Dawn or Doom

Dawn or Doom 2 writing contest winners

Congratulations to all of the winners of the Dawn or Doom2 student writing contest, and especially to Marisa Henry, who was the unanimous choice of the judges for the top spot.

And thank you to the finalist judges: Jennifer Bogo, executive editor, Popular Science; Torie Bosch, "Future Tense" editor, Slate; and, Ben Gruber, science and technology reporter, Reuters.

**Reminder: if you entered the writing contest and have not picked your special "writers edition" Dawn or Doom t-shirt, you may pick up your shirt during business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) on the 9th floor of Young Hall**

GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Receives a Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook computer

Marisa Henry

"Big Data is Impacting More than You Know"

"This writer has a nice accessible tone that blends information with a touch of wit. Starting off with a personal anecdote draws the reader into the story but she doesn't dwell too long on it, transitioning to a well-informed explainer on the benefits and potential downsides of big data."
—Jennifer Bogo, executive editor, Popular Science

"Big Data is Impacting More than You Know" is my top pick because it very nicely and thoughtfully captured the positives and negatives of big data. It also had lots of voice and personality—I laughed out loud at the 'as certified by countless personality tests and a few Buzzfeed quizzes' parenthetical!"
—Torie Bosch, "Future Tense" editor, Slate


SECOND PRIZE WINNER

Receives a $500 cash prize

Naman Misraraj

"Keys to the New Place"

"The arc of this piece is well crafted—the transformation of a reluctant technogeek to an unabashed one."
—Jennifer Bogo, executive editor, Popular Science


THIRD PRIZE WINNER

Receives a $250 cash prize

Andrew Pronschinske

"Less than Human, More than Machine: Artificial Intelligence"

"This piece adeptly walks the reader through the development of artificial intelligence, while at the same time providing valuable context for how that advance will influence our relationship with technology."
—Jennifer Bogo, executive editor, Popular Science


HONORABLE MENTION WINNERS

Each receives a Dell Portable Backup Hard Drive

Anne Anderson

"Curiosity Made the Robot"

Nick Young

"The Future of Fitting In: A Camouflage About Face"

Anam Ahmed

"Home is Where Cortana is"


ADDITIONAL FINALISTS

No prize awarded

Charlene Dykstra, "Redefining the Line"

Sean Flannery, "The Importance of Space Exploration"

Jack Good, "The Future of Artificial Intelligence: Not Artificial

Consciousness"

Louis Hickman, "Healthcare in the USA: A Rags to Riches Story?"

Zoe Starkey, "Progress and Impacts of Understanding Spoken Language: A

Reflection"

Nikita Prabhakar, "Mars: Hope for a (Better) Future"

Nelson Wang, untitled

Alexander Whaley, "Are We Defenseless?"

Jared Wright, untitled