Past events
December 2024: Holiday party
Held at the Colorado Tap House in Arvada, CO.
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September 2024 happy hour
Held in Louisville, CO.
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August 2024: Panel discussion on AI and science writing (virtual)
Media observers Corey Hutchins and Sree Sreenivasan explored how artificial intelligence is changing the science writing landscape, for good and for not-so-good.
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July 2024: Botanical illustration class in Denver, CO
SWARM had exclusive access to a private class to learn the basics of sketching botany, at the Denver Botanic Gardens.
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June 2024 happy hour
Held in Boulder, CO.
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April 2024: Science/elections event in Denver, CO
A panel discussion organized by the Institute for Science & Policy explored the role of science in an election year.
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March 2024: Eclipse talk in Boulder, CO
Solar physicist Amir Caspi gave us a preview of the science of the April 8 total solar eclipse.
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February 2024: Meet-up at AAAS in Denver, CO
We met up with international science writers attending the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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December 2023: Holiday party
Held for members at Balistreri Vineyards in Denver, CO.
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December 2023 happy hour
Held in Bozeman, MT.
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October 2023: ScienceWriters2023 conference in Boulder, CO
We supported the national #SciWri23 conference by co-sponsoring an evening reception, as well as hosting a happy hour and a local hike for visiting science writers.
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September 2023 happy hour
Held in Bozeman, MT.
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August 2023: Wildfire book chat (virtual)
Authors Nick Mott and Heather Hansen talked about covering wildfire in the Pyrocene.
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July/August 2023: Hikes with a geologist
The University of Colorado's Lon Abbott walked us through rocks and geologic history on Flagstaff Mountain above Boulder and on the Triceratops Trail in Golden.
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June 2023: How to land a science writing fellowship or a grant (virtual)
Jessica Camille Aguirre, Kristin Lewis, and Hillary Rosner shared their top tips for crafting a successful application.
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May 2023 happy hour
Held in Lafayette, CO.
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March 2023: Science fiction writing (virtual)
Carolyn Collins Petersen moderated a panel with sci-fi writers and advisers Charles Choi, Erin Macdonald, Robert J. Sawyer, and Anne Simon.
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Winter 2022-20223 happy hours
Held in Bozeman, MT, and Boulder, CO.
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December 2022: Holiday party
SWARM's first in-person holiday party was a festive evening at Balistreri Vineyards in Denver, with guest speaker Sam Brasch.
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October 2022: Meet-up at #SciWri22 in Memphis
SWARMies who were in Tennessee for the national ScienceWriters meeting gathered to say hello and start planning for the 2023 national meeting in Boulder, Colorado.
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September 2022: Using inclusive language in science writing (virtual)
Helen Santoro moderated a discussion on inclusive reporting and writing with Kalen Goodluck, Alfonzo Porter, and Gabi Serrato Marks.
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August 2022: Local meet-ups
Happy hours were had in Salt Lake City, Moab, Boulder, Denver, and Fort Collins!
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May 2022: Happy hour with scientists (virtual)
We chatted about interspecies disease transmission — COVID hopping species! What bird flu means for backyard chicken owners! — with two veterinarian researchers from Colorado State University.).
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April 2022: How to tell science stories through audio (virtual)
Rae Ellen Bichell (Kaiser Health News) moderated a discussion on audio storytelling with Kristine de Leon (the Oregonian), Luke Runyon (CU Boulder), and Maddie Sofia (formerly of NPR's Short Wave).
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February 2022: Mixer
We held a virtual mixer in Gathertown with the DC Science Writers Association.
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February 2022: How to pitch
Stephanie Daniel (KUNC) moderated a panel on pitching skills with Kylie Mohr (High Country News), Jane Palmer (freelance), and Erik Vance (New York Times).
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December 2021
Holiday party, with trivia hosted by Ann Marie Awad!
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October 2021
Virtual meet-up at the national ScienceWriters conference.
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September 2021: How to find your best science story
David Baron (freelance) moderated a discussion with ​Michael Booth (Colorado Sun), Esther Honig (freelance), and Jessica Kutz (High Country News).
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August 2021: Happy hour at Avery Brewing in Boulder, Colorado
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June 2021: Early-career panel
Tips on getting into science writing from Ali Branscombe (NCAR), Erin Broberg (Sanford Lab), and Jeremy Rehm (JHUAPL).
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May 2021: Science & art
Ecologist, artist and founder of the Art.Science.Gallery Hayley Gillespie discussed her work, followed by group networking and social time.
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February 2021: Running a business
​A panel discussion on the nuts and bolts of running a science writing business, featuring freelancers Christie Aschwanden, Ula Chrobak, and Catherine Dold.
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December 2020: First-ever holiday party
CU Boulder researcher Sarah Crump discussed her work on alpine lakes, followed by smaller group networking and social time.
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November 2020: How to write a book
With insights from Rocky Mountain authors Riley Black, Laura Paskus, and Sarah Scoles.
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October 2020: ScienceWriters meeting debrief
NASW secretary (and freelancer) Kendall Powell and CU Boulder's (and freelancer) Hillary Rosner discussed their biggest takeaways from the annual meeting of the National Association of Science Writers.
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September 2020: Meet-and-greet
An informal social hour to launch the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains.