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<blockquote type="cite" cite>Date: Thu, 17 Jan 2008 11:13:28 -0500<br>
To: mindell@MIT.EDU, dkfitz@mit.edu<br>
From: Michael Fischer <mfischer><br>
Subject: Re: [Sci-tech-public] New director,<x-tab>
</x-tab>Knight Science Journalism Fellowships<br>
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</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Congratulations. This sounds like a
really great appointment.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial">Hello,</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial">As director of the
Program in Science, Technology, and Society, it gives me great
pleasure to announce the new director of the Knight Science Journalism
Fellowships, Philip Hilts. More detail is provided below, but let me
say that Philip impressed us all with his intellect, the range and
depth of his journalistic commitments, and his vision for the future
of the program. We are tremendously excited to have Philip join our
community and continue the wonderful work of Boyce Rensberger, who
retires this summer, and Victor McElheny in building up the Knight
fellowship program, which will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary
next month.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial">Thanks to Dean Deborah
Fitzgerald for chairing the search committee and running a broad and
timely search. Thanks also to the other members of the committee -
Kathy Boisvert (Knight fellows), Rob Kanigel (MIT, Science Writing),
Penny Chisholm (MIT, Civil and Environmental Engineering), Paul
Schechter (MIT, Physics), Robert Weinberg (MIT Cancer Center,
Whitehead Institute), Christine Russell (Harvard, Belfer Center), and
Deborah Blum (University of Wisconsin, School of
Journalism).</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial">Congratulations again
to Philip and best wishes to Boyce on his upcoming
retirement.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Arial"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial">David
Mindell</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial">Director, Program in
Science, Technology, and Society</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial">Dibner
Professor</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial">of the History of
Engineering and Manufacturing</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial">Professor of
Engineering Systems</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial">Housemaster, MIT
Edgerton House</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Trebuchet MS"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Trebuchet MS"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Trebuchet MS"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="+2"
color="#AF4100">Philip Hilts named new Director<br>
of the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS"
size="-1"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><img
src="cid:p06230923c3b52fd4fcfd@[192.168.1.104].1.0" width="196"
height="256"><font face="Trebuchet MS"
size="-1"> </font></blockquote
>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS"
size="-2">Philip J. Hilts, photograph by Marc
Jones</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS"
size="-1"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS"
size="+2">Philip J. Hilts,</font><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="-1">
the author of six books, and a prize-winning health and science
reporter for<i> The New York Times</i> and<i> The Washington Post</i>,
has been named the third director of the Knight Science Journalism
Fellowships. He will succeed Boyce Rensberger, who retires this summer
after ten years in the job.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS"
size="-1">
Hilts, whose journalism career began in 1968, was the<i> Times</i>
reporter who broke the story of the tobacco industry's 40-year
coverup of its own research showing that tobacco was harmful and
addictive. His most recent book,<i> Rx for Survival: Why We Must
Rise to the Global Health Challeng</i>e, won the<i> Los Angeles
Times</i> Book Prize for Science and Technology and was a<i> New York
Times</i> Notable Book of the Year.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS"
size="-1"> A
long-time teacher of science journalism at Boston University, Hilts
will also take over Rensberger's teaching role in MIT's Graduate
Program in Science Writing.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="-1">Hilts
said he was thrilled to have the chance to lead the
program.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS"
size="-1">"This is the best program of its kind anywhere, and has for
decades been the source of enthusiasm and high standards that science
journalists look to," he said. "Now the program has even more to
do, helping journalists launch themselves into the electronic future,
again with enthusiasm while maintaining high standards. What a great
opportunity!</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS"
size="-1">"I'm delighted that Phil Hilts will be coming to MIT
and using his extraordinary experience and energy to guide the
advancement of the science journalists who come here each year,"
said Deborah Fitzgerald, who chaired the search committee. "The
Fellowships is a major part of MIT's effort to improve the public
understanding of science and technology, and I'm confident that Phil
will lead the program to new heights."</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS"
size="-1">Rensberger echoed Fitzgerald's
sentiments.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS"
size="-1">"This is an excellent choice," he said. "Phil and I
worked together for about five years at the<i> Washington Post</i>,
and I developed enormous respect for his scientific interests and
investigative acumen."</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="-1">Hilts
has been a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, twice a fellow at the
Harvard School of Public Health, and serves as a commentator on health
and science issues for National Public Radio.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS"
size="-1"> The Knight Science Journalism
Fellowships, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in February, is the
nation's leading program for advanced education in science for
mid-career journalists. Funded chiefly by an endowment from the
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Fellowships is a component
of the Science, Technology and Society Program in the School of
Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences. It began in 1983 as the Vannevar
Bush Fellowships in the Public Understanding of Technology and
Science, founded by Victor K. McElheny, who retired in
1998.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS"
size="-1"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Trebuchet MS" size="-1">For
more information, visit<br>
</font><a href="http://web.mit.edu/knight-science/"><font
face="Trebuchet MS"
size="-1">http://web.mit.edu/knight-science/</font></a></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
face="Times New Roman"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Arial"
size="-1"> </font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br>
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