Media Arts and Studies Professor Serves as Judge for Prestigious AAAS Fellowship Program

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 13, 2016) — Zixue Tai, an associate professor in the School of Journalism and Telecommunications in the University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information, recently served as a judge in reviewing credentials and candidacies among science reporters in China for the 2016 EurekAlert! Fellowships for International Science Reporters Program.

The fellowship program is administered by EurekAlert!, a science-news service affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and aims to support early-career science reporters from emerging economies by providing them with opportunities to cover the latest research and network with peers from around the world at AAAS annual meetings.

AAAS, which was founded in 1848 and includes 254 affiliated societies and academies of science, is the world's largest general scientific society and publisher of of the journal Science.

In regard to the significance of science journalism in China, Tai said, “Science reporting has been playing an increasingly prominent role in the lives of ordinary Chinese citizens. As standards of life continuously improve, people are developing intense interest in a variety of issues that are intimately related to their everyday life, such as food safety, environment, medicine, and high-tech.”

Tai has been sitting on the jury of judges for the EurekAlert! fellowship program since 2007.

MEDIA CONTACT: Blair Hoover, (859) 257-6398; blair.hoover@uky.edu