Greetings! You've reached the website of Julie West.

 

As a writer-editor, communications strategist and digital media producer, I help to illuminate the underpinning, key messages of projects into compelling storied content for readers. I have focused my skills in the area of educational outreach. Feature articles, press releases, speeches, web copy, podcasts, social media and publications are among the deliverables I’ve shaped in support of institutional strategic messaging.

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I especially enjoy interviewing and communicating the research of scientists, engineers and other subject experts to wider audiences. It can be challenging to find “story” in highly specialized, scientific content. By using narrative techniques that identify the underpinning problem-solution dynamics, I’m able to create engaging content for readers.

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​Professional affiliations include universities, publishing companies, conservation organizations, and government agencies, including the National Park Service, where I raised awareness around the diverse challenges and solutions affecting protected park resources through creative science communications content. I most recently served as editor and science writer at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, where I profiled leading subject experts and an innovative range of sustainable research projects in areas such as the environment, energy, water, food and health, and the digital domain.

 

An advocate for big cat conservation, I volunteered as a podcast host and editor for On Air, a Mountain Lion Foundation educational program, interviewing wildlife biologists and other professionals about the challenges that face North America's lion. In 2014-15 I took my passion to protect big cats to India, where I studied tiger conservation as a Fulbright Research Scholar in affiliation with the Wildlife Institute of India, Uttarakhand. Engaging research, documentary media, and journalism approaches, my project examined wildlife conservation in a context of science, philosophy, and cultural traditions to discover connections between ancient and contemporary eco-traditions, and how these approaches impact the health of tigers, humans, and forest ecosystems. (Read more about my Fulbright project.)
 

In my spare time I enjoy hiking the beautiful trails of Colorado when I am in my home state, and exploring the natural beauty and cultural heritage sites of Saudi Arabia and other locations when working and traveling abroad. I have enjoyed a lifetime of choral singing with groups including the Desert Chorale, Santa Fe Women's Ensemble, Dallas Symphony Chorus and the Larimer Chorale.

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I look forward to exploring how my services can communicate the key messages and expertise that guide your organization. Please reach out if you have a project that might benefit from my skills.