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Faye Flam

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Faye Flam
Faye Flam aboard NASA's astronaut training plane while reporting a story in 2014.
Faye Flam aboard NASA's astronaut training plane while reporting a story in 2014.
Bornc. 1964 (age 59–60)
OccupationJournalist
EducationB.Sc. Geophysics, Science Communication
Alma materCaltech
GenreJournalism
SubjectScience
Website
www.fayeflamwriter.com

Faye Flam (born c. 1964)[1] is an American journalist. She has written for Science Magazine and wrote two weekly columns for The Philadelphia Inquirer, including one on sex and one on evolution. Flam wrote a book on the influence of sex on human evolution and society. She teaches science writing and lectures on communication to scientific forums, and is a journalism critic for the MIT Knight Science Journalism Tracker.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Education

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Flam earned a B.Sc. degree in Geophysics from the California Institute of Technology in 1985. During this program she discovered that she "loved science, but... you [need a specific career goal] to succeed.”[8] and instead pursued a career in science writing. She also completed a one-year graduate certificate program in UCSC Science Communication.[9] Later she participated in a one-year study project on the implications of science on personal identity as part of a University of Michigan Knight-Wallace fellowship.[1]

Professional experience

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Sometimes it takes a scary sounding disease story to highlight the importance of science literate journalism.

–Faye Flam, KSJ Tracker[10]

Flam was awarded The Richard Casement internship and completed internship assignments at The Economist London newsroom in 1988[11] and Science News in 1989,[12] then, from 1991 to 1995, worked as a columnist for the journal Science, covering particle physics and cosmology topics.[2] In 1995, she left Science to become a staff writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer.[3] In addition to science news articles, she wrote a column titled Carnal Knowledge[3] which explored the science of sexuality, then a column and blog titled Planet of the Apes, which covered evolution.[11] During this time she also returned to the UCSC Science Communication Program as a visiting instructor.[13]

In 2012, Flam left the Inquirer to become a science journalism critic for the Knight Science Journalism Tracker at MIT, where she is still a contributor, and "has weathered storms in Greenland, helicoptered into equatorial cloud forests, gotten frost nip at the South Pole and floated weightless aboard NASA’s astronaut training plane."[7] From 2012 to 2013 she was the author of the Lightning Rod Blog for WHYY FM in Philadelphia where she wrote on a wide range of science topics.[4] In 2013 she became “science writer in residence” at Ursinus College, where she teaches science writing.[6][14]

Flam hiking with Richard Dawkins and Sean Faircloth.

Book: The Score

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In 2008, near the end of her term as author of the Carnal Knowledge column, Flam published a book, The Score: How the Quest for Sex has Shaped the Modern Man,[5] a scientific review of the evolution of sex and of the sexual behaviour of the human male. (In some countries, the book is published with the alternate title, The Score: The Science of the Male Sex Drive.)[15][16]

Psychology Today described the book "not only...highly entertaining and titillating" but "scientifically rigorous and informative",[16] while New Scientist called The Score "at its best when it is exploring the advantages or peculiarities of other species".[17]

Flam took part in several interviews associated with the release of the book. In a Salon interview she discussed the evolution of human gender roles, including the theory that risk-taking behavior in men evolved through sexual selection.[18] In an audio interview on the Radio Times program on WHYY-FM, Flam revealed that her original plan for the book had it starting with evolutionary theory, but that the receipt of a book on the "Mystery method" from a publicist gave her the idea to start with the lighter subject of the visit to the "seduction boot camp".[19] In discussing the topics taught at the boot camp, she explained that one of the proposed methods - making a first appearance at social events in the company of other women, in order to appear more acceptable and less threatening - may have some scientific validity, in the theory of mate choice copying. Flam realized that elements of mate choice copying were also employed by other animals, a concept that is now generally accepted in the field.[20] In another audio interview, she also discussed the plausibility of other popular sexual evolutionary and behavioural theories, such as Testosterone poisoning.[21]

Publications

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Flam published regular articles in the journal Science from February, 1991[22] until March, 1995.[23] While her primary topics were described as particle physics and cosmology,[7] she also covered news and events in astronomy, genetics, evolution, and medicine.[24][25][26][27]

While a science writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Flam wrote a regular column titled Carnal Knowledge, which ran from 2005 to 2008[3] and dealt with the science of sexuality, and with the evolution of sex. She then wrote a column on evolution, titled Planet Of The Apes,[11] which ran from April, 2011[28] to October, 2012,[29] when she left the Inquirer. In a National Association of Science Writers review of one of the articles in this series, she was called "one of the best science journalists/bloggers around" and "the only one I know of who's taken on the challenging assignment of teaching the general public about evolution in a daily newspaper".[30]

Flam's publications with Knight Science Journalism Tracker began in 2012 with an article about science broadcaster Bill Nye's recent comments on teaching creationism.[31] She continues to write for Knight, reviewing and criticizing science journalism, focusing on media coverage of controversial topics[32] and uncritical reporting on questionable research.[33] She also wrote a blog called Lightning Rod for the NewsWorks web site of WHYY public radio. This blog was launched in 2012 with a review of the controversy among historians over whether Ben Franklin's famous experiment with a kite in a lightning storm ever really happened.[34] She regularly writes articles on astronomy, conspiracy theories, biology, and pseudoscience.

Flam's articles have frequently been republished by other journals and sites, including The Washington Post,[35] the News Herald,[36] The Japan Times,[37] and the Richard Dawkins Foundation.[38]

While writing the Planet Of The Apes blog for the Inquirer, Flam wrote an article about evolution as though the responses had been written by her cat, Higgs, to emphasize the simplicity of the reasoning.[39] The article was reviewed favourably by other bloggers, notably Jerry Coyne in Why Evolution Is True.[40] This approach continued, with Higgs guest-authoring other posts in the Planet Of The Apes blog,[41] and "Higgs, the Science Cat" publishing his own science articles in Parade, with Flam calling herself "assistant to Higgs".[42] The Parade articles ran from April[43] to June[44] of 2013, and covered primarily biology and astronomy topics.

Public speaking

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Flam is a frequent speaker at conferences. At first her appearances were related to her book, The Score, such as when she discussed it as part of the 2008 Wistar Author Series,[45] and her talk, Are Males the More Interesting Sex? at The Philadelphia Science Festival.[46]

More recently, she has spoken to promote science journalism and communication skills to scientific and skeptical forums. In 2012 she participated in a panel discussion, Telling the Stories of Science at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University.[47]

In 2013 she presented a series of 3 lectures on science communication at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics of University of California, Santa Barbara.[48] In Life on Mars and Neanderthal Clones: Why Weird Science Gets on the Front Page and What You Can Do About It, she discussed the motivation of journalists, explaining to the scientist audience why certain stories garner a majority of attention from popular media.[49] In How To Sell Your Science Without Selling Your Soul: How To Get The Media To Work For You, she reviewed what scientists and journalists have in common, and recommended effective ways for scientists to communicate with journalists.[50] Finally, in Salacious Science: What I Learned from Writing an Infamous Sex Column she discussed her long-running column and the broad range of reactions it received.[51] She presented a similar talk to The Center for Science and the Common Good at Ursinus College later that year.[52][53]

Flam was a presenter at the 2013 edition of The Amaz!ng Meeting, speaking on the importance of countering misleading and uncritical media coverage,[54] and later blogged about her experience interacting with the skeptics, magicians, and scientists who attended.[55] In 2014 she made a presentation on science in the media on the topic of genetically modified organisms, to the Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking.[56]

Awards

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In 2014, Flam received the Friend of Darwin award from the National Center for Science Education for her 2010-2012 The Philadelphia Inquirer column Planet of the Apes, for being "the only newspaper column dedicated to evolution".[57] The award was presented April 26, 2014, at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Flam won 1st place in the Special Projects category of the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association's 2011 Keystone Press Awards[58] for her article Faulting the Forensics.[59] Flam has been nominated for a Pulitzer prize[8]: 8  for work in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Controversies

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Flam's Planet of the Apes series drew criticism from Creationists.[60] In an interview with Discover magazine, Flam indicated that the most intense criticism of her work came from coverage of climate change.[61]

References

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  1. ^ a b Palms, Wendy (2004-05-18). "Knight-Wallace journalism fellows announced". The University Record. University of Michigan. Archived from the original on 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  2. ^ a b Flam, Faye (2014). "About Faye Flam". Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  3. ^ a b c d "Faye Flam - philly.com". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia. 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  4. ^ a b Flam, Faye (2013). "Lightning Rod". Newsworks WHYY. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  5. ^ a b Flam, Faye (2008). The Score: How The Quest For Sex Has Shaped The Modern Man. Avery. ISBN 978-1583333129.
  6. ^ a b Schultz, Olivia (2013-11-14). "Process of making new classes at UC". The Grizzly. Ursinus College. Archived from the original on 2013-11-14. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  7. ^ a b c "Faye Flam - Contributing Writer". Knight Science Journalism Tracker. MIT. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  8. ^ a b Rogers, Michael (2003). "Doin' the write thing" (PDF). Caltech News. Vol. 37, no. 1. Caltech. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  9. ^ "SciCom Alumni by Graduating Class". Santa Cruz: University of California Santa Cruz. 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-13.
  10. ^ Flam, Faye (2014-08-04). "Ebola outbreak reaction shows why science writers are necessary | KSJ Tracker | Knight Science Journalism at MIT". Ksj.mit.edu. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  11. ^ a b c "Faye Flam starts evolution blog at the Philadelphia Inquirer". Science Communication Program, Program News. University of California Santa Cruz. 2011. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  12. ^ Flam, Faye. "Faye Flam". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
  13. ^ "Visiting Instructors". UCSC Science Communication Program. 2014. UCSC. 2013. Retrieved 2014-01-16.
  14. ^ Mullan, Brianna (2013-09-19). "New UC faculty members' plans". The Grizzly. Vol. 38, no. 3. Ursinus College. Retrieved 2014-03-16.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ Flam, Faye (2009). The Score: The Science of the Male Sex Drive. Penguin. ISBN 9781583333495.
  16. ^ a b Kanazawa, Satoshi (2008-11-27). "Are men scum?". The Scientific Fundamentalist. Psychology Today. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  17. ^ Blum, Deborah (2008-07-30). "Review: The Score by Faye Flam". New Scientist. 199 (2667): 48. doi:10.1016/s0262-4079(08)61944-2.
  18. ^ Clark-Flory, Tracy (2008-06-13). "Hard Drive". Salon. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  19. ^ Moss-Coane, Marty (2008). "Faye Flam – "The Score: How the Quest for Sex has Shaped the Modern Man". Radio Times. WHYY. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  20. ^ Hawes, Daniel R. (2010-06-08). "Copying Others When Choosing A Mate". Psychology Today. Retrieved 2014-08-12.
  21. ^ Champion, Edward (2008). "Faye Flam". The Bat Segundo Show. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  22. ^ Flam, Faye (1991-02-22). "Plastics Get Oriented—and Get New Properties". Science. 251 (4996): 874–876. Bibcode:1991Sci...251..874F. doi:10.1126/science.251.4996.874. PMID 17847380. S2CID 26986284.
  23. ^ Flam, Faye (March 3, 1995). "A New Accelerator Explores The Social Life of Quarks". Science. 267 (5202): 1266–1267. Bibcode:1995Sci...267.1266F. doi:10.1126/science.267.5202.1266. PMID 17812593. S2CID 46218502.
  24. ^ Flam, Faye (April 19, 1991). "Mysterious Celestial Object Found". Science. 252 (5004): 377. Bibcode:1991Sci...252..377F. doi:10.1126/science.252.5004.377-a. PMID 17740928. S2CID 9000702.
  25. ^ Flam, Faye (May 31, 1991). "Berg to Head NIH Genome Committee". Science. 252 (5010): 1249. Bibcode:1991Sci...252Q1249F. doi:10.1126/science.252.5010.1249. PMID 17842945.
  26. ^ Flam, Faye (August 19, 1994). "Co-opting a blind watchmaker". Science. 265 (5175): 1032–1033. Bibcode:1994Sci...265.1032F. doi:10.1126/science.7520602. PMID 7520602.
  27. ^ Flam, Faye (September 23, 1994). "Boron therapy gets early test". Science. 265 (5180): 1799. Bibcode:1994Sci...265.1799F. doi:10.1126/science.8091207. PMID 8091207.
  28. ^ Flam, Faye (2011-04-11). "Welcome to the Planet of the Apes blog". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  29. ^ Flam, Faye (2012-10-22). "Catching Diseases from our Evolutionary Cousins". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  30. ^ Powledge, Tabitha (2012-06-29). "Oon Science Blogs this week: Supreme". National Association of Science Writers. Retrieved 2014-01-16.
  31. ^ Flam, Faye (2012-08-29). "Bill Nye Attacks Creationism - Says We Need Engineers. What\'s The Connection?". Knight Science Journalism Tracker. MIT. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  32. ^ Flam, Faye (2014-01-31). "Report Ties GMO Corn and Herbicides to Collapse of Migrating Monarchs. One Story Gets Multiple Viewpoints". Knight Science Journalism Tracker. MIT. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  33. ^ Flam, Faye (2013-06-05). "Online Dating Study: Is PNAS Getting Cozy with eHarmony?". Knight Science Journalism Tracker. MIT. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  34. ^ Flam, Faye (2012-11-12). "Ben Franklin\'s kite story charged with confusion". Lightning Rod. WHYY. Archived from the original on 2014-03-22. Retrieved 2017-12-20.
  35. ^ Flam, Faye (2013-01-28). "Doctor to the mummies". The Washington Post.
  36. ^ Flam, Faye (2013-10-08). "How America cultivated a generation of obesity". The News-Herald.
  37. ^ Flam, Faye (2013-02-01). "Mummies yield ancient clues to origins of disease". The Japan Times. Japan Times. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  38. ^ Flam, Faye (2011-09-12). "Evolutionary invasion of the body snatchers". Richard Dawkins Foundation News. Richard Dawkins Foundation. Archived from the original on 2014-01-21. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  39. ^ Higgs, Science Cat; Flam, Faye (2011-12-29). "Yellow Cat Attempts to Debunk Creationist Misconceptions". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  40. ^ Coyne, Jerry (2011-12-29). "Faye Flam's cat answers creationists". Why Evolution is True. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  41. ^ Higgs, Science Cat; Flam, Faye (2012-06-22). "Higgs Bets on a July 4 Discovery of his Particle". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  42. ^ Higgs, Science Cat; Flam, Faye (2013). "Higgs, the Science Cat". Parade. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  43. ^ Higgs, Science Cat (2013-04-18). "Are Dogs Smarter Than Cats?". Parade. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  44. ^ Higgs, Science Cat (2013-06-26). "Lose Weight While You Sleep? You're Already Doing It". Parade. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  45. ^ "Philadelphia Inquirer Science Journalist Faye Flam to Discuss Book at The Wistar Institute: "The Score: How the Quest for Sex Has Shaped the Modern Man"". The Wistar Institute. 2008. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  46. ^ "Nerd Nite Special Edition: The Philadelphia Science Festival". 2011. Archived from the original on 2014-03-23. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  47. ^ "Telling the Stories of Science". Drexel University. 2012. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  48. ^ "Journalist in Residence - Faye Flam". Santa Barbara: Kavli Institute. 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-03-23. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  49. ^ Flam, Faye (2013). "Life on Mars and Neanderthal Clones: Why Weird Science Gets on the Front Page and What You Can Do About It". Santa Barbara: Kavli Institute. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  50. ^ Flam, Faye (2013). "How To Sell Your Science Without Selling Your Soul: How To Get The Media To Work For You". Santa Barbara: Kavli Institute.
  51. ^ Flam, Faye (2013). "Salacious Science: What I Learned from Writing an Infamous Sex Column". Santa Barbara: Kavli Institute. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  52. ^ "NewsWorks' Faye Flam Discusses Science, Religion and Sex". News from Ursinus. Ursinus College. 2013-10-22. Retrieved 2014-01-12.
  53. ^ Flam, Faye (2013), What I learned About Science and Religion by writing and Infamous Sex Column, Ursinus College
  54. ^ Flam, Faye (2013-07-14), "Crisis in the Media: Can We Fight Fakers in an Accelerating Information Universe?", The Amaz!ng Meeting, Las Vegas: JREF
  55. ^ Flam, Faye (2013). "What magicians can teach scientists about skepticism". NewsWorks. WHYY. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  56. ^ "Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) and Science in the Media". Philadelphia Association for Critical Thinking. 2014. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  57. ^ "Friend of Darwin and Friend of the Planet awards for 2014". NCSE. 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  58. ^ "2011 Keystone Press Award Winners - Division I" (PDF). Pennsylvania News Media Association. 2011. Retrieved 2014-01-12.[permanent dead link]
  59. ^ "Inquirer receives 27 awards from Pa. news associations". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 2011. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved 2014-03-24.
  60. ^ Flam, Faye (2011-10-24). "Severing the link between Darwin and Nazism". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  61. ^ Flam, Faye (2010-01-09). "Climate expert in the eye of an integrity storm". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on September 2, 2013. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
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