WRITING SCIENCE JOURNALISM STORIES ABOUT THE LANDSCAPE HISTORY OF TWENTE

The GeoPark Twente Foundation has identified numerous themes where history and landscape in Twente are highlighted in an original way. By telling lively stories, the Foundation aims to present the experience of the Twente landscape in a new way for both young and old. Twente is not just a region and its inhabitants; the many stories tied to the above- and underground landscape also tell much about the origin and meaning of "Twente." These stories connect people and visitors to the area. The GeoPark Foundation has crafted storylines into surprising and engaging themes, such as: Gold in Nijverdal, Castles along the Regge, and Tuna from Twente. Through these themes, future visitors will gain a fresh perspective on Twente.

PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

Surprising and engaging themes are suitable for giving future visitors a new way to look at Twente and to explore the landscape and region (inter-)actively in a new way. The exciting themes have been carefully selected, but they have not yet been developed into appealing stories—well-written and based on historical and landscape-defining facts.

Through a science journalism approach, these themes will be developed into attractive stories, and suitable visual material will be sought to present them via the website and other media outlets, as well as interactive apps. Example themes include: Gold in Nijverdal, Castles along the Regge, and Tuna from Twente.

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION

In collaboration with the GeoPark Twente Foundation, the chosen themes will be developed into storylines. The stories will offer an attractive and surprising perspective on the landscape, history, and experience of Twente.

After extensive desk research and (in-depth) interviews with experts, you will write compelling stories for the GeoPark Twente website. You will also pay attention to selecting images to support the stories. The stories will be written in such a way that the information can also be made available for other media outlets and (interactive) apps. In this way, future visitors are encouraged to explore Twente in an active and innovative way.

Within the Science Journalism (Science Communication, UT) course, you can work on this assignment. You will be supported and provided with information and contacts by the directors and initiators of the GeoPark Twente Foundation.

PROFILE

You have strong writing skills and enjoy using desk research and high-quality interviews to develop themes in Twente into engaging stories and visual illustrations. You also have an eye for other media outlets that can benefit from the content and attractive presentation.