Science Writer
1999 Winner of AIP Prize for Science - writing in Physics and Astronomy for the non-specialist in the category of broadcast media for his documentary "From Empedocles to Einstein", which aired on the CBC radio program "Ideas".
1999 Winner of Science in Society Journalism award, radio category, from the U.S. National Association of Science Writers, for his documentary "Visions of the Apocalypse", which aired on the CBC radio program "Ideas".
B.Sc. from Dalhousie University, 1989
Bachelor of Applied Arts (graduate journalism program), Ryerson Polytechnic University, 1992
About six months after graduating from Ryerson, I landed a part-time job as an editorial assistant in the national newsroom of CBC Television in Toronto. After about eight months, they promoted me to writer/editor, and I stayed at the CBC for another four years. I occasionally covered science news, but it was essentially the "news of the day."
I've been a full-time freelance science writer since leaving the CBC. I write science articles for the Globe and Mail and other newspapers and magazines; I'm also a regular contributor to the CBC Radio programs "Ideas" and "Quirks and Quarks."
My career is probably quite different from most other physics graduates. These days, I never have to solve differential equations or work out derivatives or integrals. As a science journalist, however, I do have to keep up with advances in physics and astronomy. I get to attend scientific meetings -- for example, meetings of the American Physical Society and the American Astronomical Society -- and have the privilege of having a front row seat to breakthroughs in physics and astronomy. And, though I rarely use specific formulas or equations that I learned at Dalhousie, the process of getting my physics degree was still extremely useful for my current work. Most importantly, it gave me insight into what the scientific process is all about -- primarily through conversations with my professors. I learned how scientists think, what sort of questions they ask, and what sort of questions I can ask them. All of these things form the essential starting point for the work of any science writer.
How to contact me? danfalk@pathom.com
