Brandeis University
Bachelor of Arts in American Studies, Journalism Minor. Graduated cum laude. Dean’s List five consecutive semesters. Captain of Varsity Track & Field team.
My Experience and Skills
University of Pennsylvania
September 2015 – Present
Science News Officer
Write news articles, features and releases, plus manage coverage of scientific research from the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing and the School of Arts and Sciences. Placements in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Scientific American, Quartz, BBC Radio and other publications. Promote energy-policy changes and conversations about sustainable urbanization from the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and the Penn Institute for Urban Research. Chair the One Health Communications group.
Freelance Writer/Editor
June 2008 – Present
Writer and Editor
Fact-check and write for publications and websites including Scientific American, Edible Philly, Audubon magazine, Science Friday, NPR’s StateImpact PA, Forbes.com, and HealthLeaders Magazine. Edit and copy edit specialty cookbooks and books. To date, have edited 14, including The Vegan Table, The Art and Craft of Coffee, Wine Lover’s Devotional and The Cook’s Book of Intense Flavors.
The Weather Channel
June 2013 – August 2015
Science Editor
Shaped science coverage on weather.com, growing vertical traffic by 20 million pageviews in one year. Oversaw all aspects of section story-telling, including assignment, editing, copy-editing, writing and fact-checking of news stories, video scripts and long-form articles. Worked with award-winning journalists like David Kushner (Brain Games) and well-known scientists like Michael Mann (Climate Disruption Index). Managed Associate Science Editor until elimination of position in December 2014. Article about levees in New Orleans was a 2015 EPPY Award finalist.
Audubon Magazine
February 2009 – June 2013
Associate Editor, Social Media Manager
Shaped brand direction and voice as a key member of six-person editorial team. Pitched and wrote for every issue, the website and the blog. Highlights include a cover story, Volunteer Army, about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and two departments, Mail Ma’am and Acid Indigestion, about a postal worker who protects bluebirds and a campaign against ocean acidification, respectively. Assigned and edited articles for website, print packages and a front-of-book section. Ran the magazine’s research process and fact-checked features, departments and front- and back-of-book articles. Copy edited articles in blues before shipping.
Columbia Journalism School
January 2009 – December 2012
Adjunct Faculty
As Managing Editor for the magazine and website produced by this graduate workshop, ran the production cycle, including maintaining a weekly production schedule for up to 20 articles, with three published daily. Edited articles weekly, monitored student progress and worked closely with individuals seeking mentorship.
HealthLeaders Media
October 2002 – November 2007
Executive Editor
Received four promotions at this healthcare publisher. Led two divisions, a role that required managing eight editors, overseeing six product lines, coordinating a national award contest and setting division financial goals. Previous roles included writing and editing newsletters and editing books.
Software Application and Training
Drupal, WordPress, Audacity, Soundslides, HTML, CSS, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop), Photo Mechanic, Adobe Omniture, Google Analytics, Taboola, Visual Revenue, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Microsoft Office Suite, Google Drive Suite
Honors and Awards
• 2016, Deadline Club Finalist, Multimedia, Interactive Graphics & Animation, “Katrina 10”
• 2016, Webby Honoree, Best Individual Editorial Experience, “Katrina 10”
• 2015, EPPY Award Finalist, Best Collaborative Investigative/Enterprise Reporting, “Gold Standard or Old Standard?” with The Lens
• 2012, Metcalf Fellow, one of 10 journalists selected to participate in a weeklong science immersion program put on by the Metcalf Institute for Marine & Environmental Reporting
• 2010, Cover Story, “Volunteer Army,” Audubon magazine, Nov-Dec issue
• 2009, Cover Story, “A Person of Note,” (201) Magazine, April issue
• 2003, Editorial Rookie of the Year, presented by HealthLeaders Media, for editorial excellence, entrepreneurial spirit, and creativity
Skills and Associations
• Associations: Society of Environmental Journalists, National Association of Science Writers
• Social media: Facebook, Flickr, Hootsuite, Pinterest, Tumblr, Twitter
• Conferences: World Conference of Science Journalists (2017), AAAS Annual Meeting (2016), Climate Week NYC (2013, 2014), Science Online Climate (2013), Social Media Week (2013, 2012), Metcalf Institute Science Immersion Program (2012)
A SAMPLE OF MY PAST WORK
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WHEN ANCIENT TECHNOLOGY AND HIGH-TECH ROBOTS INTERSECT
REPORTER, WRITER
PLAGUED BY THE FLU: MANAGING INFLUENZA IN 1918 AND TODAY
REPORTER, WRITER
ON THE GALÁPAGOS, A COMPLICATED DYNAMIC UNFOLDS
REPORTER, WRITER
FROM CHEF TO SHELF: BRINGING RECIPES TO LIFE
REPORTER, WRITER
THE WEATHER.COM CLIMATE DISRUPTION INDEX
REPORTER, WRITER
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GOLD STANDARD OR OLD STANDARD?
REPORTER, WRITER
A DRONE’S EYE VIEW OF ALGAE BLOOM
REPORTER, WRITER
VOLUNTEER ARMY
REPORTER, WRITER
A MUSHROOM GROWS IN PHILLY
REPORTER, WRITER
TRAFFICKING JAM: NATURE’S DETECTIVES
REPORTER, WRITER
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A MAIL MA‘AM’S MISSION TO PROTECT BLUEBIRDS
REPORTER, WRITER
MARYLAND TOWN SINKS AS SEA LEVELS RISE
REPORTER, WRITER
A FEAST FIT FOR A POPE
REPORTER, WRITER
WHO OWNS THE OCEAN FLOOR?
REPORTER, WRITER
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE SANTA FE INSTITUTE
EDITOR
MY EDUCATION
TESTIMONIALS
“Michele is a true professional and a delight to work with. I greatly admire her work ethic—she is both efficient and thorough, with a sharp eye for detail; Audubon could always count on her to do an exceptional job on any task.”
“Michele is exceptionally intelligent and very well-spoken. She has excellent leadership skills and knows how to manage employees without micro-managing. She is extremely hardworking and conscientious. Given the opportunity, I would gladly work with her again.”
NEWS
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MichelewBerger
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MichelewBerger2016-05-11 15:04:492020-03-20 21:13:48Not a winner…but still darn proud
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MichelewBerger2016-05-10 14:37:472020-03-20 21:16:20New Audubon clip now live
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MichelewBerger
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MichelewBerger2016-04-12 14:49:532020-03-20 21:17:57Deadline Club finalistMore news can be found here.