: Departments of Finance and Media & Information.

The proposals were selected after a university-wide open competition.