EXPERIENCE  

Bundle.com                                                             March 2010 - Present

Writer/Editor/Moderator

·      Write original content using financial data form Bundle.com's database

·      Monitor and moderate comments and posts on the Web site

AAA Southern New England, Providence, RI            July – Aug. 2009

                                       Research Writer/Reporter – Temporary Position

·       Research and report for AAA Southern New England’s member publications, with total circulation of 1.75 million. 

·       Wrote articles for Traveler, the company’s internal publication.

·       Proofread, edit submissions and line-edit multiple editions of Horizons.

METCALF INSTITUTE for MARINE and
             ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING, Narragansett,  RI                                    March – July 2009

                                       Publicity Coordinator - Freelance

·       Using proprietary content management systems, updated the Metcalf Web site with new spotlight stories featuring useful tools for environmental journalists, and updates on past Grantham Prize winners.

·       Wrote and distributed press releases for upcoming events.

·       Maintained and updated contact database, which included contact information on media outlets, scientists and other academics.

·       Expanded the Institute’s Web presence by creating social networking accounts.

 

THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, Providence, RI    

Jan 2007 – Oct 2008                            

Beat Reporter

·       In an article about land development rights, I worked with several cities and towns, along with the state Department of Environmental Management and two generations of farmers to get a comprehensive understanding of the land-purchase process. Working with some sources who were reluctant to talk, I was able to tease out relevant figures to present the public with a better understanding of how much money was at stake, and where it was coming from. I worked with the Web editors to include a “digital extra;” a link that allowed online readers to see where else the state had invested in development rights.

·       I developed relationships with local politicians, school board members and city employees to assist in my coverage of Southern Rhode Island. This network of contacts enabled me to gain background information on topics that affected the communities; it also proved to be a good source for tips.  

·       Worked with Rep. Patrick Kennedy, Sen. Lincoln Chafee and other politicians while reporting on environmental hazards and clean-up efforts in the Northeast.  My writing experience spans a myriad of issues, from local and national stories from homicides to first-person narratives describing how it feels to fly upside down in a Team Oracle stunt plane.

Multimedia Journalist

·       Captured and published breaking news to Projo.com, the Providence Journal’s Web site using mobile devices.

·       Worked with proprietary Web content management tools and assisted in publishing the projo.com news blog.

·       Introduced moblogging to the Web site, which reduced publishing time.

·       I also introduced “Brandie’s Wake up Call.” Every morning I showcased music that corresponded with the day’s weather or a top story.

 

                                        THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,        Boston, MA                                                    Jan  2006 – Jan 2007

 General Assignment

·       After the death of several participants in a drug trial, I looked into the marketing practices to determine what a company does to recover from such an incident.  I interviewed doctors and patients who had been on the drug as well as marketing experts and representatives of the drug manufacturing company.  There was a fine line that had to be navigated; the company – which was not allowed to advertise – continued to run education programs. I explained this practice while being able to show how patients reacted to their medicine being unavailable.

·       Maintained contact with politicians and institutions of higher learning to assist in the research of news and feature stories that reached across borders.  Many stories appeared internationally as well as nationally, leading to accolades from the international AP desk.

·       Wrote articles on a number of scientific issues, including synesthesia, environmental toxins and the uses of music therapy in treating neurological conditions.  

·       In addition, I covered local news stories in Boston and the surrounding areas where I wrote on deadline for both print and broadcast media.

THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, Providence, RI                                            Aug. 2005 – Jan. 2006 

                                       Metcalf Institute For Marine and Environmental Reporting, Fellow

·       I spent a day following the head of a local conservation agency as she searched for coyotes on Conanicut Island.  The story, however, required more than the color gained from romping around the Island. Along with background information on the appearance of coyotes on the Island, I worked with the Web editors to create a survey for the Web site.  Readers were able to indicate where they had spotted coyotes. This was a benefit for the newspaper as well as for the community.

·       Worked and studied alongside environmental science researchers during a month-long research program at the University of Rhode Island.

·       Participated in intense environmental research at a week-long environmental reporting seminar.

·       Worked in the field with coastal ecologists and fishermen for perspective and background information on coastal issues. Reported on complex coastal and fisheries’ issues for the Providence Journal.

·       Reached out to scientists to assist in coverage of urban and coastal environmental issues for the Providence Journal, including the state’s historic lead paint trial. Coverage of the trial was sited in other newspapers and law journals.

·       Wrote about complex environmental science topics – including fishing net engineering, pollution and lead-induced neurological damage – for a general audience.

 

                                   

 

INTERNSHIPS            Chips Quinn Scholar                                                                 2004

Metcalf Institute Fellowship in Environmental Reporting   2006

EDUCATION             Boston University – Boston, MA                                           2005                                                 M.S. Journalism
                                     Concentration in print and narrative journalism

                                     University of Illinois – Champaign, IL                                  2001
                                     B.A. Philosophy
                                    Concentration in history and philosophy of science

       

RELATED ACTIVITIES

 

Attended the Arizona State University Origins Symposium, including an intimate science journalism workshop moderated by Lawrence Krauss, Foundation Professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration and Physics at ASU, and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins.        

 

Attended the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s Annual Conference.

 

Completed a course at Adler Planetarium in Chicago, featuring guest speakers from the disciplines of physics and astronomy.