Writing Samples

As a student in the Communication of Science & Technology major and a reporter for Vanderbilt's student news site (InsideVandy.com) and newspaper (The Vanderbilt Hustler), I have developed a number of writing styles.  Below are excerpts from four examples of my writing, on a variety of topics.  To view a pdf of the entire piece, click the provided link.



Why we need to continue reaching for the stars

An Op-Ed piece in support of manned space exploration, which I wrote for a class on advocacy writing.

"Unfortunately, as space travel shifted from the realm of the extraordinary to the ordinary in the minds of the public, we lost our focus in space. Instead of retiring the Shuttle program and pushing onto new technologies and locations, we became content to prop up an aging program and invest in a space station in our own planetary backyard. The Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on its last flight in July 2011 using hardware and software built in the early 1970s."

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WRVU's FM license sold to Nashville Public Radio

A breaking news article on InsideVandy.com and in the Vanderbilt Hustler, which I wrote to report the contentious sale of Vanderbilt's student radio station to Nashville's NPR station.  

"The Board of Directors of Vanderbilt Student Communications and the Board of Directors of Nashville Public Radio agreed today to the transfer of the license of WRVU 91.1FM to Nashville Public Radio.  The change in format on 91.1FM will take effect at midnight tonight."
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Hunting for alien worlds

A feature-length article on recent discoveries of alien planets, especially in the Vanderbilt astronomy department, which I wrote for InsideVandy.com's science section and for a class on science writing.

"Whether scrutinizing a few distant stars for the tiny dimming of an earth-like planet, observing the atmosphere of a gas giant orbiting a nearby star, or hunting for hot Jupiters across large sections of the night sky, exoplanet hunters are redefining our view of the Universe. 'Itʼs one of those sexy science things,' explains Rudi Kuhn, of the KELT-South team. 'We might not be alone in Universe, after all, and I think thatʼs the big driver of these programs.'"

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Mountain Top Removal: What is it and how can you help?

A speech discussing the dangers of mountain top removal mining and calling citizens to action, which I wrote for a hypothetical conference on environmental activism.

"In the major coal producing counties in West Virginia and Kentucky, out-of-state companies own seventy-five percent of all land.  Mountain top removal is slowly draining some of our nation’s poorest regions of both their mineral wealth and their jobs.  Today, West Virginia and Kentucky, the two most common locations of mountain top removal mining, have the first and sixth lowest household incomes of all fifty states."
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