AAAS Mass Media Fellowship

I was a 2019 AAAS Mass Media fellow reporting for The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was my first time to Louisiana and the learning curve was steep! The best thing I learned this summer was the importance of local news. I reported on dolphin standings, extreme heat and the nutria bounty. I fell in love with the city and I can’t wait to go back.

Front page stories

Louisiana, Florida to see biggest spike in ‘extreme heat’ days, study says; could force ‘culture shift’

Wind farms could one day power New Orleans, but high cost, other issues cause for concern

Best lede

Nutria bounty (yes, the nutria bounty) in Louisiana rises after ‘uptake in damage’

Best quote

Boaters, take care: Manatees share boating channels in Louisiana waters, a new study finds

Most challenging

As Gulf Coast dolphin strandings rise, scientists see a warning of greater ecological strains

Fastest turnaround

Gulf of Mexico just endured its hottest June ever, new report says

Tweeted by the governor

Please stop feeding Louisiana alligators: It’s setting stage for tragedy,’ experts warn

 

Others

This year’s spillway opening foreshadows how dolphins may fare with planned river diversions, experts say

Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, haven for nature lovers, to benefit from shoreline protection project

Unhealthy, ‘stagnant air’ days increasing in New Orleans with hotter summer temperatures, report says

LSU professor studies stress in wildlife using medical imaging technology

New app offers swimming, fishing advisories across Louisiana, but doesn’t include algae bloom notices

Reaction to waterspouts in New Orleans: ‘Hoping and praying that it wasn’t [coming] my way’

Brown pelican nesting ground near Grand Isle will be restored this fall

Efforts to phase out ozone-depleting substances are actually working, says a new review study from Loyola University New Orleans