National Press Club Announces Feldman Fellowship Winner

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Jul 22, 2011, 05:01 ET

WASHINGTON, July 22, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Press Club, the world's leading professional organization for journalists, announces Abby McBride as this year's winner of the $5,000 Dennis and Shirley Feldman Fellowship for Graduate Students in Journalism. She will use the award toward studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Graduate Program in Science Writing this fall.

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McBride, a natural-science blogger and freelance artist, was one of eight students chosen for the prestigious program this year. Her application ranked at the top of each selection committee member's list, said Marcia Bartusiak, the program's executive director. "We recognized an up and comer right away," Bartusiak wrote in a recommendation letter.

The scholarship committee was impressed with the calm and thoughtful way McBride approached her subject matter and the versatility of her work samples, which included a scientific paper and blog entries documenting the habits of seabirds.

In her application, the 26-year-old from Machiasport, Maine, said she aims to help "non-scientists form opinions about political or moral issues that hinge on complicated scientific topics," with a focus on nature. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Williams College in 2006 with awards in biology and music.

"As a growing population shares a shrinking pool of natural resources, a better understanding of our planet and of the effect of our own actions becomes all the more crucial," said National Press Club President Mark Hamrick. "Abby has already shown a deft hand in illuminating these issues. We are pleased to support her future successes."

The Dennis and Shirley Feldman Fellowship is named after a journalist and public-relations adviser who put himself through grad school at night, and his wife. The award is endowed by the Feldman family and the National Press Club.

Supporting the Scholarship Fund

Tax-deductible donations for all scholarships are made to:
Friends of the National Journalism Library
529 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20045

SOURCE National Press Club