A Symposium on the Nature of Science

What was the cause of the terrible fires that ravaged the island of Borneo in 1997 and 1998? To whom do the remains of Kennewick Man rightfully belong? When important questions have competing answers—one that relies on science, the other on religious or cultural belief—society as a whole is cast in the role of arbiter. The press therefore has a responsibility not only to present the points of dispute as clearly as possible, but also to provide a full accounting of the intellectual context in which the dispute is imbedded. In so doing, the press must grapple with a very important question—whether science is more than just another belief system.

J. Madeleine Nash
Senior Correspondent
TIME Magazine

Senior Correspondent J. Madeleine Nash specializes in science reporting for TIME Magazine. Over the course of her career, she has written a number of TIME cover stories, including "How Life Began" (Oct. 11, 1993), "Hope in the War Against Cancer" (April 25,1994), "Evolution's Big Bang" (Dec. 4, 1995), "On the Trail of Twisters" (May 20, 1997), and "How A Child's Brain Develops" (Feb. 3, 1997). With colleague Michael Lemonick, she co-authored the cover "When Did the Universe Begin?" (March 6, 1995).

Nash has also been a contributor to numerous multipart TIME specials. Her piece, "Einstein's Unfinished Symphony," appeared in the "Person of the Century" issue on Einstein. Currently she is in the process of completing a book about El Niño, which is scheduled to be published in 2001.

In 1997 she received a popular science writing award from the Solar Physics Division of the American Astronomical Society. In 1996 she received the AAAS Science Journalism Award for "Evolution's Big Bang." In 1994 she received the Leukemia Society of America award for "Hope in the War Against Cancer."

Along with writer Michael Lemonick and other colleagues at TIME, Nash shared the AAAS-Westinghouse Award for the cover stories "Smash: Colossal Colliders Are Unlocking the Secrets of the Universe" (April 16, 1990) and"Wiring the Future: The Superconductivity Revolution" (May 11, 1987).

Nash is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Author's Guild and the National Association of Science Writers. In 1996 Sigma Xi, the scientific research society, voted to induct her as an honorary member.

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Last Update: August 11, 2000
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