I'm a writer and editor with an interest in technology and design, medicine and other sciences.
I tell true stories about science and technology, with emphases on medicine and engineering and design for sustainable development. My goal is to humanize complex topics and discover why things matter.
Please see my author profile and archives at publications I've worked with in the slider below. Then scroll down for a list of recent work and clips I'm featuring on this page. Thanks for your interest.
Managing Editor
I'm the managing editor at Engineering for Change where we cover the ecosystem supporting technology and design for global development. I write and edit news, manage social media and direct a team of subject matter experts.
Medical Research Reporter
I cover research presented at the conferences of medical associations and write articles about medical research for Reuters Health. This work is aimed at healthcare and other medical professionals.
Social Media & Freelance Writer
I had a stint as the voice of Popular Mechanics on the magazine's social media. It was fun. Now I freelance occasionally for PM's Web site.
Freelance Writer
I've written front-of-the-book news briefs for the Scientific American print magazine and articles for its Web site.
Features Writer
DEMAND - ASME's Global Development Technology Review published essays on issues confronting social startups, impact investment, engineering, design and innovation that improves life in the world's underserved communities. The magazine has shuttered, but its legacy survives online.
Photographer
This small gallery of some of my favorite photos contains professionally published images and others I took as a hobby. My work has been with the Costa Rican weekly The Tico Times, the Rainforest Alliance, Engineering for Change, Popular Mechanics and trade publications.
Portfolio
FIBROMYALGIA COULD BE AN AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER, NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS
Reuters HealthMice injected with immunoglobulin G from fibromyalgia patients developed characteristic symptoms of the disease, suggesting the poorly understood disease may be autoimmune, according to a new study.
BLACK CHILDREN HALF AS LIKELY TO UNDERGO SURGERY, TWICE AS LIKELY TO DIE DURING REOPERATION
Medscape / Reuters HealthBlack children in the U.S. are twice as likely to die during unplanned reoperations as their white peers, but half as likely to undergo surgeries in the first place, according to data from two independent studies.
MATERNAL MORTALITY MAY BE FALLING IN HOSPITALS BUT RISING AT HOME
Reuters HealthWhile overall U.S. maternal mortality rates have risen in recent decades, a dissection of the data shows a more nuanced picture.
A GERM OF AN IDEA
University of Chicago MagazineThirty-four years ago, William H. McNeill, AB’38, AM’39, shed new light on world history—by giving microbes their proper place in the human drama.
VIRTUAL REALITY MAY HELP RELIEVE PAIN DURING CHILDBIRTH
Physician's WeeklyImmersion in virtual reality may relieve some of the pain of contractions before childbirth, a small study suggests.
WHAT'S THE TOTAL VALUE OF THE WORLD'S SUNKEN TREASURE?
Popular MechanicsThree historic shipwrecks have been in the spotlight recently, with cargoes of platinum ingots, gold, and silver estimated at $4.5 billion in total. These huge hauls made us wonder: Just how much money is buried at sea?
WITH SUPPORT, SOCIAL ENTERPRISE COULD DRIVE JOB GROWTH IN AFRICA
Engineering for ChangeSocial enterprises may drive job growth in Africa, creating as many as 1 million new jobs in the next decade. To get there, however, they may need support in key areas, research suggests.
THE FIVE "E'S" OF HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN IN GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT
Engineering for ChangeHuman-centered design is a process as fluid as the humans on which it is centered. But it is also simple enough to lend itself to a flow chart. Matchboxology, a South Africa-based consultancy, has distilled their Africanized human-centered design process into five phases.
FIVE QUESTIONS FOR ELIZABETH HAUSLER, FOUNDER OF BUILD CHANGE
Engineering for ChangeDr. Elizabeth Hausler has been credited with fomenting long-needed change in the sector of disaster recovery. Her work emphasizes resilient construction and responsible planning with the expectation of future disasters.
WI-FI? WHY NOT.
DEMAND MagazineInternet usage in Africa still lags woefully behind most of the world. Nigerian startup Tizeti is introducing a new concept to its home city of Lagos: unlimited internet. And it is doing this by building one solar-powered communications tower at a time.
INEVITABLE CHANGE: HOW HUSK POWER EMBRACED ADAPTABILITY
DEMAND MagazineHusk Power Systems is a known name in decentralized energy circles. The company builds biomass gasifiers that power whole communities and has more recently integrated solar power into its systems. It has taken the better part of a decade for the company to figure out a path to scaling its technologies. Husk’s founder shares lessons from the company’s journey in serving the world’s energy poor.
SIMPRINTS PUTS NAMES (AND FINGERPRINTS) TO FACES
DEMAND MagazineThe world contains hundreds of millions of people who have no paper trail because their births were never registered. Lack of a formal identity comes with countless social and economic consequences. U.K.-based biometrics startup Simprints wants to change that through a combination of hardware and software technologies.