I didn't know Laura van Dam particularly well, but I did have the chance to work with her. In 1993, while I was in college, I was an intern at Technology Review, where she was a senior editor. It was a good experience for me, thanks in no small part to Laura, who always had time for this unpolished kid who seemed to always be running off to the lab to finish my thesis. She was infinitely patient, particularly with the pieces that didn't make it into the magazine. I probably learned more when she gave me constructive feedback on those than I did doing anything else.

I ran into her at conferences a few times after that, and she was always genuinely interested in where I had landed at various points in my still-young career. She later left Technology Review for Houghton Mifflin, and then became a freelancer. Along the way, she became vice president and then president of the National Association of Science Writers (NASW).

It was with a great deal of sadness that I learned that Laura died last night (Monday the 24th) after what former NASW president (and Scientist editorial advisory board member) Deborah Blum called a 'courageous battle' with a central nervous system lymphoma. Laura had served as NASW president from 2004 until the day of her death, when the association announced to its members that she was taking a personal leave. Evidently, she was quite ill by then, and she died later that night.

I wanted to take a moment to express my condolences to her family, and to thank her not only for her mentorship of my career, but of her dedication and hard work for the NASW and the cause of science writing everywhere. Goodbye, Laura.