Host Dave Schlom is joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer Deborah Blum to talk about her extraordinary career in journalism.
Blum started at the Fresno and Sacramento Bee newspapers back in the 1980s, breaking important environmental stories like the impacts of agricultural runoff into the Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge, which caused insidious problems for waterfowl. Her multi-part series on primate research titled “The Monkey Wars” led to her winning the Pulitzer in 1992.
But Blum is best known for her best-selling books, including The Poisoner’s Handbook, which chronicles the beginnings of modern medical forensics during the early 20th century. That book was adapted into a documentary for the PBS series The American Experience. Blum also directed the prestigious Knight Science Journalism program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2015 to 2025. It’s a fun and insightful conversation with one of the deans of American science writing.
