Going Rogue: How I Became a Communication Specialist in an Engineering Department

ABSTRACT

Program location has been a key conversation piece in discussions concerning the technical communication profession. Less attention has been devoted toward location of individual faculty, particularly those who may be the lone communicator in departments outside of English or humanities. Although these arrangements may not be without challenges, they also may yield unique opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations and professional identity shaping in ways that more traditional academic technical communication positions do not.

KEYWORDS:

• Academic position
• engineering communication
• interdisciplinary collaboration
• location
• professional identity

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Julie Dyke Ford

Julie Dyke Ford is professor of technical communication (housed in the Mechanical Engineering department) at New Mexico Tech where she teaches in the junior/senior design clinic as well as graduate-level engineering communication courses. Her research involves design education, technical communication pedagogy, and knowledge transfer.