New York, NY, May 23, 2025 — The Science Friday Initiative is proud to announce that producer and Burroughs Wellcome Fund/Outrider Fellow, Rasha Aridi, has been named a 2025 Rising Star in Public Media by Current. “I ventured into journalism because I knew I wanted to tell thoughtful, human-centered stories about science, but I hadn’t quite figured out how yet,” Aridi said. “When I started working in public radio, it all clicked into place. I realized that I loved audio as a medium and that my values really align with the mission of public media, which is to tell stories in service to the communities we reach. I’m honored to be named a Rising Star, and it’s really affirming that my work is making a difference.”
This year Current received more than 160 nominations for consideration as Rising Stars. Finalists and winners were chosen by Current staff and eight judges who work in and around public media.
Rasha leads Science Friday’s coverage of climate change and threats of nuclear weapons through a fellowship with The Outrider Foundation and Burroughs Wellcome Fund. Last year she was invited to speak at the International Journalism Conference and appeared on a panel with journalists from the New York Times, Washington Post, and Associated Press. She talked about sourcing marginalized voices, why it’s more important than ever to report on nukes and how reporters across all beats can and should connect their work to this topic.
“Rasha’s work to make science come alive for the public is evident in every story she produces,” said John Dankosky, Director of News & Audio at Science Friday. “Rasha’s helped lead us, not only on climate coverage, but also in reporting on the intersection of science and public policy. She’s a big thinker, and a caring, collaborative colleague. We’re lucky to have her at SciFri.”
About Science Friday: Science Friday’s mission is to increase public access to science and scientific information. Vision: By delivering quality, joyful, and relevant science information and resources that are built from expert interviews, audience voices, and recent news and research, Science Friday will transform the public’s relationship with science, making it a part of everyday life. For more than 30 years, Science Friday has produced award-winning science news programming that engages millions of people each week. Our flagship podcast and radio show, available on all podcast platforms and broadcast on more than 500 public radio stations, connects listeners with leading experts, leans into the joy of discovery, and helps people make sense of our world. Learn more at ScienceFriday.com.
About Current: Current is a nonprofit news organization covering public media in the U.S. for professionals in the industry. For over 40 years, leaders and staff at NPR, PBS, CPB, public radio and TV stations, and independent producers have relied on Current for information, inspiration and insights to help them fulfill public media’s mission. Current’s career portal publicmediajobs.org is the leading site for employment and recruitment opportunities in public media. Current, a journalism center of the American University School of Communication, is funded in part by the Wyncote Foundation of Philadelphia.