Awarded the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communications
Today, I am deeply honored to announce that I have been selected as a recipient of the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communications,
This award is provided by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) in partnership with Schmidt Sciences. This recognition marks a pivotal moment in my career and reaffirms the value of communicating science with clarity, accessibility, and heart.
About the Award
The Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award was launched in 2022 as a successor to the longstanding National Academies Communication Award, which began in 2003. While the previous award recognized outstanding contributions in science, engineering, and medicine communication across books, films, print, and online media, the new Schmidt‑branded awards have a refined focus: celebrating creative, original, and impactful science communication by research scientists, science journalists, and communicators.
Now structured into eight subcategories—ranging from graduate student researchers and early-career communicators to seasoned journalists and organizational communicators—the award offers 24 prizes each year.
This award is more than a financial prize. It fosters a diverse community of science communicators—including researchers, journalists, and freelancers—and supports their ongoing professional development. Schmidt Sciences also collaborates with journalistic institutions to provide ongoing training and resources, reinforcing the vision that effective science communication is critical to addressing global challenges such as climate change, pandemics, and emerging technologies.
Why This Award Matters
Receiving the Schmidt Award is a profound honor, reflecting that peers and leaders in science communication recognize the significance and quality of your work. This recognition highlights several key values:
Creative Originality – Projects are evaluated on originality in content, format, and delivery. These awards honor those who break new ground in how we tell scientific stories.
Broad Accessibility – The jury seeks communication efforts that resonate with non‑expert audiences—making complex science easy to grasp without losing substance.
Impact on Society – Whether through illuminating public policy, sparking curiosity, or fostering informed decision‑making, awardees have demonstrated work that touches lives meaningfully.
Peer Recognition – The highly competitive selection process draws from a wide pool of entries. To be acknowledged among the winners signifies excellence and influence.
In short, the Schmidt Award is much more than a personal accolade—it is an endorsement of the importance of science communication itself, placing this work on par with scientific discovery and journalistic investigation.
A Personal Milestone
When I reflect on the moment I learned I had been named a winner of this prestigious award, I felt both elation and humility. Elation—for being recognized; humility—for realizing the responsibility that comes with this platform. Over the years, I have poured my heart into creating content that make science tangible—whether it’s through feature virtual reality videos, op-eds, facilitating two-way dialogue with policy makers, or delivering bespoke science communication training.
For me, science communication has always been a calling: a way to bridge the gap between lab benches and living rooms, between expert knowledge and public understanding. I've focused on telling stories that bring science to life—not just facts, but the people behind the work: their struggles, breakthroughs, failures, and triumphs.
The work recognized by this award was years in the making. Highlights include:
Feature articles in leading publications that brought complex scientific processes into sharp, human focus.
Multimedia storytelling, including video explainers and podcasts, that combined visuals and narrative to engage diverse audiences.
Public engagement events, such as speaking at community forums or science festivals to make science peerless and approachable.
Digital outreach, including social media initiatives designed to spark conversation and curiosity.
Each piece was guided by principles I hold dear:
Accuracy and clarity – avoiding jargon, anchoring explanations in familiar analogies, and fact-checking rigorously.
Empathy – centering the human and societal context behind scientific data.
Multi-platform adaptability – reshaping content to suit different audiences while sustaining coherence.
Ethical storytelling – representing sources fairly, disclosing funding, and acknowledging uncertainties.
Receiving the Schmidt Award shows that this approach resonates—not just with audiences, but with the very institutions we look to for standards of excellence.
Joining a Distinguished Community
This honor brings me into the company of inspiring science communicators who are reshaping how we relate to science:
Sanzjana Curtis, whose video series on stardust brought astrophysics into mainstream conversation schmidtsciences.org.
Marshall Shepherd, whose engaging meteorology podcasts and writings offer expert insight with a human touch schmidtsciences.org.
Kyne Santos, a drag queen who champions mathematics and representation in STEM schmidtsciences.org.
The award connects us not only financially, but through a shared vision to inspire curiosity, spark dialogue, and deepen public trust in science.
Looking Ahead: Commitment and Opportunity
I view this award not as a culmination, but as a launchpad. With the support, training, and community that come with the Schmidt Award, I plan to:
Expand multimedia storytelling, experimenting with immersive formats like interactive web features.
Scale public engagement, collaborating with schools, museums, and local communities.
Mentor emerging communicators, sharing lessons and encouraging diverse voices.
Influence policy, working with experts and journalists to connect evidence to public understanding and decision-making.
In short, I plan to leverage this opportunity to make science not only understandable, but resonant—and to build trust at a time when evidence-based dialogue is urgently needed.
Heartfelt Gratitude
None of this would be possible without the people who have supported me:
Mentors and peers, whose guidance sharpened my thinking and craft.
Scientists and storytellers, whose willingness to share and collaborate made every story richer.
Family, friends, and colleagues, who offered encouragement on long nights and through challenges.
This award is theirs as much as mine. I am profoundly grateful for every conversation, critique, and cheer that carried me to this point.
Joining the Movement
For fellow science communicators—whether you're a researcher, journalist, educator, or content creator—I offer this encouragement:
Clarify why you communicate. Is it curiosity, impact, justice, connection?
Choose your medium thoughtfully, and match your message to the platform and audience.
Seek feedback early and often, refining both delivery and substance.
Tell human stories. Science is deeply human—contextualizing it makes it relatable.
Apply for opportunities like this award—the Schmidt Award offers not just funds, but growth and visibility.
Joining this community is a transformative step—for you, and for public understanding of science!
In Gratitude and Excitement
Winning the Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communications marks one of the brightest highlights of my professional journey. More importantly, it reaffirms that telling science stories matters—that human-centered, accessible, creative communication is vital to the public good.
I am honored to carry this recognition forward, to build on it, and to dedicate myself anew to sharing scientific wonder, insight, and impact.
Thank you to the National Academies, Schmidt Sciences, the selection committee, and every one of you who has believed in the power of science storytelling. Onward!