Schmidt Writing - Freelance Writer Specializing in Science, Medicine and Technology

Profile	In-Depth Reporting	Featured Articles

I live in the bustling, coastal town of Portland, Maine, where I make my living as a science writer. I specialize in health, but I've got wide-ranging interests, and over the years I've written about coral reefs, energy policy, climate change, and much more.

For me, the best part of the job is reporting. I like working through the layers of a story until the people and history behind it fall into place. The National Association of Science Writers recognized my reporting skills with its top prize—the science-in-society journalism award—for my coverage of electronic waste exports to China.

Prior to being a science writer I worked as a toxicologist with an environmental consulting firm. More than the narrow focus on research, it was always the big picture in science that attracted me. That's still the case today. Newsworthy events or findings don't come out of nowhere, they have an underlying context, and that's what I'm always looking for in my work.

Apart from journalism, my big passions are music and playing the guitar, skiing, and traveling. My reporting trips have taken me to Africa, the Caribbean, South America, and Europe. In past adventures, I backpacked around the South Pacific and Asia.

I grew up in Argentina and Connecticut, graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Connecticut, and then received a master's degree in public health from the University of Massachusetts. Happily ensconced in Maine, I now work out of an office on Commercial Street, in Portland's Old Port, a stone's throw from Casco Bay.

	Offshore oil drilling in the Arctic Oil companies are salivating over huge stores of oil and natural gas in Arctic oceans. The following stories describe the opportunities and dangers they face up there. Offshore Exploration in the Arctic: Can Shell's Oil-Spill Response Plans Keep Up? Shell will likely begin drilling offshore in the Alaskan Outer Continental Shelf this summer. This article takes a close look at how the company would respond to a catastrophic oil spill in ice-filled seas. Environmental Health Perspectives May 2012 Drilling in an Arctic Frontier Imagine a massive oil spill in the Arctic Ocean. How would the ecosystem respond? Here's a look. Chemical & Engineering News January 2011 Arctic Oil Drilling Plans Raise Environmental Health Concerns The Pew Environment Group just published a major report on offshore arctic drilling. Here's what it had to say. Environmental Health Perspectives March 2011

	The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill BP's offshore blowout in the Gulf of Mexico dominated headlines for six months in 2010. It's still an important environmental story today. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Dispersants in the Gulf of Mexico I wrote this feature about dispersants while the oil spill was in full swing. It's still relevant now. Environmental Health Perspectives August 2010 Microbes to the Rescue Where did all the oil go? A lot of it was gobbled up by these creatures. Chemical & Engineering News August 2010

	Cancer Written mainly for doctors and scientists, these stories cover the latest in research. Increasing Efforts to Regulate Computed Tomography Scans More than 80 million people in the US get computed Tomography (CT) scans every year. This article investigates possible cancer risk from their radiation exposure. Journal of the National Cancer Institute April 2012 Unraveling the Prostate Genome In one of the first accomplishments of its kind, scientists recently decoded the prostate cancer genome. It didn't supply any new drug targets but it did reveal a tumor landscape of almost unimaginable complexity. Journal of the National Cancer Institute May 2011 How Do You Tell if a Cancer is HER2 positive? Women with HER2-positive breast cancer can be treated with Herceptin; a potentially life-saving drug. But as this story shows, it's not always easy to determine who's HER2-positive and who isn't. Journal of the National Cancer Institute January 2011 BRCA2, Purified, Reveals Some of its Secrets BRCA2 is a powerful genetic risk factor for breast and ovarian cancer. Last year, scientists finally isolated its protein product, in a technical tour-de-force of basic science. Journal of the National Cancer Institute October 2010

	Coral Reefs Corals thrive only in a narrow temperature range. These stories explore how corals respond to a changing climate. Trees of Life: Corals are Thriving in a Unique Habitat Corals are threatened all over the world. So why are these corals so healthy? Audubon January 2011 In Hot Water: Global Warming Takes a Toll on Coral Reefs In 2005, more than half the corals in the US Virgin Islands National Park were wiped out by disease after a sudden spike in water temperature. This article explains the biology of coral disease; an ecological threat that scientists have only begun to understand. Environmental Health Perspectives July 2008

	Despite Data Gaps, U.S. Moves Closer to Arctic Drilling The Obama administration is on course to approve oil and gas exploration off the coast of Alaska. But in June, the US Geological Survey published a 279-page report revealing major uncertainties in the science needed to support drilling in arctic seas. This article investigates. Join the Live Chat of this article online at Science Magazine Science Magazine August 2011
	Blind Rush? Shale Gas Boom Proceeds Amid Human Health Questions Domestic shale gas could power US energy needs for decades. But scientists know little about the potential health consequences of drilling for gas in populated areas. This article investigates where the data fall short. Environmental Health Perspectives August 2011