About
Ph. D. Chemistry, University of Michigan 2017
B.S. Chemistry, Duquesne University 2011
I support students writing across scientific disciplines. I teach a science-focused section of WRITING 400: Advanced Rhetoric and Research and a science-focused section of WRITING 630: Advanced Graduate Student Writing. In these courses, we try to break down a sort of default view of the scientific paper as a container for data, something with a checklist of tasks to be accomplished before it is "done." Instead, we start by examining the paper's core social function, a critical consequence of that being that someone will have to read it and make sense of it for it do accomplish anything out there in the world. Using such a genre-based, socially-focused approach helps me reach scientists working in the huge range of disciplines present at U of M and empower them to navigate all of the nuances of their writing demands on their own with confidence.
I also believe that scientists cannot afford to stay in their lanes as researchers, and that it is increasingly important that researchers learn to interact with the world outside academia. A large part of my 400 course deals with examining the barriers academic writing puts up against such communication, and building proficiency in reformulating scientific work into a package that addresses public audiences in meaningful ways beyond simple explanation.
When the stars align, I also freelance the occasional scientific magazine article.