New award to encourage students to do science writing

The Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) is launching the Emerging Science Journalism Award for students who want to write about science. It provides two students $2,500 in April 2011 to help finance research, reporting and crafting of an in-depth presentation about any of the nearly 7,000 research projects that CFI has funded across Canada.

"An independent judging panel will select the recipients based on a story proposal or “pitch” and an accompanying budget for travel costs and other reporting expenses," says the CFI in a release. "Stories may be told in print, broadcast, online or mixed media. The students retain up to $1,500 of the award as a stipend."

Since its inception in 1997, the Foundation has committed $5.3 billion to finance the infrastructure “tools” required for cutting-edge research at Canadian universities, hospitals and colleges. This has attracted enough additional funding to total more than $11 billion of new facilities and research equipment.

To apply for the award students must have prepared at least one piece of science communication of a journalistic nature aimed at the general public.

Deadline for applying for the award is February 1, 2011. Details are available at www.innovation.ca/