Three MIT science writing alumni scooped up honors from the National Association of Science Writers (NASW) this week. Emily Anthes, ’06, was named a finalist for the 2021 Science in Society Journalism Award in the Books category for The Great Indoors: The Surprising Science of How Buildings Shape Our Behavior, Health, and Happiness. Emily won the Science in Society Award in 2018 in the Science Reporting – Short category for her New York Times Magazine feature “The Mystery of the Wasting House-Cats.”

Conor Gearin, ’16, and Greta Friar, ’17, also won honorable mentions in the Short-Form category for NASW’s 2021 Excellence in Institutional Writing Award, a prize dedicated to recognizing high-caliber publicly accessible science writing produced on behalf of an institution or other non-media organization. Greta, a senior science communications officer at the Whitehead Institute, and Conor, a digital producer, won for their video “Researcher Makes Art from Flowers and Pollen,” which explores how Whitehead Institute biologist Jing-Ke Weng and research scientist Fu-Shuang Li are studying the chemical structure of pollen grains with hopes that the research can guide the creation of new, super-tough materials.

Congratulations to Emily, Conor, Greta, and all of the NASW winners and honorees.