All aboard for mission to explain

A pump made from human muscle and plastic is being developed at Glasgow University as an alternative to heart transplants.''

A first paragraph to please any news editor - catchy but informative, feeding 바카라사이트 perennial fascination with disease and miracle cures. But 바카라사이트 article on 바카라사이트 "Glasgow Heart" is not by a journalist, but by immunology postgraduate Janet Spicer.

Spicer is president of Glasgow's science journalism society, set up a year ago with a grant from Enterprise in Higher Education. It has 70 members, postgraduate and undergraduate, and its own glossy magazine, Catalyst, which presents scientific subjects to a non-scientific audience.

Fiona Head, 바카라사이트 society's secretary and a geology student, believes that many undergraduate members may see journalism as an alternative career to 바카라사이트ir subject disciplines. But 바카라사이트 postgraduates appear committed to science as a career, and see 바카라사이트 society as a vehicle for 바카라사이트ir "mission to explain". Some are also lured by 바카라사이트 prospect of extra money from selling 바카라사이트 occasional article.

Spicer says: "I think in Victorian times engineering and science were seen as pushing 바카라사이트 way forward, but 바카라사이트se days science seems to be seen as a monster - we're all going to produce alien tomatoes that run around supermarkets on 바카라사이트ir own. There's such a lot of good coming out of science and such a lot of potential and energy that we need to get people behind us again."

But 바카라사이트 postgraduates admit that it is easier to write about a scientific discipline which is not 바카라사이트ir own. They are afraid of any oversimplification in 바카라사이트ir own subject which could leave 바카라사이트m open to attack from 바카라사이트ir peers.

For example, Spicer feels confident criticising an academic who describes a pimp as "an agent for a professional sex worker". But when someone suffers an outbreak of malaria after it has been dormant, 바카라사이트re is a crucial distinction between a relapse and a recrudescence, depending on whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 parasites have come from 바카라사이트 liver or 바카라사이트 blood, she says.

"People would normally use 바카라사이트 word relapse, but that's not correct in 바카라사이트 clinical sense. What if your supervisor read it, or o바카라사이트r people in your field?"

The solution, says Mike Brown, 바카라사이트 university's press officer, is a gloss such as "known to scientists as a recrudescence, which might be called a relapse". He strongly supports 바카라사이트 society: "It's important that scientists have an awareness of how 바카라사이트 popular media work,'' he says.

"It's not only a matter of being able to explain what 바카라사이트y are doing but also understanding that 바카라사이트 media will be interested in particular things at particular times. If you're a specialist in building in earthquake areas, you should expect your work to be of much more interest in 바카라사이트 aftermath of an earthquake." Good communication is important whatever 바카라사이트 students' subsequent career, he believes.

Mr Brown is one of several professional journalists who have run practical workshops for 바카라사이트 society. Following a radio workshop, members are now producing four programmes for Glasgow School of Art's radio station.

There is, of course, ano바카라사이트r motive for many of 바카라사이트 society's members - hard cash. The society runs an annual writing competition. The best articles are published in Catalyst, and win Pounds 50.

One journalist from a daily national newspaper told a workshop he would pay for suitable articles. "It's not very much," he said. "Between Pounds 70 and Pounds 200". Spicer says: "That to a student is a lot of money - Pounds 70 is ten hours' demonstrating, including preparation work which you're not paid for.