Amber L. Dance
Contactmailto:adance@nasw.org?subject=mailto:adance@nasw.org?subject=shapeimage_1_link_0
HomeAmber%20Dance--Science%20Writer.htmlAmber%20Dance--Science%20Writer.htmlshapeimage_2_link_0
 
I am a freelance science writer based in Pasadena, California. WRITING EXPERIENCE Freelance Science Writer (Fall 2006-present) Clients include: • The Scientist • Los Angeles Times Health section • Nature journals • StemBook ALS Reporter, Alzheimer Research Forum (Fall 2008-present) • Covering research news related to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) • Covering related neurodegenerative conditions and aging News Intern, Nature, Washington, DC Bureau (Summer 2008) • Writing science and policy news, research summaries, and blog entries • Covering news of the 2001 anthrax attack investigation Science and Environment Writer, San Jose Mercury News (Spring 2008) • Finding and writing stories about science, health, and the environment • Daily and long-term articles Content Intern, QUEST, KQED Public Broadcasting (Winter 2008) • Television, radio and Web series about science, nature and environment in Northern California • Researching programs; editing and writing blog entries; Web outreach Science Writer, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Office of Communications (Fall 2007) • Writing for the online newsletter SLAC Today and symmetry magazine Mass Media Fellow, Los Angeles Times Science Desk (Summer 2007) • Writing breaking news articles and features; all areas of science • Sponsored by the American Association for Advancement of Science Writer/Editor, Newsletter Committee, Association for Women in Science, San Diego Chapter Committee (Summer 2006-Spring 2007) • Writing and editing articles for the Chapter Newsletter EDUCATION Science Communication Program, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2008 PhD, Biology, University of California, San Diego, 2007 ScB, Biology with Honors, magna cum laude, Brown University, 2002 SKILLS • Writing and editing for a variety of audiences • Explaining complex scientific concepts • Managing multiple projects and meeting deadlines in a daily news environment HONORS Cary Lu Memorial Fellowship, 2007 Scholarship for study of science writing at UC Santa Cruz Excellence in Teaching Award, Division of Biological Sciences, UC San Diego, 2006 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Predoctoral Fellowship, 2002-2007 Grant award based on written research proposal Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society, Elected to membership 2002 TEACHING EXPERIENCE Senior Teaching Assistant, Division of Biological Sciences, UC San Diego, 2006-2007 Training and advising new teaching assistants Teaching Assistant, Division of Biological Sciences, UC San Diego, 2004-2006 RESEARCH EXPERIENCE • Study of cell-to-cell communication in bacteria during their development • Analysis of how a cellular motor identifies its cargo in mammalian cells o Research published: Dance et al, Traffic, 2004; Vol. 5, Iss. 10, Page 798 • Attended Woods Hole Physiology Course, 2004 • Short projects in plant biology, fruit fly genetics, yeast reproduction, biochemistry VOLUNTEER WORK Science Buddies Expert (Fall 2007-Spring 2009) • Advising students about their science fair projects on an online bulletin board Outreach Committee, Association for Women in Science, San Diego chapter (Winter 2006-Spring 2007) • Judging San Diego Science Fair • Testing students at Science Olympiad competition • Sally Ride Festival: Presenting short experiments to young girls Online Science Advisor, Ask a Scientist program, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (Fall 2005-Fall 2007) • Writing answers to questions submitted by members of the public References provided on request.http://www.the-scientist.com/http://www.latimes.com/http://www.latimes.com/news/healthhttp://www.nature.com/siteindex/index.htmlhttp://www.stembook.org/http://www.alzforum.orghttp://www.nature.com/news/index.htmlhttp://www.mercurynews.com/http://www.kqed.org/quest/http://today.slac.stanford.edu/http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/cms/http://www.aaas.org/programs/education/MassMedia/http://www.latimes.com/news/science/http://awis.npaci.edu/members/onewsletter.htmhttp://scicom.ucsc.edu/SciWriting.htmlhttp://www.hhmi.org/news/040102.htmlhttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15355515http://courses.mbl.edu/physiology/about/index.htmlhttp://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/ask_an_expert_intro.shtml?From=tabhttp://www.soinc.org/http://www.hhmi.org/askascientist/shapeimage_4_link_0shapeimage_4_link_1shapeimage_4_link_2shapeimage_4_link_3shapeimage_4_link_4shapeimage_4_link_5shapeimage_4_link_6shapeimage_4_link_7shapeimage_4_link_8shapeimage_4_link_9shapeimage_4_link_10shapeimage_4_link_11shapeimage_4_link_12shapeimage_4_link_13shapeimage_4_link_14shapeimage_4_link_15shapeimage_4_link_16shapeimage_4_link_17shapeimage_4_link_18shapeimage_4_link_19shapeimage_4_link_20