DURHAM, N.C. – Benjamin Young Landis, a 2009 Master of Environmental Management candidate at 91’s Nicholas School of the Environment, has been awarded a 2009 AAAS Mass Media Science & Engineering Fellowship.

As a AAAS Mass Media Fellow, Landis will spend nine weeks this summer covering science news for the Orange County Register, one of California’s largest newspapers with a daily circulation of about 300,000.

The AAAS program is one of the nation’s most competitive science journalism programs. Designed to increase public understanding of science and technology, it strengthens connections between scientists and journalists by placing advanced science, mathematics and engineering students in newsrooms nationwide. Fellows use their academic training to research and report timely science news, sharpening their abilities to communicate complex scientific issues to the general public.

This year, AAAS Mass Media Fellows will work at 13 media outlets, including Scientific American, theLos Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune and National Public Radio.

Landis, a native of Taipei, Taiwan, says he looks forward to covering science news in California, where he previously resided and conducted research at the University of California-Davis.

“Many of the most critical challenges facing Orange County today relate to the environment,” he says. “Wildfire management, water conservation, air quality, urban development, climate change, and coastal and marine conservation are front page news there. My studies and experiences as a MEM student at the Nicholas School give me a unique perspective to report on these issues. Having to write for a daily newspaper will help me learn how to distill what I’ve learned and convey it in language that everyone can understand, as well as learning to use cutting-edge internet media such as blogs and animations.”

Landis hopes to pursue a career in environmental communications or advocacy following the Fellowship.

Earlier this year, he and fellow MEM ’09 candidate David Palange worked with Nicholas School faculty and staff to create a new one-credit course, “ENV 301.25: The Art of Communicating Science.” The course provided students with hands-on experience writing science policy memos, blogs and news releases geared to a general audience.

Landis also led the design of the new , an information site about life at the Nicholas School, written and edited by students for students.