Adventures in Science Journalism: A Nature Correspondent on Reporting From the North Pole to the Guatemalan Jungle

press release: She's trekked through the jungles of Guatemala, confronted climate change at the North Pole, reported from a Chinese province shattered by an earthquake, and toured the site of a devastating 18th century volcanic eruption in Iceland - all in the name of communicating science.

And now, the award-winning Alexandra "Alex" Witze will be in Madison as the University of Wisconsin-Madison's spring 2016 Science Writer in Residence.

Witze - who will be joined by her science writer partner-in-crime and spouse, Jeff Kanipe - is a contributing correspondent for Nature and Science News magazines. She holds a bachelor's degree in geology from MIT and science communication certification from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

With Kanipe, Witze published a book in 2015 called "Island on Fire." It detailed the 1783 eruption of Laki, a volcano that decimated a remote Icelandic village, caused widespread and long-lasting damage and - thanks to the efforts of an unlikely volcanologist - led to some of the first efforts to understand and study volcanoes.

Witze will be on campus for a week beginning April 18, speaking to classes and meeting with faculty and students. On Tuesday, April 19 at 4 p.m. she will give a free, public talk in the Director's Room, 4151 Grainger Hall, 975 University Ave., titled "Adventures in science journalism: A Nature correspondent on reporting from the North Pole to the Guatemalan jungle."