CEJ in Focus

Five Questions for the Fellows: Chris Walker

Erin Ashbaugh — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 01:33:48 +0000

Five Questions for the Fellows: Chris Walker Erin Ashbaugh Thu, 02/26/2026 - 18:33 Isabella Escobedo

The Ted Scripps Fellowships have been bringing award-winning environmental journalists to 91��ý for 29 years. Fellows embark on a year of courses, projects, field trips, seminars and more— taking advantage of everything university life has to offer. This series is a chance to get to know this year’s cohort of talented journalists beyond what a typical bio page will tell you.

Prior to the fellowship, you were working at 5280 magazine, and you did podcasting. How has the transition been to becoming a fellow?

I left 5280 in 2024, so it's been a period of being on my own. And even in that short period, I missed the camaraderie of being in a newsroom and being around other people and bouncing ideas off each other. So being part of a fellowship cohort and really bonding with the other fellows and CEJ staff, talking about journalism, talking about environmental reporting, and being part of the bigger CU campus community has been a huge injection of energy, inspiration, and ideas. All of that has been really great in contrast with the lonely existence of being a solo freelancer.

Can you talk a little bit about your fellowship project and how it has changed or progressed over the past six months?

I initially got the idea in 2021, when I had an assignment at Colorado's annual oil and gas summit. I heard some surprising things, including the sense that fossil fuel companies were feeling real pressure from their investors to pursue climate goals like reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Fast forward to 2025, and there's been a complete reversal. Many of those same companies refuse to entertain even basic climate-related proposals by their shareholders, which is a huge shift in power.

I'm glad that I came into the fellowship without having a really specific story angle, because I was taking a class last semester and very briefly the professor mentioned a unique case going on where Exxon was suing its own shareholders for filing a climate resolution. That became an angle that I felt like I could attach to this longer investigation.

How many classes have you audited, and which one has been your favorite or the most impactful?

I audited four classes in the fall semester, and I'm auditing three classes right now. A lot of those have been climate- or environment-related, but I've also taken the advice of the advisors to take some fun classes. I would have to say that “Neurohacking,” with Annie Margaret, was probably the most impactful for me. It was all about how our nervous system works and different theories about how human consciousness works. And when it came down to practice, it was about how to control your waking experience, through meditation, through breathing, and through exposure to stress to build resilience. I did not expect, when I began the Scripps fellowship, that I would be practicing breathing and meditation techniques, but I found them very useful.

One of the memorable experiences for class was a field trip to do a cold plunge in Boulder Creek. I lasted two minutes, which I was proud of.

Many of the fellows talk about being able to read more during the fellowship. What is a book that you've picked up this semester that you've really enjoyed and recommend to others?

I've been taking the bus to and from Denver, and I'm fortunately one of those people who are able to read in a moving vehicle. That's two hours of reading time on days that I'm coming up to Boulder. And that's been another really unexpected, wonderful benefit of the fellowship—just having time to crush books. Right now, I'm rereading “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck, which I hadn't read in 15 years, and just am really inspired by the gorgeous writing. I also read Viktor Frankl's “Man's Search for Meaning,” about surviving the holocaust, which is really intense, really moving, and topical.

The other fellows are incredible. Starting just in a professional sense, I've learned so much from them, everything on tips on how to pitch stories and book suggestions that they have. I've gotten way more out of the sense of camaraderie and friendship. It can be a lonely road working as a freelancer, so being able to regularly meet up with the other fellows—for dinners we've organized, going on hikes, slinging pizza together on our retreat in Grand Lake, commiserating as we watch CU’s football team get absolutely demolished at Folsom field, and our field trip to Casa Bonita—has been profoundly meaningful to me in a social sense, because journalism isn't just about the work. It's also about keeping each other pumped and inspired.

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Five Questions for the Fellows: Chris Solomon

Erin Ashbaugh — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 09:16:55 +0000

Five Questions for the Fellows: Chris Solomon Erin Ashbaugh Thu, 02/26/2026 - 02:16 Isabella Escobedo

How has the adjustment been from working as a freelance journalist to a Scripps fellow?

It has been a little bit of an adjustment to step off the nonstop treadmill of being a freelance journalist, where you are constantly trying to hunt down your next meal, and you are constantly looking at the clock, looking at your bank account, under several kinds of pressures. The fellowship has allowed me to slow down and take a deep breath. That has taken a little bit of adjustment but it's been really gratifying to be able to do it.

I had been warned by friends who've taken these fellowships in the past that it can be disorienting at first. I'm a pretty Type A personality and I almost didn't know what to do with myself besides go to classes. I felt a little lost without producing stuff all the time. But a really great thing starts to happen when you're not constantly under deadline – your mind can unclench a little bit. I started to see story ideas everywhere. That's one of the things you want to start happening from a fellowship, is to be able to step back, breathe again, and start to see big pictures and big connections between things.

You’ve mentioned before that with your newfound “free” time, you're doing a lot more reading. What is your favorite book, related or unrelated to your project, that you read recently?

I'm doing everything from rereading Marc Reisner’s classic book, Cadillac Desert, about the development of water in the West, to a relatively new book about the history of public lands in America, titled Making America's Public Lands by Adam Sowards.

One really good thing about the fellowship is it’s helping fill in a lot of the holes I have in my education as an environmental reporter. It’s giving me a lot of context, whether it's in water management in the West or just the history of public lands, for instance. I’ve since ordered a half dozen books that I'm hoping to read over the holidays, from John McPhee's classic book The Control of Nature to Donald Worster's Rivers of Empire.

What's been one of your favorite classes and why do you like it?

Perhaps the best one to date has been a class in the Law School on Fundamentals of Natural Resource Law with Michael Pappas. As environmental reporters, we often write about environmental impact statements, environmental assessments, and the Endangered Species Act, but for most of us, our knowledge of these things is a mile wide and an inch deep. This class dives into how these things work.

One reason I was excited to go back to school was to take classes that feed me as a reporter and writer, and that I never took in college.

What is your favorite part of the fellowship so far?

I think the best part of this fellowship is the other journalists. I've been a freelance writer for more than 20 years; I spend my days by myself, and one of the things I miss most about working at a newspaper was the conviviality, the collegiality, the shared experience, and the excitement of being in the room with other journalists who are the most fun, smart, weirdest people I know. It's really good to be in a room again with some of those really smart, fun, kind of offbeat people who I can tell are going to be friends for a really long time.

What do you like to do for fun in Boulder?

I really love the outdoors, so I looked forward to coming here. Boulder really is the outdoor town that everyone said it was. I've been trail running, six days a week, since the day I arrived. It has been fun to explore a new trail almost every day. I look forward to the winter and getting up into the mountains and doing some skiing. I've gone fly fishing with friends, and the fellows and I climbed a 14er together.

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Five Questions for the Fellows: Ben Cathey

Erin Ashbaugh — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 09:05:53 +0000

Five Questions for the Fellows: Ben Cathey Erin Ashbaugh Thu, 02/26/2026 - 02:05 Isabella Escobedo

Prior to the fellowship, you were working as a meteorologist in Knoxville. How has the transition been to being a fellow?

I'm really getting the chance to pursue these stories on wildfire and arson and indigenous firefighting that I've wanted to do for years – that the daily grind of TV, news, and weather really didn't allow for. I suppose what's similar is there's a lot of autonomy in both. I'd been doing TV, weather and climate for almost 15 years, and I built a pretty successful routine and a successful career that afforded me a lot of autonomy. Here at the Scripps Fellowship, you have a lot of autonomy over your time, classes, networking, events, reading for classes, whatever it may be. It's been a nice time to find my interests again. I think a lot of journalists deal with burnout at this point in their career, and that's certainly something that I was feeling, and this has helped recharge my tank.

Currently, you are working on stories related to wildfire causes and the use of AI to detect and prevent arson. What is the most interesting thing you have learned so far reporting on these stories during the fellowship?

I knew about this former FBI agent and now professor who had been studying arson and AI since 1974. I didn't even know AI was a thing then. Once I got here, I realized that brand new research was showing that arson is way more common than was previously thought of in wildfires. I mean, there's tens of thousands of additional fires that were just never solved, that they think were arson, and they were using AI to solve that puzzle. And the thought is that AI could soon be used to predict these crimes before they actually happen, which is just kind of a game-changing thing to me, not only to prevent fires and devastation, but the ethical concerns are really interesting and compelling.

Which, if any, of your classes have been helpful to your fellowship project?

I found this drone class. It's called Geography 4003, UAS for Earth Observations, but the professor calls it the drone class. It’s been really helpful, not just to help with or to aid in getting video for stories, but the professor, Nic, also teaches you how to overlay data that you can pick up with a drone instrument. There's a lot of uses when looking at wildfires. I could fly at 400 feet up over an old burn scar and show potentially where the flames stopped, or why certain species of trees were able to survive, or maybe why some homes were able to survive too.

What is a book that you've picked up this semester that you've really enjoyed?

One of the other fellows, Amanda, gave me an early print edition of a firefighter memoir that she got while working at NPR. I hadn’t heard of this book, When it all Burns by Jordan Thomas, and it talks about his experience as somebody coming from academia and going into really elite firefighting with the Los Padres Hotshots. The book helped shape my project in some ways, like a lot of the front-line firefighter stories have been told, and they're really compelling, and obviously it's very dramatic, but it maybe it led me to want to chase a story that hasn't been told as much.

Lastly, what do you like to do for fun in Boulder?

I thought Boulder was outdoorsy before I got here, and then I quickly learned I've got a lot of catching up to do. One of my first days here, I did a solo twelve-and-a-half mile hike up to the Devil's Thumb, and then we had a mixer at the fanciest hotel in town an hour later. I've also loved exploring these little towns around Boulder, like Nederland and Rollinsville, and I’ve been to Estes Park a bunch of times. That's been really fun.

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Wildfires, water quality, weather patterns: Scripps fellows have ambitious plans for climate reporting

Regan Widergren — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 17:34:50 +0000

Wildfires, water quality, weather patterns: Scripps fellows have ambitious plans for climate reporting Regan Widergren Tue, 07/22/2025 - 11:34

The newest class of fellows at the Center for Environmental Journalism brings experience from NPR, The New York Times, National Geographic and more.

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Five Questions for the Fellows: Cat Jaffee

Erin Ashbaugh — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 06:32:54 +0000

Five Questions for the Fellows: Cat Jaffee Erin Ashbaugh Mon, 03/03/2025 - 23:32

Isabella Escobedo

The Ted Scripps Fellowships have been bringing award-winning environmental journalists to 91��ý for 28 years. Fellows embark on a year of courses, projects, field trips, seminars and more— taking advantage of everything university life has to offer. This series is a chance to get to know this year’s cohort of talented journalists beyond what a typical bio page will tell you.

How are you enjoying the fellowship?

I love it. My only complaint is that it's too short, but I can totally see how it's a life-changing experience. It's too soon to say, but I think this is, for sure, one of the coolest things I've ever done. There's something very different about giving myself space and time to reflect on who I am, how I show up in the world, and what I want to do in this life. I think in a society that chases experiences, this is definitely top of the list.

I also think it's really encouraging to go down the rabbit hole and follow tangents and interests; you're in classes and learning interesting things every day, but you don't have to do the homework necessarily, or the tests. I think it actually gets to the heart of what education is all about – which is curiosity. It cultivates an ethos of curiosity, not just about the world around you, but the inner world. The fellowship puts an emphasis on seeing where the journey takes you.

Your project focuses on exploring the overlap between repairing human bodies and ecosystems. Can you tell me about how you became interested in that topic?

In 2020 I was diagnosed with cancer, which we found because I also had malaria and dengue fever, which I had contracted on a reporting trip in Angola. That reporting trip was also about this water system called the Okavango Delta that wasn't behaving in ways that it had historically. There were all these reasons why the water was changing in the way it was flowing. As I was exploring the science around the system and looking at ways that people were talking about water systems, I started seeing similar medical terms and explanations also being used around repairing my own body.

I wanted to explore the biotech, the ethos, the philosophy, the culture, and the mentality of how we fix things in a more intersectional way. I was excited to have this overarching theme to my work and then use the fellowship to build relationships with professors and try to find the stories underneath that. As far as tech goes, everything from geoengineering to geosciences to rewilding, there couldn't be a better place than CU. It's just so incredible in terms of all the different kinds of labs and research and experts that are here.

Are there any professors or classes in particular that have been helping develop your project?

Ben Hale's Environmental Philosophy course has been incredible for me. I'm working on reporting a story with Paul Sutter, an environmental historian, and I'm auditing his class. Michael Pappas’ Natural Resource Law class has been really helpful for me in understanding land management. Then I took this medical geography course that really helped me understand the interconnection between place and medicine. Especially the way that Colleen Reid teaches it. It's thinking about the implicit connections of environment and public health, and how the individual versus the collective has changed over time. She's such an incredible professor. I took these classes because I was interested in them, but every single one of them is connected to my project.

How have the other fellows impacted your project and experience?

I think something cool about our class is that everybody has their own medium. So each of us has such a different approach but obviously share a lot of the same ethos and inspiration. Like many of us were really inspired by the New York Times’ award-winning story “Snow Fall.” I have a dream that the five of us could do a collaborative project, each bringing some element. I think I've also been really inspired just to learn about everybody's journeys and I think the challenge of power has been core to all of our work. It reminds me of my own values and the kind of work that I want to do out there. So that’s been really helpful in calibrating my moral compass.

What do you like to do for fun here in Boulder?

I'm a really big dancer here, which is kind of hilarious because I don't look like a dancer and I don't really have good beat, but I dance probably two to three times a week. I dance at Streetside Studios and Avalon, I do West African dance, hip hop, West Coast swing, and Salsa. I live in Chautauqua with two Border Collies so I'm in a number of run clubs, I climb up the Flatirons pretty regularly, and I’m in Chautauqua at least twice a day hiking. I also spend a lot of time animal tracking while I'm up there because it's such a vibrant natural space. I feel like my life is intertwined with bears. I spend so much time with bears and lately wild turkeys and owls. Seeing all the different phases of seasons and how every day is so different there, I really have built such a strong relationship with that place.

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Five Questions for the Fellows: Steven Bedard

Erin Ashbaugh — Tue, 04 Feb 2025 06:58:45 +0000

Five Questions for the Fellows: Steven Bedard Erin Ashbaugh Mon, 02/03/2025 - 23:58

Isabella Escobedo

What is your favorite opportunity offered by the fellowship?

It's been kind of this expansive experience. We can study anything we want, we can reach out to experts here and set up interviews with them, or just a coffee or lunch date or whatever, to talk about the work that they do and how that might fit into our project. It has felt like this real gift.

How have you found the transition from working at bioGraphic magazine to becoming a fellow?

It's been easier than I thought it would be. Because bioGraphic is a very small operation, and I've been involved with it from the beginning, it's kind of been my baby that requires a lot of care from me. I questioned even if I was going to be able to step away from it for a while, and if so, how difficult that would be. I've found it very easy. I think I truly needed a break. I think my mind being able to shift focus and expand my view from this tiny world that I have been creating and living in for a long time has been really great. I have more free time than I've had in years.

With your newfound free time, what do you like to do for fun?

I came to the program from Montana—from the capital city of Montana, but it's really kind of a small town, and there isn't a whole lot going on. And so, in Boulder, to have so much opportunity, so much art, so much great food available, and so much variety, including food markets that I don’t have in Montana, that’s been wonderful and inspiring. I also like to hike with my dog, and I bike a lot.

And because I grew up here and have family here, I've also had the opportunity to reconnect with friends and be closer to family. I've also been trying to make a little bit of time for reading, for fun, just reading novels. For years, that has been hard to find time for. It's like I read all the time, that's part of my job. I'm reading a ton in the fellowship, too, even more than ever. But it's nice to have some time to read things that are not related to work or school.

What are your favorite classes this semester?

That's an easy one, and it might be the same one for a few of us, but Environmental Cinema with Erin Espelie is definitely a favorite. It's a favorite because it's enlightening and expansive. It’s getting me to think about film more broadly than I ever have. We do produce short films for bioGraphic, and I have been very involved with reviewing scripts and cuts and things like that, but the philosophy of film, history of film, and everything that is covered in this course has been really helpful in how I think about telling stories in that medium. It's also just a fun class.

How have the other fellows impacted your experience and work on your project?

Being part of this fellowship group and the camaraderie in that is possibly the biggest highlight of the fellowship. I live in Montana by choice, but sometimes I question that choice, because I work remotely and practically all of my interactions with people I work with are virtual. So, to be studying with, hanging out with, and just talking with—even if it's just walking across campus or on a hike during a field trip—and getting to know the other fellows has been so great on a personal level.

I think there's a lot of indirect influence in all the conversations that we’ve had, and hearing ways in which they think about storytelling, how they pursue their research, and work that they've done in the past is enlightening. And it presents opportunities to think about and learn about other ways of doing things.

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Five Questions for the Fellows: Taylor Dolven

Erin Ashbaugh — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 22:54:49 +0000

Five Questions for the Fellows: Taylor Dolven Erin Ashbaugh Sun, 12/29/2024 - 15:54

Isabella Escobedo

Your project focuses on how U.S. car dependence is impacting lithium-rich communities in South America as we move towards electric vehicles. Can you tell me what led you to pursue this topic?

In my role at The Boston Globe, I cover transportation, so transportation policy in the U.S.—how car focused it is—is a really big component of the transportation beat. If you're covering the sector in the U.S., you inevitably end up realizing just how car-heavy our investments have been. They’ve brought us to this point where we're kind of stuck in a situation where most of our urban areas are made for cars and not for people. A lot of the mining for minerals for electric vehicle batteries occur in communities that have contributed least to climate change and are having to bear the brunt of that extraction and the environmental damage that comes with it, especially in South America. I'm really interested in looking at other pathways and more just pathways for how we can do this.

How is the fellowship helping you put together this particular story?

I'm taking a law class with Kristen Carpenter, called Indigenous Peoples in International Law, where we're focused on some cases of mining. It’s exactly what I'm interested in, where indigenous peoples are trying to defend their rights to religion, to culture, to resources, up against some really challenging odds when it comes to states and corporations who have interests in extraction. Looking at ways that indigenous peoples are using mostly U.N. mechanisms and different legal forms there to assert their rights and push back and come together globally has been super interesting to learn about.

And then the other class that has been really helpful is my Spanish Literature class. We've read a lot of books focused exclusively on gothic literature from the 21st century, from Argentina and almost exclusively women authors. Two, maybe three, of the books that we've read are what is called “eco-terror” or “eco-horror,” having to do with extraction, climate change, things like that. Just thinking about challenges we're facing, creative ways to deal with them, and showing that other ways are possible, has been really eye-opening and interesting.

What is your favorite part of the fellowship so far?

My favorite part of the fellowship is getting the much-needed time to step away from daily deadlines. I've been in daily journalism for 12 years without a break, and so this opportunity to really just pause and read books, several a week, and spend time with these other journalists who are in different fields and focus on different things and learn from them. The camaraderie with other fellows and a break for my brain to be curious and learn, just for learning’s sake, is really unique and special.

What do you do for fun in Boulder, outside the fellowship?

Boulder is such a unique place. I feel so lucky to live somewhere where I can walk out my front door and go and hike. My class schedule definitely allows me to spend a morning climbing up a mountain, which is such a joy, and something I never thought I'd be able to do. That's a really special part of living here. I went to more films than I can even keep straight at the Denver Film Festival, that was really fun. The fellowship has allowed me to have the time to be able to do things like that, where, if I'm at my job, I can't really do as much.

How have the other fellows impacted your experience and even your project?

I think the other fellows really are the best part of this experience. It would be so different to do something like this alone. They come from very different backgrounds from me, and also very different journalism mediums than I do, so their perspective is so, so, so valuable. I'm still defining what my end product is going to be, and they've all been so helpful in trying to help me figure that out. And they are always there to bounce ideas around with me, and they're super supportive.

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Five Questions for the Fellows: Leah Varjacques

Erin Ashbaugh — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 22:38:50 +0000

Five Questions for the Fellows: Leah Varjacques Erin Ashbaugh Sun, 12/29/2024 - 15:38

Isabella Escobedo

Your project focuses on the impact of Indonesia's future capital city on East Borneo’s Indigenous people. Can you elaborate on how you are putting together the story?

I’m focusing on this scientist group that is monitoring how the sound is changing in the forest. They use bioacoustics to monitor how the ecosystem is changing. They kind of wanted to record a baseline of what the biodiversity is like there, and then over time, see how that changes based on how the construction impacts different species that you can hear. This Indigenous group, the Balik, have lived there for generations and have a way of life and have used the forest. They're forest-dependent people. They source livelihood from the forest, historically, and they have some cultural markers--for example, when this type of monkey calls at whatever time, we know that it's dawn, or we know that it's going to rain. If the monkey is calling at a time of day that it doesn't usually call, then that means a death will occur in the village. It's kind of cultural and traditional ecological knowledge that this group has, and they are at risk of losing a lot of that heritage because of the construction. I'm hoping that my film is able to talk about the impact of this capital city on them through this sound science project.

What led you to pursue this story?

I was really interested in climate relocation stories and climate adaptation stories, so I just started reading academic articles. I read about how Indonesia is moving its capital city, because Jakarta is going to be underwater very soon. It's like 40% below sea level, and with sea level rise and flooding issues and all these issues that Jakarta has, the capital is already compromised, so they are building this whole new city, and that was crazy to me. I was like, “Why haven't I read about this?” Because just building a whole new city out of nowhere in Borneo, that seems crazy. Also, the fact that it was specifically framed as “this is a climate adaptation project,” because we know this existing capital city is doomed, so we're just going to build another city over here. That was crazy to me. And then I later learned that, internally in Indonesia, it's not really viewed as a climate-related project. It's really viewed as a nation-building project. A lot of people there don't see the relationship to climate change, which was very surprising to me. And so that is why I got interested in the story.

What is your favorite part of the fellowship so far?

I would say getting to know the fellows and building a little community in the CEJ is my favorite part so far. I've really enjoyed some of my classes and getting to learn new things. I've been taking two kinds of more arty-focused classes, and so I feel like that's helping inform my creative practice.

What are your favorite classes this semester?

I am really liking Environmental Cinema with Erin Espelie. I didn't think about how cinema has treated the environment, environmental issues, nature, and climate change. So that's been interesting, and it's been cool to get exposure to different kinds of films and see how that sparks new ideas for me.

I've also enjoyed my sound class Sound Practices with Betsey Biggs, because as a filmmaker, I have always focused more on the image side of the equation, but film is very much also about sound. And because my project is also focused on sound, I wanted to bring that more to the front of my mind and see how sound can be prioritized. And if I prioritize sound, how that might change the creative process? Hopefully it's planted a bunch of seeds that I will see sprout eventually.

What do you do for fun in Boulder, outside the fellowship?

I like to hike, and I like to go skiing, and I like to make art and go dancing and just get together with friends and go see concerts.

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Five Questions for the Fellows: Neeta Satam

Erin Ashbaugh — Sun, 29 Dec 2024 22:30:20 +0000

Five Questions for the Fellows: Neeta Satam Erin Ashbaugh Sun, 12/29/2024 - 15:30

Isabella Escobedo

How are you enjoying the fellowship thus far?

I am having a wonderful time both professionally and personally. The fellowship has given me the much-needed break from the day-to-day grind, so I really appreciate this opportunity to take classes, attend seminars, and work on my project. I am particularly enjoying engaging with my cohort, students, and faculty.

It’s been an incredible experience so far, and I’m excited for what the next semester will bring.

How have you found the transition from working as a freelance journalist to becoming a fellow?

When I was moving to Boulder, I was a little nervous about how it was all going to work out. But the transition was seamless. The CEJ staff provided the incoming fellows with all the resources and support to make the transition easy. Being a freelance photojournalist is somewhat of a solitary pursuit, so I have enjoyed being surrounded by a community of like-minded people. I have lived and freelanced out of the Midwest for the past 10 years. I’m absolutely thrilled to be in Boulder, amidst a breathtaking landscape and wonderful community.

What has been your favorite part of the fellowship?

That’s a tough question because there’s so much I’m enjoying. One thing I love is auditing classes, as I’m gaining new knowledge and skills in areas outside my core expertise. Some of the courses are reading-intensive, which gives me the chance to slow down and read—something I couldn’t do enough when I was working full-time as a freelancer.

Two of my classes focus on decolonization and indigenous rights, which directly connects to the documentary work I’ve been doing. The insights I’m gaining are shaping my thinking and deeply informing my projects.

If you had to pick one, what is your favorite class this semester?

I’m enjoying all the classes I’m auditing, so it’s tough to choose a favorite. Some are reading-focused, while others are more skills-based. In terms of theory, I’m really enjoying a class called Arctic Society and Culture. It’s been fascinating. For skills, I’m taking two filmmaking classes—Short Documentary and Environmental Cinema—and both are challenging me to think creatively and push the boundaries of storytelling.

What do you like to do with your newfound free time?

I've been hiking a lot in my free time. Living in Boulder comes with the perk of easy access to beautiful trails in the Rockies.

I have hiked 27 trails since moving to Boulder. I started with easier trails, and I am now gradually tackling moderate ones—something I never would have imagined five years ago, when I injured my back and hip. Before that, I have hiked in the Sahyadri mountains (Western Ghats) of India and the Himalayas, but I had to stop after my injury.

Another thing I have been focusing on in my free time is getting back into my pranayama and meditation practice every morning. Having a set routine has really helped me carve out time for it. As a freelance photojournalist, my schedule was often unpredictable, especially with the travel and long hours, so having a structure during the fellowship has been a welcome balance.

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Accomplished journalists join newest class of Scripps Fellows

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 04:02:53 +0000

Accomplished journalists join newest class of Scripps Fellows Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 07/28/2024 - 22:02

Iris Serrano

The Center for Environmental Journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder has named five exceptional journalists to its 2024-25 class of Ted Scripps Fellows in Environmental Journalism.

“This year’s terrific incoming class of Ted Scripps Fellows hails from around the country and works across multiple platforms, including photography, podcasts, documentary, long-form narrative and daily news,” said Hillary Rosner, assistant director of the Center for Environmental Journalism—which oversees the Scripps Fellows program—and a teaching assistant professor at CMCI. “Together, they bring decades of experience and expertise to 91��ý, where they will learn from university researchers and share their knowledge with the community.”

Established in 1993, the Ted Scripps Fellowship has been based at the University of Colorado Boulder since 1997. The program, which is supported by a grant from the Scripps Howard Fund, aims to give full-time journalists working in any medium the knowledge and tools to report on today’s pressing environmental issues in ways that resonate with diverse audiences. Over a nine-month period, fellows attend classes at the University of Colorado Boulder, participate in weekly seminars and field trips, and pursue their own journalistic projects on a wide range of environmental topics.

The incoming class includes:

Steven Bedard, co-founder and editor, BioGraphic. Bedard has spent the last 25 years writing and producing science stories on everything from archaeology to evolution. During the fellowship, he will explore how species are responding to global change, looking at the intersection between systems-scale events and the individual organisms’ biology.

Taylor Dolven, reporter, The Boston Globe. Dolven focuses on how transportation intersects with climate change and economic inequality. Previously, as a reporter at the Miami Herald, she exposed how cruise companies kept workers at sea without pay during the pandemic. As a fellow, Dolven will research how Americans’ reliance on cars and the transition to electric vehicles impacts lithium-rich communities in South America.

Catherine (Cat) Jaffee, founder and audio producer, House of Pod. Jaffee will spend her fellowship developing an audio series that explores how both ecosystems and human bodies repair themselves, and how overlapping biomedical and bioengineered solutions apply to both. Jaffee has produced more than 1,000 podcast episodes for outlets such as PBS and National Geographic.

Neeta Satam, independent photojournalist. Satam is an Indian photojournalist and National Geographic explorer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post and elsewhere. As a fellow, she will expand a long-term project that documents the impact of climate change on a community in the Himalayas, with an emphasis on gender inequity.

Leah Varjacques, visual journalist and documentary producer. Varjacques has produced and edited digital and television documentaries for The New York Times, The Atlantic and Vice News, where she won an Emmy in 2021. She plans to study climate adaptation and human geography to produce a short documentary about the impacts of Indonesia's future capital city on East Borneo's Indigenous people.

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