whowhatwhenwherewhyhow

 


Writing is our legacy. As scientists, engineers, and academics, what we write is the final outcome of our work. Our words dictate how our peers, other experts, policymakers, and the public use our research. Long after our research is done and we are gone, our words live on (at least until the singularity, nuclear war, a species-ending natural or engineered pandemic, or our sun Red Giants).

Unfortunately, too many of us treat writing as an unfortunate but required chore or, even worse, an afterthought. Given that writing generally occurs at the end of our work, it is often rushed to meet deadlines, and, as a consequence, suffers, depleting our work's impact.

Most of us are not trained as writers, and far too many of us write for ourselves and not our readers. And there are so many bad examples of technical writing out there that bad technical writing is perpetuated into the future.

The purpose of this blog is to share my thoughts on technical writing for scientists, engineers, and academics, particularly in this age of greater access to science and research through open journals and greater emphasis on interdisciplinary research.

I don't claim to be the world's best technical writer (I'm probably at the 77th percentile), but I do attempt to think a lot about how to write clearly and legibly to a diverse audience.

who

I lead a research institute and serve as a professor of practice at Texas State University in beautiful San Marcos, Texas. Before holding these positions, I worked for 18 years at a state water agency at the intersection of science and policy. It was here that I saw the importance of clear communication to elected officials and stakeholders. Too many times, scientists and engineers speak over the heads of policymakers and the public. If you are not heard, the science is not heard. And if you are incomprehensible, you won't be invited back. I strove to get the science heard so at least it had a chance of being considered during policy deliberations.

Before working at the state, I held a position at the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin. I was fortunate to have a mentor who described himself as a "failed editor" ("failed" since he pursued a Ph.D. in Geology instead of English), someone who was a good writer and was willing to mentor me to become one as well.

I hold degrees in geophysics, hydrology, and hydrogeology. I took technical writing as an undergrad, but didn't pay attention since I was there to become a scientist and not a writer. Boy, was I wrong.

what

As mentioned above, the purpose of this blog is to share my thoughts on technical writing for scientists, engineers, and academics. As a part-time professor these days, I am mentoring more and more students in classes and committees on research and writing. As a result, I will also be sharing my thoughts and suggestions on conducting research. This blog will allow me to share my thoughts through a link and give people the ability to return and review. I also have the delusion of grandeur of turning these musings into a book someday. We shall see.

when

Now (and when the muse strikes)! I do not have a defined schedule, but as the need arises (or something topical comes up), I will write.

where

I am in the United States and speak and write in English (with the tiniest of tidbits in Spanish [I have one paper in Spanish!]).

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