- 2017-09-06
Science Writing graduate student Kate Telma interned at Nature India, and spent her summer pitching, researching, interviewing and reporting, all while building skills working across cultures and trying to beat the heat in New Delhi.
FOCUSED PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Kate Telma traveled to New Delhi, India in the summer of 2017 to intern for Nature India, an online publication focusing on news, commentaries and information relating to scientific and medical research in India. As a part of the team, Telma visited labs and universities around Delhi, interviewed members of the science community, and wrote news stories about science in India. Over the course of her internship, approximately 10 of Telma’s news and feature articles were published, and her role opened the door to a future opportunity to contribute to another science writing project in India, The Life of Science. “Interning at Nature India broadened my perspective on what it can mean to be a science writer,” wrote Telma of her experience. “The interviewing and editing skills I honed this summer will be useful in my future work as a writer and scientist.”
DEVELOPING UNIVERSAL SKILLS
In addition to the science writing experience Telma developed, she also refined skills that will be useful in her future academic and professional career. “I realized that in order to get publishable clips out of my summer with Nature India, I needed to be a bit more proactive and self-sufficient,” she stated. Telma also increased her understanding of a new culture, although living in India was not without challenges—“I expected that Delhi would be hot and congested - and I found that many Indians I met 100% agreed. I don’t think I quite anticipated just HOW hot.”
Telma plans to shift away from science writing and apply to medical school in the near future, but she is confident that her experience with MIT-India and Nature India will bring benefits wherever she goes. “The opportunity to improve my writing – as well as to see how healthcare systems and research function in another country – were valuable experiences regardless of specific future direction. I also think my experience with MIT-India makes it more likely for me to pursue a summer fellowship or project abroad in subsequent summers.”