Call for associate researcher-writers

I intend to keep researching and writing interesting new entries for this blog.  And I would also like to see a greater frequency of blog entries to keep up with what is going on related to aging sciences.  To accomplish this and to fulfill the Mission implied by the new blog name Aging Sciences, I need help. 

Back in February in the blog entry The evolution of my perspective as a longevity scientist, I wrote “I am not sure how much longer I can keep up with the central research developments relevant to longevity.  The pace of research is increasing and many of the key discoveries are increasingly technical.  I have had to be more selective in picking topics for blog entries.  And I am struggling harder and harder to understand what is going on in the areas of some of my blog entries(ref).”  In a comment the reader Peter had to say “Vince, you mention the difficulty in keeping up with the research which pertains to each potential cause of aging. I wonder if you have given thought to farming some of this out? For example, if you had a small team (2 to 6) of like-minded people who each agreed to take on one or two theories/pathways to stay on top of, and to distill the information down into clearly written living summaries (complete with sourcing) it might go along ways to allowing you to have the time to integrate all of this into a meaning full whole and step back enough to see patterns and interconnection among the theories/pathways.”

I think Peter’s suggestion is excellent and I would like to proceed with it.  So, I am looking for a few Associate Researchers/Writers to join me.  I am initially looking for people who can cover relatively broad swaths of the longevity sciences in depth as I have been doing.  Later, it may make sense to add more researchers/writers focusing on specialized areas.  In such a case, the initial Associates could possibly graduate to becoming Area Editors.  So I am herewith putting out a “casting call.”

CASTING CALL FOR ASSOCIATES

If you satisfy the following, please communicate with me by e-mail:

   ·        You have a passionate interest in the longevity sciences or in an applied area related to longevity, perhaps with a focus in a certain key area,

  ·        You are good at perusing the scientific literature to see what is going on,

  ·        You can express yourself well in writing and would like that writing to have targeted exposure that generates feedback,

  ·        You have sufficient training, background and patience to scan key areas of the emerging literature, identify important new trends, and generate blog entries with the sophistication and degree of literature documentation typically found in this blog.  A number of  readers have commented that this blog is the best source of scientific information related to aging on the web.  I want to keep it that way,

  ·        You are aligned with the Mission of this blog and willing to respect the blog guidelines outlined here.  The Mission of the blog is to present clearly information on key current research developments pertaining to aging and information on related technological and social topics.  Secondarily, it is to share informed opinions on the same topic.  The target audience includes professionals and students in the aging science community, health and geriatric practitioners, and informed individuals with a substantial interest in aging and aging sciences. 

  ·        You would like to get your signed writings out to a growing International community which I estimate currently to be more than 15,000 regular readers.  Currently, about 2,000 different readers visit the blog every day and new registrations from all over the world keep coming in every day.

  ·        You are willing to research and write at least one blog entry a month.  Documented mini-reviews of key topics are particularly welcome. The history of previous blog entries illustrates consider acceptable topics and blog formats, the degree of citation documentation, and the quality of the writing I will be looking for. 

  ·        You are willing to follow the general guidelines of this blog such as no commercial product promotions, no giving of medical advice and staying broadly “on topic” with respect to longevity.  While individual blog entries can be concerned with specific theories of aging or anti-aging interventions, the blog itself is inclusive of a wide variety of viewpoints provided that they are informed and anchored in respectable research.  Opinions, when offered, will be identified as such.  And I will also entertain occasional humor pieces,

  ·        You are willing to work now for the same compensation I am getting – zero pay but significant acknowledgement and opportunity to learn,

  ·        You are willing to have me review and possibly lightly edit your blog entries before they are published on the blog.  And I will reserve the right to not publish any writings if I feel they don’t meet quality or other standards of the blog.   

 My e-mail is vegiuliano@comcast.net.  Please use the e-mail heading BLOG WRITER so I can easily sort your message out from junk.  Tell me about yourself, your background, what you know/don’t know, your academic and work status, any institutional affiliation you may have or had, why you want to contribute and what you have to offer.  Also please point me to online examples of your relevant writings or attach same to your e-mails.  Finally, you might wish to identify the subject of any initial blog entries you might want to write. 

If I invite you to join me as an Associate, I will do an editorial review of your blog entries before they go online and everything you write will be attributable to your authorship.

Please do not let your age or academic or institutional status be seen as a barrier here if you have what it takes to do the job.  Whether you are a vital oldster like me or a young graduate student, this could be an opportunity to get yourself out to a big audience of readers and make a difference.