It's the job of scientists to watch the universe, and it's his job to watch the scientists.

Dennis Overbye, New York Times science correspondent, spoke Saturday morning in the Thomas Building about science writing and the constantly changing issues he faces.

Overbye's lecture, "Watching Scientists Watching Nature," was part of the A. Dixon and Betty F. Johnson Memorial Lectures in Scientific Communication series.

The award-winning journalist started his lecture off by saying he has a "pretty terrific job."

Overbye focused his lecture on talking about what makes for good science writing and how it has changed from years past.

Overbye, author of Lonely Hearts of the Cosmos, the Scientific Search for the Secret of the Universe and Einstein in Love, A Scientific Romance, is in charge of covering the diverse subject of the universe, so he chooses to write about areas of different types of research. He also writes about astronomy, physics and cosmic affairs. The science section at the New York Times has 15 reporters and three editors, he said. They try to get the news out first before the competitors to avoid being second best.

"The last thing you want is to get a phone call from an editor when you're ready to go home that they saw something on the Washington Post Web site that you didn't print," he said.

Overbye said science is interesting to cover because it is something people do and it is a "dramatic and adventurous quest" because science has its own jargon and rules. Science journalism is interesting because "you don't know how the story begins or ends," he said.

Even though Overbye covers a lot of science-related issues, he said the prospect of a good story is what gets him out of bed in the morning.

Overbye said his colleague John Wilford has three criteria to get a story printed on the front page of the science section. They are "big screw-up, big comeback and big bang."

Another issue Overbye covered in his lecture was the former planet, Pluto. He said Pluto is an underdog theme because after being the ninth planet for 76 years, it was "booted out." Overbye didn't think it would be a big story, but he said his editor made him do it.

Audience member Angela Yuska (graduate-forest biology) said she enjoyed the lecture because it is intriguing how science is a human creation.

"It is interesting to hear the point of view from a journalist," she said.