Currently, I'm the senior technology reporter covering innovation at Ars Technica. I'm also a senior lecturer in MIT's Graduate Program in Science Writing, an intensive and highly selective one-year Master's program, where I teach news reporting, editing, and digital journalism.
In 2018–2019, I spent a year at MIT as a Knight Science Journalism Fellow studying new business models for journalism as well as architecture, electrochemistry, life cycle analysis, and entrepreneurship.
Intel slipped—and its future now depends on making everyone else’s chips - October 20, 2021
Lithium-metal “hybrid” battery promises lighter, longer-range EVs by 2025 - November 8, 2021
Misaligned factory robot may have sparked Chevy Bolt battery fires - August 25, 2021
New solar roof emulates asphalt shingles, right down to the nails - January 4, 2022
Autonomous battery-powered rail cars could steal shipments from truckers - January 19, 2022
“Death Star” response from US would lock Russia out of 5G, advanced chips - January 24, 2022
Four fast chargers every 50 miles—US unveils EV infrastructure plan - February 10, 2022
Spotify’s Rogan problem is a cautionary tale for other tech platforms - February 1, 2022
Who wants an electric superwagon? Porsche offers 590-hp GTS Sport Turismo - November 22, 2021
More articles at Ars Technica.
Future Proof is the first product review site to focus on climate change. It also publishes originally reported news and commentary on climate and equity. The publicaton grew out of my time as a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT, where I investigated new business models for climate journalism.
What’s more climate friendly, shopping online or in store? - February 4, 2020
The Most Climate-Friendly Smart Light Bulbs for 2020 - September 16, 2019
The Titan of Taiwan - June 13, 2021
When Morris Chang started TSMC in the 1980s, he had little choice but to pursue a business model that was not only unproven, but had been roundly rejected by the biggest names in semiconductor manfacturing. Over the years, though, the company not only caught up to its rivals, it surpassed them, becoming the world's leading chipmaker. But its dominance of the industry belies its precarious geopolitical position as tensions build between the U.S., the People's Republic of China, and Taiwan. Can the company maintain its edge?
Charged Up - April 11, 2021
President Joe Biden launched his term with an ambitious plan to modernize American manufacturing, and lithium-ion batteries were near the top of the list. But once before, the U.S. tried to foster a domestic battery industry, during the Bush and Obama administrations. The results then weren't promising: One high-profile recipient of government support was A123 Systems, a company that flew high for a few years only to be scooped up in bankruptcy by the Chinese auto parts giant, Wanxiang. Will Biden's battery bonanza be any different?
The Chip Choke Point - February 7, 2021
Dutch company ASML has spent 20 years and 10 billion euros refining extreme-ultraviolet lithography, a strikingly complex next-generation technology that allows semiconductor companies to make computer chips that are faster, smaller, and more energy efficient than ever before. China is desperate to get their hands on one, but they're stymied by a new ad-hoc, plurilateral agreement between the U.S., the Netherlands, and Japan, which I broke the story on. What can Chinese semiconductor companies do if they're cut off from the leading edge?
The Cobalt Empire - October 18, 2020
Over the last 20 years, China has become the dominant force in the cobalt, an industry that's a vital component of modern lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles. One expert told me, "Whoever controls the cobalt can control how much you can decarbonize." As the world races to stave off the worst effects of climate change, will we all be dependent on China?
As senior digital editor at NOVA, the PBS science series, I founded, edited, and wrote for NOVA Next, a digital magazine. Working with a small staff and a number of talented freelancers, I published weekly features and daily news coverage. Shortly after its launch, it became one of NOVA's most successful initiatives, eventually boosting the entire brand's site traffic by 20% and revitalizing its social media presence.
The Transportation Revolution Is Happening Faster Than You Think - February 1, 2017
The Power Plants That Can Reverse Climate Change - December 9, 2015
Volkswagen’s Little Engine That Couldn’t - September 22, 2015
Navigating the Robot Economy - October 15, 2014
Genetically Engineering Almost Anything - July 17, 2014
The Inevitability of Predicting the Future - March 26, 2014
Why It Takes Decades to Produce a New Solar Material - February 26, 2014
Promise and Perils of Hyperloop and Other High-Speed Trains - August 13, 2013
The Boring and Exciting World of Biometrics - June 18, 2013
Going Blind: The Coming Satellite Crisis - February 28, 2013
More articles at NOVA
16 Ways to Design a Better Intersection—And Better Cities - President Barack Obama, Guest Editor, November 2016
8 Cities That Show You What the Future Will Look Like: Mecca - Design Issue, October 2015
How Engineers Are Building a New Railroad Under New York City - June 2013
74 Things Every Great Star Wars Movie Needs: Hives of Scum and Villainy - March 2013
The Hidden Link Between Medieval Land Parceling and Modern American Psychology - November 30, 2012
Per Square Mile is a blog I started to explore ideas and themes related to life at different densities. I focused on the relationship between the built and natural environments with detours into linguistics, anthropology, and income inequality.
Can we please stop drawing trees on top of skyscrapers? - March 7, 2013
Income inequality, as seen from space - May 24, 2012
Urban trees reveal income inequality - May 17, 2012
If the world's population lived like... - August 8, 2012
Ghosts of geography - September 27, 2011
If the world's population lived in one city... - January 18, 2011
More articles at Per Square Mile.
On trail of elusive carbon footprint (pdf) - A1, Sunday, August 10, 2008
Garden is lab for 'citizen scientists' (pdf) - A1, Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Wild refuges pay price for protection (pdf) - A10, Friday, July 4, 2008
Danger lurks under water (pdf) - B1, Sunday, July 20, 2008
Trans-fat rates on rise in gulls (pdf) - B2, Thursday, August 21, 2008
Frog only has ears for sweetie (pdf) - B2, Monday, July 21, 2008
Area scientific scene to be magnified (pdf) - B2, July 30, 2008
Jet's emergency landing requires fuel dump in lake (pdf) - B1, July 1, 2008
FBI: Fake doctor held in toxin sting (pdf) - B1, July 1, 2008
Field Museum's genetic study rewrites family tree on birds (pdf) - B1, June 27, 2008
Some turn to chemicals to save trees from borer (pdf) - B1, June 26, 2008
They found a gator in the Chicago River? Believe it (pdf) - A1, June 21, 2008
Carp's invasion may have stalled (pdf) - B2, June 20, 2008
Golfer's feel the pain of Woods' win (pdf) - B1, June 17, 2008
Mummy gets 21st Century exposure (pdf) - A15, June 14, 2008
Even now, tornadoes tough to forecast (pdf) - A24, June 13, 2008