Category Archives: Research

        
 
 
 
 

Knight Center and Metcalf Institute Foster Inclusive Science Communication with Second SciComm Identities Project Cohort

The Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and the Metcalf Institute recently welcomed the second cohort of fellows for the SciComm Identities Project (SCIP). The initiative, aimed at transforming science communication training in the United States, held a week-long workshop at the University of Rhode Island (URI) main campus in South Kingstown from January 15 to 19.

The workshop brought together 14 fellows from diverse backgrounds, marking the commencement of a shared journey in science communication. The workshop focused on cultivating inclusive communication techniques and honing skills in public engagement. Throughout the week, fellows immersed themselves in the fundamental aspects of storytelling, exploring characters and narrative structures. Additionally, practical podcast planning sessions provided hands-on experience to further enrich their communication toolbox. Continue reading

Knight Center director speaks on newsies and music

Professor Eric Freedman

Professor Eric Freedman

Professor Joshua Duchan

Professor Joshua Duchan

Knight Center director Eric Freedman and Professor Joshua Duchan of the Wayne State University School of Music presented their study about the depiction of newsboys and newsgirls in sheet music between the mid-1840s and the late 1930s.

This presentation was part of the “Our Daily Work, Our Daily Lves” series sponsored by the MSU School of Human Resources & Labor Relations and the MSU Library.

Continue reading

MSU hosts screening of new Knight Center supported environmental documentary about Nicaragua

Photo credit: Patrol project

The new documentary “Patrol” is about Indigenous Rama and Afro-descendent Kriol communities of Nicaragua fighting illegal cattle ranching in the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve not far from the Costa Rican border.

The film, supported in part by a grant from the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism, will be aired on the MSU campus.

“This is the story of them and how they struggle to protect their ancestral territory,” said Tardi, an activist, who decided to stay anonymous for safety reasons. Continue reading

Environmental lessons I learned in Australia

By Cameryn Cass

The first time I left America, I didn’t get very far: I went to Toronto for a mini-holiday. Though only four and a half hours from my hometown, it felt much farther than that. It was exciting and new and – dare I say – foreign. Unlike my 19-year-old peers, I was drawn to the city for something other than legal drinking: I went in search of adventure.

You see, I enjoy living outside my comfort zone. I figure the more I do, the larger that zone will become.

Former Great Lakes Echo writer Cameryn Cass on the scene in Australia

So for my final semester at Michigan State, I decided to pack my bags and live 9,370 miles (15,080 kilometers) from home in Sydney, Australia. Instead of studying abroad, I interned at a lovely nonprofit called the Ethics Centre in the heart of the city.

I had the opportunity to write and edit stories and meet philosophers and experience imposter syndrome daily. I got used to spelling color with a “u” and writing the date with the number first, followed by the month. Did you know writing the date with the number sandwiched between the month and year is almost exclusively American? I think we ought to reconsider how we write that. And also adopt the metric system.

But, back to Australia. My internship went from February to mid-April, but I stayed until July 24 (24 July). I saw Brisbane and sat beside kangaroos all afternoon at Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo. I hiked at Cradle Mountain and easily fell in love with Hobart, Tasmania.

I visited New Zealand and its Hobbiton, having never seen the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings films and left a piece of my heart in Queenstown.

And I got lost in the equatorial heat and traffic lightless roads of Bali, visiting my cousin there for 15 days. Continue reading