US Scientific National Academies honour Ghanaian journalist for excellence in science journalism

Multiple-award winning young Ghanaian broadcast journalist, Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman has been selected as a winner of the National Academies Eric and Wendy Schmidt Awards for Excellence in Science Communication, given by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in partnership with Schmidt Futures in the United States of America.

The prestigious awards recognize science journalists and research scientists who have developed creative, original work that addresses issues and advances in science, engineering, and/or medicine for the general public.

“Dini-Osman excellently constructs science stories where each minute is a purposeful contribution to breaking down societal problems in Ghana”, the selection committee said.

A total of 24 awards were announced — 12 awards for best science communication by research scientists and 12 awards for science journalists, split among six categories.

The winners will be honored during a recognition event and workshop on Nov. 11 and 12 in Washington, D.C.

“Congratulations to this year’s winners, who did a superb job communicating about complex issues related to science, engineering, and health in innovative ways that capture people’s attention and imagination,” said Leah H. Jamieson, selection committee chair and Ransburg Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Dean Emerita of Engineering at Purdue University. “The quality and diversity of topics of this year’s submissions were remarkable. The works created by the winners were sometimes alarming, sometimes lyrical, sometimes provocative, often inspiring, always engaging. Our committee feels privileged to have been part of this awards program in its inaugural year. We are delighted that the recognition accorded to winners will help advance careers in science communication while informing the public about these fields that play such important roles in our lives.”

“The exemplary work that these award winners are doing to accurately and engagingly communicate about science to the public has never been more important,” said National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt. “In an often complicated, murky, and distorted information environment, these superb communicators are shining a light on critical truths, facts, and evidence that people need to make informed decisions about their lives.”

“Scientists and journalists are both seekers and sharers of knowledge, but they speak what might as well be two languages — one for academics within a particular field, the other for consumers who are inundated with news,” said Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Futures and president and co-founder of the Schmidt Family Foundation and Schmidt Ocean Institute. “The communicators honored with these awards not only speak both languages but also bridge them, telling stories that capture the furthest reaches of human understanding in words that are clear and relevant for all audiences.”

Chosen by the selection committee from 550 entries for works published or aired in 2021 through February 2022.

Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/dZFmCyvY

Ridwan Karim Dini-Osman is a 2023 Atlantic Fellow for Health Equity, Pulitzer Center grantee and a multiple award-winning broadcast journalist and news anchor in Ghana. He is a regular contributor on the U.S. public radio program, The World, as a freelance journalist reporting on science, global health inequities, and sustainable development. He has reported from India, Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone.

Ridwan is a recipient of the 2018 Lorenzo Natali Media Prize, a prestigious global award run by the European Commission. He also won the 2021 International Center for Journalists’ Global Health Crisis Award for COVID-19 reporting. He is Ghana’s 2017 Best Reporter in Development Journalism and received the 2016 Best Journalist Award in Rural Reporting from the Ghana Journalists Association. Ridwan holds a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the Ghana Institute of Journalism.