Provide names of other journalists involved.
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List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Jan. 1, 2012 — “Connecticut’s new partner in science tracks the root causes of disease, mouse by mouse” Feb. 24, 2012 — “Dr. Liu makes the case for genomics and personalized medicine” June 11, 2012 — “At UConn, two key players’ paths cross again”
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
In late 2011, Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced he had convinced a world-famous, Maine-based genomics firm, The Jackson Laboratory, to build a facility on the site of a newly upgraded University of Connecticut Health Center. It was the key, Malloy said, to creating a bioscience R&D community in the state, which has had trouble attracting new jobs and industry for the past two decades. These three stories introduce readers to the concepts and vocabulary of genomics research and to the people who will be the drivers behind the lab and its work.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
For background research, I read as much as I could find about Jackson’s work and niche, personalized medicine and genomic sequencing. I used both news articles and academic sources. No FOI requests were required.
Explain types of human sources used.
I spoke with several researchers in Maine about their work, and with leaders of Jackson for a big-picture sense of their work in Maine and plans for Connecticut. I also spoke with genomics researchers at other institutions to get some perspective on Jackson’s work. I had previously visited the Broad Institute, a similar research facility that exists outside of an academic institution, and my interviews with researchers there gave me some helpful perspective on Jackson and the type of questions the researchers there seek to answer.
Results:
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Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
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Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
When talking to researchers about their work, ask how they got started in the field and what shaped the direction of their work. I’ve found that yields some of the most interesting answers. Because translating science to plain language can be a challenge, and things can get lost in translation, ask the people you interview if you can follow up and check details with them later on (most appreciate it).