Bulletin Board

S&T publishes first edition of peer-reviewed journal

March 16, 2016 —  Undergraduate students at Missouri University of Science and Technology now have the opportunity to publish their research in a peer-reviewed journal called “Peer to Peer.” The journal, which includes peer-reviewed research articles written by undergraduates who were enrolled in English 1160 the spring 2015 semester, published its first issue in February.

The inaugural edition of “Peer to Peer” features articles from undergraduates in applied mathematics, computer science, computer engineering, biology, electrical engineering and English. The current edition can be accessed through Google Scholar or Digital Commons. It can also be found at scholarsmine.mst.edu/peer2peer.

Students in English 1160 learn research strategies and conduct research in their degree program. Each student in the class submits an article to the journal for review. The submissions are double-blind reviewed by students in the class the following semester.

The top-reviewed articles are edited and approved by Dr. Jossalyn Larson, assistant teaching professor of English and technical communication and editor-in-chief of the journal. After approval, the authors prepare their manuscripts for publication.

“‘Peer to Peer’ will stand as a testament to the exceptional research conducted by Missouri S&T’s undergraduate students,” says Dr. Daniel Reardon, assistant professor of English and technical communication at S&T.

The journal is sponsored by the English and technical communication department at S&T and the Curtis Laws Wilson Library. It will be published biannually through Bepress Digital Commons and the Missouri S&T Scholars’ Mine.

The following articles are included in the first edition:

  • “CS in HS: Promoting Computer Science Education in High School,” by Trevor Ross, a senior in computer science from Jackson;
  • “Feminine Film Style: Does it Really Exist? A Case Study of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette and Zoe Cassavete’s Broken English,” by Alyson Stanley, a freshman in English from Fort Leonard Wood;
  • “The Implications of RFID Technology in University ID Cards,” by Michael Beaver, a junior in computer engineering from St. Charles;
  • “Why Smart Watches shouldn’t just become a Trend: Using Smart Watches in the Treatment of Diabetes,” by Caelan Rapp, a junior in computer science from Wildwood;
  • “Innumeracy: The Product of Misrepresentation,” by Elizabeth Cundiff, a junior in applied mathematics from Hallsville; and
  • “Graphene Valley,” by Daniel Applebaum, a senior in electrical engineering from Chesterfield.

For more information on the journal, contact Larson at larsonjo@mst.edu.

STC Student Chapter Elects New Officers

March 13, 2016 — The Missouri S&T student chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) has elected new officers for 2016: Amruta Ranade (president), YeonKyung Lee (vice president), and Mariah Thomas (secretary).
 
Chapter members will be carpooling to the Region 6 STC conference in Springfield, Missouri, on March 18 and 19 to hear presentations by Thomas Warren, Kirk St. Amant, Sandi Harner, and Steve Gerson.
 
Retiring officers from 2015 include Michael Slusar (president), Katherine Upchurch (vice president), and Tyler Neff (secretary).

Tech Com Majors Attend Conferences in Springfield

May 9, 2012 — In late April, several S&T tech com majors attended the 8th Annual Workshop for Teachers of Technical Writing and the 10th Annual STC Student Conference at Missouri State University in Springfield. The students were Razmus Kerwin, Misty Adams, Andrew Herbert, Shristy Bashyal, Melissa Hollingshead, Shubhangi Vajpayee, Shubashini Gamagedara, and Kenny Wampler.

The following paragraphs are adapted from Razz Kerwin’s trip report:

“On the first day of the conference, well-known tech com scholars such as Sherry Southard, Carolyn Rude, Tom Warren, Mike Markel, and Steve Gerson gave presentations on various aspects of the teaching of tech com — from retrospectives on teaching tech com to a frank discussion about the uses of social media in the tech com classroom. One thing I found particularly valuable at the conference was Dr. Southard’s brief retrospective of her career in teaching tech com. I was fortunate enough to talk with her at length during lunch about my upcoming GTA position and some basic teaching strategies for someone just starting out.

“The presentations on the second day were primarily geared toward undergraduates preparing to enter either industry or a higher level of academia. Shubhangi’s and Shubashini’s poster presentations were interesting and unique additions to the poster session. At the book raffle several S&T students won a free Bedford/St. Martin’s technical communication textbook.

“The day concluded with a three-person panel of current tech com PhD students who held an open Q&A session about what it’s really like to be a PhD student. It was a real eye opener regarding the level of commitment it takes to accomplish that goal.”

New Missouri S&T Student Chapter of STC

April 9, 2012 — The Society for Technical Communication (STC) recently approved our petition to create a student chapter of STC at Missouri S&T.

The Missouri S&T chapter hopes to attract members from the former St. Louis chapter of STC as well as students and faculty on the Missouri S&T campus.

The Missouri S&T chapter met for the first time on April 3, 2012, and elected the following officers:

  • Melissa Hollingshead, President
  • Shubhangi Vajpayee, Vice President
  • Megan Kean-O’Brien, Secretary
  • Misty Adams, Treasurer

David Young agreed to be the Chair of the Recruitment Committee.

The group is working on a constitution and bylaws and will soon petition the university for recognition as an official student organization.

For more information about the Missouri S&T Student Chapter of STC, please contact the president, Melissa Hollingshead, or the faculty advisors, Dr. Ed Malone and Dr. David Wright.

Malone and Morgan win publication awards

March 2, 2012 — Dr. Ed Malone has won the 2012 NCTE/CCCC Technical and Scientific Communication Award in the category of Best Article Reporting Historical Research or Textual Studies in Technical and Scientific Communication for “Chrysler’s ‘Most Beautiful Engineer': Lucille J. Pieti in the Pillory of Fame.” Dr. Malone’s article appeared in Volume 19 Issue 2 of Technical Communication Quarterly.

Professor Jack Morgan has been awarded the 2011 Michael J. Durkan Prize for Books on Language and Culture for his New World Irish: Notes on One Hundred Years of Lives and Letters in American Culture (Palgrave 2011). The Durkan Prize is awarded by the American Conference for Irish Studies.

MS in Tech Com makes list in the journal Nature

September 19, 2011 — Our Technical Communication degree programs were giveninvaluable publicity this past July, when the MS in Technical Communication wasone of 12 listed in an article in Nature. Nature is one of the most-read academic science publications worldwide, well-known to many of the researchers on our campus, as well as alumni. Program director Kathryn Northcut, anassociate professor in the Department of English and Technical Communication, expressed her feelings about the coverage: “Being listed as one of twelve programs really validates our efforts to make our program visible and respected.” The article, titled “The best words in the best order,” appeared in the Careers section of Nature.

According to Northcut, the article’s main point was that technical writing is a viable career option for communication-savvy scientists. Northcut confirms that opportunities for technical communicators may be greatest when a humanities or social science degree can be combined with technical education or industry experience. “We’ve had several successful students who majored in engineering or science as undergrads and then sought a master’s degree to propel their career toward the same industries but in a different track. Of course, some students move only through English and tech com programs and land good jobs as well.” Northcut pointed out that the article reports technical communication salary figures, which are highly competitive. “The only negative point was that women still earn less than men across certain careers in technical communication,” Northcut noted, “but with such information, we can help our students understand why they must not only be competent, but also strategically manage their careers and continually hone their negotiation skills. Our program is extremely diverse, with much higher female enrollment than most programs on campus, and we directly address diversity issues with our students.” 

The technical communication program at S&T is the only graduate degree offered in the arts and humanities, but the technical communication bachelor’s is one of many non-engineering degrees offered here, along with psychology, economics, history, philosophy, English, and business. “We are a university, not just an engineering school,” Northcut says. “Our faculty and programs are recognized nationally, not solely in engineering.”

For more information about Missouri S&T’s technical communication degree programs, contact Northcut at 431-4687 or email northcut@mst.edu.