Rachel Tompa (left) and Diya Dwarakanath (right)
The Northwest Science Writers Association is pleased to announce the winners of the 2023 Career Development Awards.
Rachel Tompa is an award-winning science and health writer, editor, and podcaster. A molecular biologist turned writer, she’s been telling science stories since 2007. She spent 15 years working as an institutional writer and editor, translating the complex science of a cancer center and of a life sciences research nonprofit into engaging stories, and is now a freelance writer and editor. Rachel has a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of California, San Francisco, and a graduate certificate in science communication from the University of California, Santa Cruz. She lives in Seattle.
Diya Dwarakanath is an experienced biomedical engineer turned rookie freelance science journalist. She began this journey in 2023. Diya writes insightful stories about engineering, technology, healthcare, STEM outreach and mentoring, and more. In her spare time, she volunteers on the Mentoring Committee and Editorial Board of the Society of Women Engineers. She also blogs while waiting patiently for the sun in Portland, Oregon. Read her published work at https://diyawrites.com
Both elected to use the grant to attend this year’s ScienceWriters2023 conference in Boulder, Colorado.
Image of Tompa credited to Erik Dinnel.