The National Association of Science Writers honored Hillary Rosner (APF’11) with its Science in Society Award on Oct. 1. The award was for a story, “The Color of Bunny,” that appeared in 2012 in the High Country News and in the APF Reporter and was based on Rosner’s APF project on evolution.
The awards committee noted that the article “describes Rosner’s field trip with University of Montana biologist Scott Mills, in which the biologist gathered data for his field study of how the semi-annual color change in snowshoe hares may be affected by climate change.”
Of Rosner’s article, the judges said “This totally engrossing and engaging report from the field artfully describes efforts to better understand a biological phenomenon critical to animal survival, namely seasonal camouflage….While the story focuses mainly on a local, Montana-forest-dwelling population of snowshoe hares it also serves as a springboard for a broader-lensed discussion regarding conservationist ideas for dealing with climate change’s coming impact on ecosystems.”
The full press release is here: http://www.nasw.org/2013-science-society-award-winners
You can find her full APF Reporter article here: Hare’s Race
Rosen also won the annual award for best feature story from the Society of Environmental Journalists. Her “Attack of the Mutant Pupfish” article for Wired was praised by the judges for its “originality, snappy writing and unbridled sense of fun. Rosner hooked readers by using an unlikely critter (pupfish) as the main character for an allegorical tale about genetics and species survival in a rapidly changing world. The story raised profound questions about managing wildness, biodiversity and the role of human intervention. It’s the best kind of environmental science writing — one with a light touch.”
Story Link: “Attack of the Mutant Pupfish”
