EurekAlert! Travel Awards recognize early-career science journalists in Eastern Europe for the first time

(Press-News.org) The winners of the 2024 EurekAlert! Travel Awards are Pavla Hubálková, a Czech science journalist at WIRED.CZ, and Iris Duțescu, a Romanian freelance science journalist.  

An independent panel of three judges with regional science journalism expertise selected the winners. Both awardees will receive travel support from EurekAlert! to attend the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Boston, Mass., where they will have opportunities to cover the latest scientific research and make connections with scientists and communicators from around the globe.  

EurekAlert! is a nonprofit, editorially independent news release distribution service. AAAS is EurekAlert!’s parent organization. 

The program was previously known as the EurekAlert! Fellowships for International Science Reporters. Now, on the 20th anniversary of its launch, the program has been renamed the EurekAlert! Travel Awards to better reflect the type of opportunity the award provides for early-career science journalists in low- and middle-income countries.  

The theme of the 2025 AAAS Annual Meeting is “Science Shaping Tomorrow.” Fittingly, both awardees are already contributing to shaping the future of science journalism and communication in their home countries.  

Hubálková coauthored the first Czech-language book on science communication in 2023 and regularly hosts workshops for scientists and public information officers. Duțescu’s reports on cutting-edge topics, including the uses of AI in contemporary medicine and technology in education, have been published in a number of well-known Romanian news outlets. 

This year’s travel awards were open to applicants from the Balkans and, for the first time in the program’s history, countries of Eastern Europe.  

“The decision to expand the reach of the travel awards to Eastern Europe this year is a nod to the region’s growing role in the scientific community, including hosting the upcoming World Science Forum in Budapest, Hungary,” said Jennifer Holshue, EurekAlert!’s deputy director who oversees the program. “It’s a perfect opportunity for EurekAlert! to engage directly with journalists in this part of the world.” 

Speaking to the value of the EurekAlert! Travel Awards, judge Andrada Fiscutean, a Romanian science and technology reporter, said: “The program helps cultivate a new generation of passionate science reporters in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, regions where science journalism training is still limited. The reporters selected for the EurekAlert! Travel Award will contribute to the overall improvement of science literacy and public understanding of science in their regions.” 

Meet the award winners 

Both winners are forward-thinking journalists with wide-ranging experience, knowledge and expertise in various subjects, and strong commitments to advancing science journalism and communications in their respective countries. 

Pavla Hubálková (she/her) is the science editor at WIRED.CZ and contributes articles about science and research to Forum, the popular print and online magazine published by Charles University in Prague. Originally, she thought she would become a scientist, so she studied clinical biochemistry at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague and completed her Ph.D. in neuroscience at the Third Faculty of Medicine, Charles University. During her Fulbright internship at Northwestern University in Chicago, however, she discovered that she wanted to work in science communication.  

“It is my great pleasure and honor to receive this award,” Hubálková said. “This will provide me with invaluable opportunities to learn about current leading scientific topics from top scientists and researchers in their fields. Since science communication is not yet well established in the Czech Republic, I am also excited to draw inspiration and motivation from the international network of science communicators. As a science editor at WIRED.CZ, I look forward to writing about my findings to share them with a wider audience.” 

Iris Duțescu (she/her) is a freelance science journalist whose journey into science communication began during her first year of university when she participated in a course titled “Technology in Today’s Media.” It was during this time that she published her first piece of science journalism, covering the discovery of water in a distant galaxy. Since then, Duțescu has delved into diverse scientific subjects such as the role of AI in contemporary medicine, the use of technology for educational purposes, and science denialism. Alongside her studies, she has contributed as a freelance journalist to various well-known Romanian publications and media outlets including Mindcraft Stories, Școala9, Libertatea, Observator, and Gen, Știri. Duțescu graduated this year from the University of Bucharest. 

“To me, this award is a transformative opportunity both personally and professionally, validating my efforts and dedication to science communication,” Iris said. “[It] signifies recognition of my passion for making science accessible and engaging to a broad audience. Coming from an Eastern European country, I have faced numerous challenges in pursuing my career. This award not only acknowledges my hard work but also empowers me to overcome these barriers, fueling my commitment to advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in science journalism.” 

To learn more about the travel awards and previous winners, visit eurekalert.org/travelawards. 

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About the Judges 

Andrada Fiscutean (she/her) 

Andrada Fiscutean is a freelance science and technology journalist based in Bucharest, Romania. She has written for Ars Technica, CSO Online, Nature, The Guardian, Foreign Policy, Motherboard & more. She is the editor-in-chief of ProFM Radio in Bucharest and a regular contributor to BBC World Service’s science show, Unexpected Elements. In 2019-20, Andrada was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Mass., USA. She teaches science journalism and explanatory journalism at the University of Bucharest. 

Milica Momčilović (she/her) 

Milica Momčilović is a science journalist and editor, author, and TV anchor at Radio Television of Serbia. She holds the position of editor in science programming and writes science articles for Politika, the oldest daily newspaper in Serbia. As a journalist in TV and print media, she has developed a special interest in establishing partnerships with scientists and their institutes as one of the models for successful reporting on science and mutual capacity building. Milica was the President of the World Federation of Science Journalists from 2019 to 2023. 

Mićo Tatalović (he/him) 

Mićo Tatalović is a UK news editor for the Research Professional News website and for Research Fortnight magazine in London. He previously worked as a science news editor at SciDev.Net, New Scientist, and Nature, and was the chairman of the Association of British Science Writers for a few years.   

He is originally from Rijeka, Croatia, and is still actively involved in promoting science journalism in the region. Mićo holds a B.A. degree in biology from the University of Oxford, an M.Phil. in zoology from the University of Cambridge, and an M.Sc. in science communication from Imperial College London. He has also completed the prestigious Knight Science Journalism fellowship at MIT, in Cambridge, U.S.   

About EurekAlert! 

EurekAlert! is an editorially independent news release distribution platform operated by the nonprofit American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The platform, launched in 1996, was created to facilitate the sharing and independent reporting of peer-reviewed scientific research and other stories from the scientific enterprise. Supported by content submission fees and free for working journalists to use, EurekAlert! has served tens of thousands of science journalists, publishers, and research institutions worldwide through its distribution service and other mission-driven programs that support advancing science journalism and communication. 

About AAAS and the Annual Meeting 

Founded in 1848, the American Association for the Advancement of Science is the world’s largest multi-disciplinary science society, fulfilling its mission to advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people through a broad array of initiatives focused on communication, public engagement, education, scientific responsibility, public policy, and science diplomacy. 

Each year, thousands of leading scientists, educators, policymakers, and journalists gather to discuss cutting-edge developments in science, technology, and policy. The next AAAS Annual Meeting will convene in Boston, Mass., February 13-15, 2025.

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