By Janet Krenn, staff writer
Before Chris Patrick began her career in science writing, she was a student at William & Mary studying neuroscience. She thought she would go on to medical school, but after working as a medical scribe at an urgent care facility, she realized she wanted a job where she could be creative too.
“As soon as I began to pursue science writing, I knew it was the perfect fit,” says Patrick.
On Monday, January 4, Patrick joined Virginia Sea Grant as a full-time staff writer. In this role, she’ll be responsible for telling the stories behind Virginia Sea Grant research and outreach and trying to help paint a picture for readers about the complex coastal world we live in.
“Putting together a story is like putting together a puzzle,” she says.
Recalling a recent internship at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, Patrick was writing a story about radioactivity in everyday things. For something small like a radioactive particle, the story required her to talk to a lot of different people including radiation experts and health specialists. She enjoyed bringing all of those elements together into a story that was engaging and accurate—“That’s the most important thing: to make sure the science is correct.”
In addition to her passion for science, since 2014 Patrick has been an ultramarathon runner, running races that exceed the 26.2 miles of a typical marathon. She says her training has helped to shape her professional perspective.
“Running has taught me to doggedly pursue my goals,” she says. For writing that means: “When the puzzle isn’t fitting together easily, I know how to stick it out and put in the work to make it come together.”
Before coming to Virginia Sea Grant, Patrick held internships at Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. She is currently pursuing a master’s in science writing through Johns Hopkins University and holds an undergraduate in neuroscience from William & Mary. Patrick is a native of Severna Park, MD.
