The final assignment for the class is to write a 6-7 page feature story based on a scientific topic of interest suitable for publication by a news or internet source. You will need to have a pretty specific topic by the tenth week of class, related to both your scientist interview and book review. While related to your scientist interview and your book review, the feature story should be a distinct assignment, not just an expansion of what you have already done.

Your feature story should be on current, interesting, perhaps controversial research being carried out in the scientific community. It should be informed and informative; in other words, you need to show that you know what you are talking about, and you need to write in such a way that your readers will also know what you are talking about. Use the guidelines for a good story that we've been developing through the semester to help you decide what to include and what to leave out. (The Jon Franklin book will be especially useful.)

Know what your audience will be interested in hearing.

Be aware of the importance of using statistics wisely (accurately and at the appropriate level of specificity for your audience).

Strive to connect the concerns of the researchers, your own concerns, and the concerns of your audience.

Be creative when you can, but be as clear as possible in your approach to the subject matter.

Provide enough detail for your audience to be comfortable with their grasp of the issue, but not so much that you overwhelm them.

Include some discussion of how the researcher's (s') work fits into current scientific thought. Does it map out new territory? Does it challenge the way scientists have thought about a certain issue? Is it a new way of looking at an old problem? Does it explain what has hitherto been unexplained? Does it build on the work of others?