April Virtual Event
Science communicators and journalists often reach a point where they want to brush up on foundational knowledge, strengthen specific skills, or delve into a particular area of interest. This virtual event explores how to "level up" at any stage of your career through funded professional development opportunities such as fellowships and scholarships.
At this event, SWCC board member Bryce Hoye will share his experience as a fellow in the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT. He'll be joined by Ashley Smart, associate director of the Knight Science Journalism Program, as well as two organizers of the CBC David Suzuki Scholarship for journalism students -- Lesley Birchard and Gina Lorentz -- who will welcome audience questions about their programs. By bringing together both personal experiences and program-level insights, this event will give participants a clearer understanding of funded opportunities for Canadian science communicators and journalists across the career spectrum, along with resources for further exploration.
Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2026 from 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. ET via Zoom
Cost: Free for SWCC Members / $30 CAD for Non-Members
Are you a non-member of SWCC registering for this event? If you decide to become a member of SWCC within 2 weeks of the event date, your membership fee (in the applicable category) will be discounted by the amount you paid for event registration. To activate your discounted membership within the 2-week period, email office@sciencewriters.ca.
Speaker: Bryce Hoye
Bryce Hoye is a multi-platform journalist for CBC based in Winnipeg. He has worked for Canada's public broadcaster since 2014 covering a range of topics. He previously spent several field seasons working in wildlife field biology, mainly for Environment Canada. As a journalist, he gravitates toward ecology and conservation, wildlife-human conflict, biodiversity loss and climate change, natural disasters and natural history, LGBTQ2S health and equity, and topics in space sciences — including exoplanet research, the search for life beyond Earth, and UFOs. He was a 2024-25 MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellow.
Speaker: Lesley Birchard
Lesley Birchard champions captivating science and nature stories for CBC's flagship science program The Nature of Things. She pioneered the groundbreaking CBC Short Docs, commissioning over 200 documentaries for CBC Gem and YouTube, and is a passionate advocate for filmmakers from equity-deserving communities. Lesley's previous portfolio at CBC included overseeing select feature docs and hit unscripted series like Still Standing. Before CBC, she honed her craft as a freelance director, producer, and story editor. She holds an M.A. in Creative Media Education from Bournemouth University.
Speaker: Gina Lorentz
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Gina Lorentz is president of the Radio Television Digital News Foundation which promotes excellence in journalism through its student scholarship program. RTDNF was established by RTDNA Canada in 1978. Since then, the foundation has awarded more than half a million dollars to emerging journalists through the generosity of sponsors. Gina is humbled to have her award-winning broadcast career and experience as a journalism professor recognized to help students find and tell compelling stories.
