This is the ninth in a series of profiles of the 2017-18 Knight Science Journalism fellows, written by students in MIT’s Graduate Program in Science Writing.
Mićo Tatalović is the environment and life sciences news editor of New Scientist and the chair of the Association of British Science Writers. He came to the Knight Science Journalism Program after many years of editing, writing, and facilitating science-writing projects across Europe.
Born in Rijeka, Croatia, he began his journey to science journalism as a boy, harvesting wild strawberries and ripe potatoes with his grandmother in the countryside. Those experiences planted an interest in biology that kept growing during his undergraduate years at the University of Oxford in England. Then, as a graduate student at the University of Cambridge, he studied zoology and animal behavior, focusing on sentinel meerkats.
While doing field research in South Africa, he began writing articles on meerkats for general audiences. And after graduating from Cambridge with a master’s degree, he entered the science communication program at Imperial College London.
After a series of internships and short jobs in both science and medical writing, Tatalović joined SciDev.net, reporting on scientific advancement and development around the world. As part of his position, he worked with journalists from developing countries and prepared their works for publication. His interest in helping others improve their skills led to his current involvement in two professional networks, the Association of British Science Writers and the Balkan Network of Science Journalists.
Over the course of the fellowship, Tatalović hopes to reflect on his experiences in science journalism with a focus on critically evaluating and improving his work for the future. He looks forward to attending seminars that discuss newer forms of media and technology, and learning about developments in scientific research. Temporarily free from publishing deadlines and editorial commitments, he also intends to develop his skills in investigative journalism and to spend time learning about fields of science he has not studied before.
“It’s a dream come true to be here at MIT and to have the privilege of taking classes and talking to all these world experts here and at Harvard University,” he says. “So many things are happening here … so many things that will change the world.
“To actually be here and to see it for yourself is amazing.”
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