bio.
The beginning...
Angela Posada Swafford is a recognized science writer and journalist. She was born in Bogotá, Colombia but has lived most of her life in Miami Beach, FL. She has a degree in Modern Languages from Universidad de Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia and a Masters in Journalism from The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA. She is a 2000-2001 fellow (the first Hispanic) from the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship at MIT and Harvard, an opportunity for mid-career journalists to immerse in science studies and get acquainted with some of the sources who are shaping science today.
The journey...
For the past 35 years Angela has been writing from the field about space, astronomy and astrophysics, Antarctica and the Arctic (through NSF and MBL fellowships), the deep oceans, earth sciences, environment, physical oceanography, genetics, health, paleontology, botany, rainforests, biodiversity, climate change, biosafety, health and exploration, among other sciences.Her journey has taken her from the Geographic South Pole and the Arctic Circle in Alaska to Hawaii’s Mauna Kea volcano, from Newfounland’s tundra to Zimbabwe’s hippo pools, from 3,000 feet at the bottom of the Caribbean, to 15,000 high in Chile’s Cerro Paranal, home of the biggest telescope in the world.
From listening to the heartbeats of humpback whales inside a Navy submarine, to following the steps of a geologist in search of the oldest rocks in the planet. She actively covers NASA’s science programs and educational initiatives, including the Reduced Gravity Flights for college students and astronaut training, as well as the new directions in space exploration.
Recently, in 2015, Angela was an honor guest and expedition member for the First Colombian Antarctic Science Expedition .
Career path...
In her early career moves, late 80’s – early 90’s, she worked as editor, columnist and reporter at El Nuevo Herald Newspaper (Miami Herald’s Spanish language version), which included Travel Editor, Food Editor and translator.
During that time and forward, Angela has been a successful freelance writer specialized in editorial environmental and science writing. She produced science and environmental stories for CBS TeleNoticias, The Travel Channel. As a freelance writer & researcher she produced for Discovery Channel, ABC NEWS, Latin Trade Magazine, Astronomy Magazine, WIRED Magazine, New Scientist Magazine, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, Miami Herald, National Geographic Spanish, Hispanic Magazine, Gatopardo, Semana, Maxim, LOFT, and Colombia’s largest daily El Tiempo among others. She has also produced her own documentaries featured on National Public Radio’s weekly environmental program Living on Earth.
Book author...
Not surprisingly, Angela is also a book author. She published The Adventurers of Science / Juntos en la Aventura –a series of eight science novels in Spanish for young adults and published by Grupo Planeta for Latin America. The series has been adopted in Colombia and Costa Rica as a tool for teaching science in its public school system. Mexico chose one of the books for its public school system libraries.
What is Angela up to now? Who knows, for her space is the limit!