Eight Chronicle reporters and editors won awards on Wednesday from the Education Writers Association for articles published in 2009. The prizes recognized their work on two large projects, one on the life of adjunct professors and the other on the rise of Asian higher education at a time of retrenchment in the United States.

The latter project, "Asia Rising/America Falling," received first prize for a series or group of articles by a small news organization. The project, which consisted of five articles and a series of tables, brought together stories by Karin Fischer, Mara Hvistendahl, and David McNeill; data from Jeffrey Brainard; and editing by Beth McMurtrie.

The project on adjuncts, which combined reporting, video interviews, and a Chronicle survey of adjuncts in the Chicago area to paint a broad picture of the lives adjuncts lead, won a special citation for its use of multimedia. The project consisted of four articles written by Audrey Williams June and Robin Wilson; extensive survey results, with online-only enhancements, by Jeffrey Brainard; and video interviews of eight adjunct professors that were edited by Brock Read.

Following are links to the "Asia Rising/America Falling" project, which was published on October 5, 2009:

• "Asia Rising: Countries Funnel Billions Into Universities"
• "America Falling: Longtime Dominance in Education Erodes"
• "China: Attract Talent First, and Outstanding Universities Will Follow"
• "South Korea: Government Support for Research Builds Industries"
• "Singapore: Teaming Up With Foreign Universities for Innovative Research"
• "Scientific Research: Asian Countries Expand, U.S. Holds Steady" (table)
• "Asian Universities on the Rise: a Comparison With U.S. Institutions" (table)

Following are links to the adjuncts project, which was published on October 18, 2009:

• "Love of Teaching Draws Adjuncts to the Classroom Despite Low Pay"
• "At One 2-Year College, Adjuncts Feel Left Out"
• "Full-Time Instructors Shoulder the Same Burdens That Part-Timers Do"
• "Chronicle Survey Yields a Rare Look Into Adjuncts' Work Lives"
• "Highlights From The Chronicle's Survey of Chicago-Area Adjuncts" (table)
• "Who Took the Survey" (table)
• "Excerpts From Chronicle Survey of Adjuncts"
• "Chronicle Survey: All Questions and Answers" (table)
• "Voices of Adjuncts" (video interviews)