JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — SUNY Jamestown Community College welcomed more than 25 high school students to its Jamestown Campus on Friday, April 17, for the third Annual Health & Science Journalism Workshop. The full-day immersive experience connected students with professional journalists, media practitioners, and community health leaders.
Students from Dunkirk and Southwestern high schools participated in the event, which was co-sponsored by JCC, the Chautauqua Health Network and the CHQ Healthy Youth & Schools Program. The workshop engaged students across multiple disciplines, from print journalism and broadcast media to media law and ethics.
Participants spent the weeks leading up to the event researching and writing original articles on health or science topics. On the day of the workshop, Johnny Stein, JCC associate professor of English, guided students through the ethical use of artificial intelligence in the research and writing process, while Jennifer Reeher, assistant professor of English, led a writing workshop focused on refining and strengthening their articles.
Workshop included, from left: Sherri Rater, Ethan Lohnes, Suhliana Costa,
and Dennis Webster.
Students also adapted their written work into short-form video scripts and brought those scripts to life in the JCC television studio. They rotated through roles on set, behind the cameras, and in the control room under the guidance of Simone Sellstrom, assistant professor of Communications, and instructor Ed Tomassini.
During lunch, Elizabeth Hosier, director of programs at the Robert H. Jackson Center, delivered a presentation on the First Amendment and its significance to journalism and a free press.
The afternoon featured a panel discussion with media professionals who offered students an inside look at careers in communications and journalism.
Panelists included Gregory Bacon of the Jamestown Post-Journal and Dunkirk Observer; Justin Gould, media information officer for Chautauqua County; Deb Maggio of the Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene; Cynthia McKane, JCC reference librarian; Adam Snow, news content director at Erie News Now; Dennis Webster, retired Jamestown radio broadcaster; and Hosier.
At the conclusion of the event, three students were recognized with the Samuel Hopkins Adams Excellence in Journalism Award for the quality of their health and science articles. Ethan Lohnes, of Southwestern, earned first place honors, while Dunkirk’s Suhliana Costa and Yahir Robles placed second and third.
Two community members were also honored with the Louis Charles Adler Commitment to Journalistic Excellence Award for their ongoing work promoting health and wellness topics in Chautauqua County: Sherri Rater, administrative and communications coordinator for the Chautauqua County Health Department, and Webster
The Health & Science Journalism Workshop continues JCC's commitment to connecting students with real-world professionals and providing hands-on learning opportunities that bridge the classroom and the community.