To learn who wrote the first user manual for computers, go to Ed Malone's column in the IEEE/PCS online newsletter. Dr. Malone has agreed to write a quarterly column for the newsletter of the IEEE Professional Communication Society. As this first … [Continue reading]
Where Did Your Steak Come From?
January 22, 2008 by
People are becoming more concerned about the origins of their foods, including beef. In his PhD dissertation, David Wright (assistant professor of English and Technical Communication) studied the efforts of the US Department of Agriculture to use … [Continue reading]
Librarian, Trucker, Novelist . . . and Mother
January 20, 2008 by
What do English majors do when they graduate? All kinds of things, as I hope to discuss here. One of our graduates, Angelia Sparrow (BA, 1991), has established herself as a writer of erotic fiction. Ms. Sparrow maintains a professional Web site, The … [Continue reading]
Just a Couple Days Before Classes Start
January 12, 2008 by
The spring 2008 semester for Missouri University of Science & Technology starts on Monday, January 14. Here it is, Saturday, January 12, and I'm putting together course materials. (I suspect I'm not alone in that!) This is the university's first … [Continue reading]
Which Is the Real Story?
December 23, 2007 by
Recently, my wife and I watched again Peter Jackson's films of The Lord of the Rings, J. R. R. Tolkien's masterwork. Now, we are watching the films with the director's, producers', and writers' commentaries. The question that immediately arises when … [Continue reading]
Honors for Three English Majors
December 11, 2007 by
At Zeno's Steak House at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, December 6 , three English BA students were inducted into Phi Kappa Phi, a national honor society. Two of the students, Kathryn Knocke and Laura Ward, are pictured here with Elizabeth Cummins, professor … [Continue reading]
It Takes a Team to Pedal Fast
December 3, 2007 by
This afternoon, Missouri University of Science & Technology's chancellor, John F. Carney III, delivered his fifth semi-annual State of the University speech. A high point was Tom Shipley's brief documentary on Missouri S&T's entry in last … [Continue reading]
Dancing in Unity
November 29, 2007 by
Yesterday was Unity Day on the UMR (MST) campus. The event celebrated diversity through the arts — including the art of cooking, one of my favorite arts. I was vaguely aware of Unity Day, something that happens around twice a semester. The … [Continue reading]
Taking a Break
November 18, 2007 by
Thanksgiving break started officially this weekend, a landmark eagerly awaited. For some it started earlier, sometime last week. Friday, the campus population was down quite a bit -- the boisterous voices, the standing, sitting, slouched students … [Continue reading]
Travels with Students
October 28, 2007 by
Recently, two English and Technical Communication faculty members accompanied students to events in St Louis. Dr. Kathryn Northcut took students to a regional meeting of the Society for Technical Communication; Dr. Kristine Swenson took a group of … [Continue reading]