Two weekends ago I was able to attend the Sonja Hillgren/Farm Journal Agricultural Journalism Field Reporting Institute through the University of Misouri– Columbia school of Journalism and Agricultural Journalism School. Three days on a bus, driving across Missouri; a group of journalists and students visited farms, urban gardens, distributers, and community centers. We were exhausted and sleep deprived. Our faculties worn, and mentors watching, we questioned, interviewed and reported at each stop. We made connections and tried to grasp at the big picture; gathering bits and pieces of information to form a story.
Ok, I know, a little dramatic, but we had a great time and it was exhausting. I was trying something new and had experts observing me.
This past weekend I attended the Biotech University sponsored by the United Soybean Board. The seminar, based on presenting background information on biotechnology and its future as an industry, was another event hosted by the Journalism School at Mizzou. Another foray into the foreign art of reporting, I have gotten used to being called out as an outsider. They call me "The Biochemist," a pretty cool nickname, if you ask me.
Now I want to hone my pencil to a sharp tip and write a great story. Partially to prove myself, but more to learn to communicate well with other industries. I think studying science so often, I have lost some of my communication skills, and every time I write I think I learn a lot.
