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Rebecca Heisman

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Rebecca Heisman is an American science writer and author who focuses on ornithology and is based in Walla Walla, Washington. She is the author of the 2023 book Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration.[1]

Background

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Heisman grew up in Ohio and received her bachelor’s degree in zoology and environmental studies from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2009.[1][2] She then received her master’s degree in environmental education and interpretation from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.[3]

Career

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Heisman worked for the American Ornithological Society from 2015 to 2020 before transitioning to science writing and communication when she moved to Walla Walla with her family.[1][4] She has written for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Living Bird magazine, the American Bird Conservancy’s Bird Conservation magazine, Audubon, Scientific American, Hakai, and the BirdNote national radio program.[5][6][7][8][9][10]

Flight Paths, published in 2023, describes how naturalists and “migration-obsessed” scientists from a wide variety of scientific disciplines developed the techniques needed to reveal the secrets of where, when, and how birds migrate.[11] The Wall Street Journal called the book “illuminating” and noted that it “does what only the best science books do: It adds to our knowledge of the world without diminishing its wonder.”[12] Ornithology praised it as a "fascinating, informative, and fun read,"[13] and Kirkus Reviews similarly called it a "fascinating treat for avid bird-watchers."[14]

In 2020, Heisman was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma and wrote about how birding helped her get through the treatment process amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[15] As a member of the National Association of Science Writers, she also described to fellow writers how she turned her fascination with bird migration research methods into her successful book proposal.[16]

Awards

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In 2023, Heisman won the Northwest Science Writers Association “Best of the Northwest” award for institutional science writing, for a Living Bird feature on mountain-dwelling chickadees.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Union-Bulletin, Annie Charnley Eveland Special to the Walla Walla (2023-03-30). "Walla Walla writer's book 'Flight Paths' launches: book signing April 22". Union-Bulletin.com. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  2. ^ "Ohio Wesleyan University magazine" (PDF). Fall 2022. p. 43. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  3. ^ "Environmental Science Major". Ohio Wesleyan University. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  4. ^ "Rebecca Heisman". Swift Press. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  5. ^ "To Catch Voles Under the Snow, Great Gray Owls Must Overcome an Acoustic Mirage". All About Birds. 2024-01-04. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  6. ^ Rutter, Jordan (2023-07-06). "Demystifying Rosy-Finches: Understanding the American West's Off-the-Grid Endemics". American Bird Conservancy. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  7. ^ "Rebecca Heisman | Audubon". www.audubon.org. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  8. ^ Heisman, Rebecca (2024-10-01). "Chickadee Mate Choices Can Blur Species Boundaries". Scientific American. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  9. ^ Magazine, Hakai. "Rebecca Heisman". Hakai Magazine. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  10. ^ "Shows contributed by | BirdNote". www.birdnote.org. 2024-10-15. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  11. ^ "Flight Paths". HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  12. ^ Irmscher, Christopher (March 10, 2023). "'Flight Paths' Review: Mapping the Roads of Birds". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  13. ^ Cooper, Nathan W (2024-02-01). "Flight paths: how a passionate and quirky group of pioneering scientists solved the mystery of bird migration". Ornithology. 141 (1). doi:10.1093/ornithology/ukad045. ISSN 0004-8038.
  14. ^ FLIGHT PATHS | Kirkus Reviews.
  15. ^ Heisman, Rebecca (2020-12-18). "A Pandemic, a Cancer Diagnosis, and a Year List Like No Other | Audubon". www.audubon.org. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  16. ^ "Rebecca Heisman—Flight Paths: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration | ScienceWriters (www.NASW.org)". www.nasw.org. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
  17. ^ Gaines, James. "The 2023 Best of the Northwest Award Winners | Northwest Science Writers Association". Retrieved 2024-10-15.
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