New York Times Science Reporter to Give Lecture on Scientific Communication on 9 December

27 November 2006—Dennis Overbye, science correspondent for the New York Times, will present a lecture titled "Watching Scientists Watching Nature" as the 2006 A. Dixon and Betty F. Johnson Memorial Lecture in Scientific Communication on Saturday, 9 December 2006, at 11:00 a.m. in 101 Thomas Building.

Overbye, who covers the universe for the New York Times, will talk about the perils and promises of covering dauntingly abstract subjects in an information-rich age when "readers can read and discuss the subject of your story before you've even finished writing it." He says, "Journalism often is called the first draft of history, but it's a lousy draft, at least as far as science goes."

Overbye is the author of two books: Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos, the Scientific Search for the Secret of the Universe, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction; and Einstein in Love, A Scientific Romance, which was a finalist for the Los Angeles Book Award in science. He is winner of numerous awards, including the American Institute of Physics Science Writing Award twice and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Journalism Award. Following the lecture, time will be allotted for questions, discussion, and obtaining signed copies of books written by Dennis Overbye.

Born in Seattle, Overbye attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) before deciding that he wanted to be a writer. Before he joined the staff of the New York Times, he was an editor at Sky and Telescope magazine and was a founding member of the staff of Discover magazine. He lives with his wife Nancy Wartik and daughter Mira in Manhattan.

The A. Dixon Johnson and Betty F. Johnson Memorial Lectures in Scientific Communication are organized by the Eberly College of Science and are designed for the enjoyment and education of the residents of the Central Pennsylvania area. The biennial lectures feature distinguished science communicators who excel at communicating scientific issues and discoveries to the general public. The lectures were established with a gift from Betty F. Johnson in honor of her husband A. Dixon Johnson, who had been a science writer and the head of the Department of Public Information at Penn State from 1962 to 1974. The series is supported by the A. Dixon and Betty F. Johnson Foundation.

For more information about access assistance or other matters, phone 814-863-0901 or send e-mail to science@psu.edu.

[ B K K ]