So you want to be a science broadcaster?

Many youngsters who have studied science hanker after a career in the media. Several courses have sprung up to satisfy this desire. But they cost.

The Wellcome Trust, which used to fund the ABSW's own scheme of student bursaries, has stepped into the breach with new Science Media Studentships.

In this case, the support will go to "practising biomedical scientists". They will have the opportunity to study for a postgraduate qualification in Science Media Production at Imperial College London and to follow this with a six-month placement working in the broadcast industry.

Media fellows report back

The British Science Association, formerly the "BA," has reports from last year's wave of media fellows on its web site. The 10 fellows worked all over the media, radio, TV, newspapers and magazines. They have all filed accounts of their gruelling times.

Emma Byrne spent some time on The Financial Times, working with Clive Cookson. Emma's account shows that the scheme is good at waking scientists up to the facts of media life. She writes in her account:

"During my placement I saw a few examples of communication between the media and scientists breaking down. Most of the time this was due to the scientists not understanding the constraints under which the media operate and expecting the nuances and complexities of their work to be conveyed in a 300 word newspaper article or 30 second radio slot. This would have been exactly the type of mistake I would have made before the placement."

So that's one scientist gone back to the lab with a better view of how we work. Let's hope the message gets back to her colleagues.

Applications are now open for this year's fellowships. There are full details on the BSA's shiny new web site.