ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan will host a satellite symposium, “Science and Journalism: A Marriage of Opposites,” noon-3 p.m. Oct. 3 in the Kuenzel Room of the Michigan Union.

Top national journalists covering science will serve as panelists for the symposium, which is being presented by the California Institute of Technology. The U-M downlink is sponsored by the offices of the Vice President for Research and the Vice President for University Relations.

The purpose of the symposium is to bring researchers and journalists together to discuss media coverage of scientific research and how communication between scientists and reporters can be improved. Members of the University community, the news media and the public are invited to attend. Admission is free.

Panelists will be: Tony Dill, producer, NBC’s “Today Show”; Joel Greenberg, science editor, Los Angeles Times; Robert Ferrante, executive producer, NPR’s “Morning Edition”; Glennda Chui, science reporter, San Jose Mercury News; Daniel Kevles, Koepfli Professor of the Humanities at Caltech, a science historian and contributor to New Yorker magazine; and Jacqueline Barton, Caltech professor of chemistry.

The Caltech symposium will be broadcast to U-M participants in the Kuenzel Room of the Union via satellite. Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions of the panelists via telephone.

The session will begin at noon with a brief introduction by Julie Peterson, director of News and Information Services at U-M. The Caltech symposium will begin its broadcast at 12:15 p.m. with welcoming remarks and an overview of the symposium. The panel discussion will be from 12:30-2:30 p.m., with a 15-minute break scheduled at 1:45 p.m. Panelists will answer questions from 2:30-3 p.m.

Light refreshments will be served, and food also is available for purchase in the Union. Participants who cannot attend the entire symposium are encouraged to come for a portion of the session. For more information, call (313) 764-7260.