CASW Connector - Resources for interpreting science for the public

Events

SWCC Webinar: Levelling Up Your Journalism Skills — Fellowships, Scholarships and More

"Science communicators and journalists often reach a point where they want to brush up on foundational knowledge, strengthen specific skills, or delve into a particular area of interest. This virtual event explores how to 'level up' at any stage of your career through funded professional development opportunities such as fellowships and scholarships. At this event, SWCC board member Bryce Hoye will share his experience as a fellow in the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT. He'll be joined by Ashley Smart, associate director of the Knight Science Journalism Program, as well as two organizers of the CBC David Suzuki Scholarship for journalism students — Lesley Birchard and Gina Lorentz — who will welcome audience questions about their programs. By bringing together both personal experiences and program-level insights, this event will give participants a clearer understanding of funded opportunities for Canadian science communicators and journalists across the career spectrum, along with resources for further exploration."

When: April 15, 2026 @ 5 - 6 p.m. ET
No cost for SWCC members / $30 CAD for nonmembers

Are you a non-member of SWCC registering for this event? If you decide to become a member of SWCC within 2 weeks of the event date, your membership fee (in the applicable category) will be discounted by the amount you paid for event registration. To activate your discounted membership within the 2-week period, email office@sciencewriters.ca."

SWCC Webinar: Levelling Up Your Journalism Skills — Fellowships, Scholarships and More

Summary:

When: April 15, 2026 @ 5 - 6 p.m. ET
No cost for SWCC members / $30 CAD for nonmembers

Category:

For:

VISIT

Fellowships & Grants

RTDNF Canada Scholarships

"The Radio-Television Digital News Foundation was established by the RTDNA in 1978 to offer financial assistance to students in Canada." Categories include, but are not limited to:

$5,000 CBC David Suzuki Scholarship "for students from racialized communities with a demonstrated interest in science journalism who are in their final year of a college or university journalism program."
$10,000 Sachedina/CTV News Fellowship "for a journalism student from a Canadian university or college who has recently graduated or is within one year from graduation ... to produce a substantial and original piece of journalism that will be considered for publication on a CTV News platform."

Deadline: April 30, 2026

RTDNF Canada Scholarships

Summary:

"The Radio-Television Digital News Foundation was established by the RTDNA in 1978 to offer financial assistance to students in Canada." Categories include, but are not limited to:

$5,000 CBC David Suzuki Scholarship "for students from racialized communities with a demonstrated interest in science journalism who are in their final year of a college or university journalism program."
$10,000 Sachedina/CTV News Fellowship "for a journalism student from a Canadian university or college who has recently graduated or is within one year from graduation ... to produce a substantial and original piece of journalism that will be considered for publication on a CTV News platform."

Deadline: April 30, 2026

Category:

For:

VISIT

Article

The System That Decides What Science Gets Published Is Breaking Down

"Every published scientific finding rests on a foundation most people never think about: a judgment, made before publication, that the work is sound. Every drug approval, every climate projection, every economic forecast that shapes policy depends on it. Without that judgment, the scientific literature would be indistinguishable from noise. That judgment is now under serious strain. ... If peer review is to survive, the scientific community needs to treat it as what this paper reveals it to be: a fragile commons, not a free resource."

Resource Database / Guide

NASA Earthdata Offers a New Look at What Satellites See Down Here

Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ)

"The capacity to visualize Earth’s ecosystems in detail is an invaluable aid to reporting on the environment. That’s now being bolstered with an ongoing upgrade to NASA’s Earthdata program, fueled by its ranks of satellites. Reporter’s Toolbox says the refurbishment offers treasures for journalists ranging from oceans, groundwater and land surfaces to the biosphere and atmosphere."

Video

Inside SAM.gov: An Open Data Demo for Journalists

"SAM.gov — the federal government’s System for Award Management — is one of the most underused databases in public-interest journalism. It tracks hundreds of billions of dollars in federal contracts and grants, the companies and organizations that receive them, and entities barred or suspended from doing business with the government. If you cover federal spending, government contractors, nonprofits, or public accountability, this data is for you. This session [on April 3] is a hands-on demo, not a panel discussion. We walk through what’s in SAM.gov’s open data, how to access and navigate it, and how to start asking it real questions."

See also the accompanying article: "Follow the Codes: 3 Takeaways From Our Webinar on Federal Contract Data" by Clark Merrefield.

Inside SAM.gov: An Open Data Demo for Journalists

Summary:

See also the accompanying article: "Follow the Codes: 3 Takeaways From Our Webinar on Federal Contract Data" by Clark Merrefield.

Published By:

The Journalist’s Resource

Date:

April 7, 2026

Category:

For:

Journalists

VISIT

Fellowships & Grants

IJNR’s Community Reporting Project Fellowships

Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources (IJNR)

Applications are being accepted from early-career journalists for the first cohort of these new fellowships, a joint endeavor of IJNR, The Uproot Project and partners. Deadline: April 26, 2026. Fellows must be members of Uproot (free to join) and will:

Attend a three-day, expenses-paid, science and environment reporting workshop, produced by IJNR, the Uproot Project and partners (May 27-30, beginning and ending in Detroit).
Be eligible to apply for grants designed to cover travel and costs associated with reporting in under-reported communities.
Be eligible to apply for paid, eight-week fellowships at Michigan Public and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, to take place in Fall 2026.
Engage with other professional journalists as part of a community-building speaker series organized by Dr. Danielle Brown, the 1855 Community and Urban Journalism Professor at Michigan State University’s School of Journalism.
Participate in other virtual workshops and trainings to be developed in response to the 2026 cohort’s needs and interests
Be connected to mentoring, editing, help with pitches and other support from both IJNR and the Uproot Project.

IJNR’s Community Reporting Project Fellowships

Summary:

Attend a three-day, expenses-paid, science and environment reporting workshop, produced by IJNR, the Uproot Project and partners (May 27-30, beginning and ending in Detroit).
Be eligible to apply for grants designed to cover travel and costs associated with reporting in under-reported communities.
Be eligible to apply for paid, eight-week fellowships at Michigan Public and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, to take place in Fall 2026.
Engage with other professional journalists as part of a community-building speaker series organized by Dr. Danielle Brown, the 1855 Community and Urban Journalism Professor at Michigan State University’s School of Journalism.
Participate in other virtual workshops and trainings to be developed in response to the 2026 cohort’s needs and interests
Be connected to mentoring, editing, help with pitches and other support from both IJNR and the Uproot Project.

Organization:

Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources (IJNR)

Category:

For:

Early-career journalists

VISIT

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SWCC Webinar: Levelling Up Your Journalism Skills — Fellowships, Scholarships and More

RTDNF Canada Scholarships

The System That Decides What Science Gets Published Is Breaking Down

NASA Earthdata Offers a New Look at What Satellites See Down Here

Inside SAM.gov: An Open Data Demo for Journalists

IJNR’s Community Reporting Project Fellowships

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