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Environmental journalism students win Michigan Outdoor Writers Association awards

Great Lakes Echo writer Jack Armstrong is the winner of the 2023 Michigan Outdoor Writers Association/Toyota “Let’s Go Places” competition.

It is the first time the annual award has been based on photography.

Bob Vogel, the president of the Michigan Outdoor Writers Association, presents Jack Armstrong, with the association’s 2023 “Let’s Go Places” Award underwritten by Toyota Motors North America.

Armstrong is using the $2,500 award to upgrade his photography gear as he pursues a career in communicating the outdoors experience. The money “will further my environmental photography projects, both professional and personal.”

Earlier this summer, Armstrong participated in the School of Journalism’s Education Abroad photojournalism program in Kenya where he photographed wildlife. MSU journalism professor Judy Walgren led the program.

“I’m majoring in journalism and environment, science and health reporting and minoring in media photography and environmental science,” Armstrong said. “I cover solutions to tricky environmental problems, like tech that could one day make fuel from carbon exhaust.” Continue reading

Knight Center Documentary Grant competition for 2023

The Knight Center for Environmental Journalism will award up to 3 grants of $3,500 each to support the making of environment-related documentaries (video, audio or other digital media) b MSU faculty-student teams.

Here are the essentials

Deadline for submission: March 14, 2023, at 5 p.m.
Decisions to be announced approximately March 20, 2023
Open to faculty and students from all departments at MSU.
Maximum award: $3,500 for 1 year.

These must be documentaries, not public service announcements or advocacy pieces.
The Knight Center for Environmental Journalism must be credited for underwriting the project.
The Knight Center will be entitled to use your documentary, including linking on our website and presentation in classes, workshops and other activities.
Allowable expenses include travel, essential equipment, supplies, pay for students and festival & competition entry fees. All expenditures must comply with MSU procedures and rules. Any equipment purchased remains the property of MSU. Grant funds must be expended with one year from the date of approval by MSU Contracts and Grants.

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Knight Center students tackle science communication with data, humor, puppets and song

MSU’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism ran a science communication class during fall 2022 for 17 students from diverse science and communication fields.

 The class produced compelling stories from dry studies, created narratives to accompany animated datasets, produced a shadow puppet show about invasive species, planned a museum exhibit of the future, created science TikToks and used humor to explain science.

One produced and performed a song with the rest of the class backing him. Another produced this video of what the rest of the class did.