GMA News Online’s SciTech editor receives Fulbright scholarship to MIT

GMA News Online's Science and Technology editor Timothy James Dimacali has been officially admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Graduate Program in Science Writing as a Fulbright scholar.

"The application process was pretty straightforward: I was asked what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. My response was just as frank: I wore my geek heart on my sleeve! I told them that I love science and I want to pursue science communications," Dimacali said.

TJ Dimacali speaking at theWee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information in Singapore in October 2016.

He added, "I honestly didn't think I would get in, because my grades and test scores, though decent, weren't particularly stellar. All I really had to show for myself was my passion for science and love of the written word."

Dimacali received assistance from the Philippine American Education Foundation (PAEF), the Institute of International Education (IIE), and a few generous benefactors who wish to remain anonymous.

The help is not unwarranted, as Dimacali's accomplishments are an assurance that he is committed to excellence in his work.

Dimacali, a graduate of Creative Writing from the University of the Philippines, joined GMA News Online in 2009 and has been in charge of the Science and Technology section since 2010.

He is a recipient of the Department of Science and Technology's Gawad Scriba Award for Science Communicatiors and an alumnus of Asia Journalism Fellowship, the Netherlands Fellowship Program, CERN School Philippines, the Silliman University National Writers Workshop, and the Iligan National Writers Workshop.

With the launch of the space program and the exciting discoveries of new species in recent years, Dimacali expressed his enthusiasm in telling more stories from the new frontiers that the country is exploring.

He hopes to use what he learns from the graduate program to help build on the science classes and courses in his alma mater.

"My commitment to the Fulbright program means coming back to the Philippines to help develop our still-nascent science communications field," he shared.

The MIT Graduate Program in Science Writing is one of the most eminent science communications courses in the world, with fewer than 10 students accepted per year. It counts among its faculty physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, author of the best-selling book "Einstein's Dreams." — Aya Tantiangco/BM, GMA News