Goodbye, science writing mentor

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

Written byIvan Oransky
| 1 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
Share
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 linkurl:National Association of Science Writers;http://www.nasw.org/ (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.
Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

Share
February 2026

A Stubborn Gene, a Failed Experiment, and a New Path

When experiments refuse to cooperate, you try again and again. For Rafael Najmanovich, the setbacks ultimately pushed him in a new direction.

View this Issue
Human-Relevant In Vitro Models Enable Predictive Drug Discovery

Advancing Drug Discovery with Complex Human In Vitro Models

Stemcell Technologies
Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Redefining Immunology Through Advanced Technologies

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Ensuring Regulatory Compliance in AAV Manufacturing with Analytical Ultracentrifugation

Beckman Coulter Logo
Conceptual multicolored vector image of cancer research, depicting various biomedical approaches to cancer therapy

Maximizing Cancer Research Model Systems

bioxcell

Products

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Pioneers Life Sciences Innovation with High-Quality Bioreagents on Inside Business Today with Bill and Guiliana Rancic

Sino Biological Logo

Sino Biological Expands Research Reagent Portfolio to Support Global Nipah Virus Vaccine and Diagnostic Development

Beckman Coulter

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences Partners with Automata to Accelerate AI-Ready Laboratory Automation

Refeyn logo

Refeyn named in the Sunday Times 100 Tech list of the UK’s fastest-growing technology companies