Science Writer Kristen Minogue Goes Behind the Scenes of Smithsonian's Outdoor Science Center
Ms. Minogue delves into the ecology of Chesapeake Bay at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

EDGEWATER, MD, December 13, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Climate change, endangered orchids, invasive snakehead fish that pop up where they're least expected - Chesapeake Bay is both a treasure trove and a battle zone for the ecologists who work there. Kristen Minogue has spent the last year shadowing them as science writer for the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC).

Ms. Minogue joined the center in February after six months reporting for Science magazine's daily news Web site. Her first assignment at SERC was to write scripts for a series of 17 short videos called Ecosystems on the Edge. As one of only two full-time communications staff at SERC, she also handles media requests, press releases, newsletters and SERC's various social media accounts. When she's not at her computer, she's usually trailing one of the scientists in the woods or on the water, a job that requires her to keep a pair of worn-out tennis shoes and field clothes in her office.

Fortunately there's no lack of interesting stories to tell at SERC. There's a marsh where ecologists have found a way to make plants grow as they would in a world with twice as much CO2. There's a lab where plant biologists are trying to grow a tiny orchid that's been declared extinct in the state of Maryland. And there's always the occasional surprise, like the afternoon a team of researchers and interns pulled in a net with a dangerous northern snakehead fish that somehow crossed the Bay from the Potomac River, even though it wasn't supposed to be able to.

It's the type of place Ms. Minogue says she would have dreamed of working as a child, except except back then she assumed she'd be working as a marine biologist. In college she discovered she enjoyed writing as much as natural science. Torn between both fields, she decided to focus on journalism and take as many science classes as she could on the side. While minoring in geology, she took additional courses in genetics, physics and chemistry. After college she attended Northwestern University, which offered a track for aspiring science writers. During her eighteen months there, she wrote stories for their news site ranging from black holes and relativity to teenage heart disease.

"As a science writer, I'm paid to learn about science and tell people how amazing it is," says Ms. Minogue. "And here at SERC, I'm surrounded by some of the most brilliant scientific minds in the world. I honestly can't think of a more exciting job."

Ms. Minogue received a Master of Science in journalism with a concentration in health and science from Northwestern University in 2010. She is also member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society.

For more information about the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, visit http://www.serc.si.edu, or visit the Shorelines blog at http://sercblog.si.edu.

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