Better science through rhetoric: A new model and pilot program for training graduate student science writers

ABSTRACT

Graduate programs in the sciences offer minimal support for writing, yet there is an increasing need for scientists to engage with the public and policy makers. To address this need, the authors describe an innovative, cross-disciplinary, National Science Foundation (NSF)–funded training program in rhetoric and writing for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduate students and faculty at the University of Rhode Island. The program offers a theory-driven, flexible, scalable model that could be adopted in a variety of institutional contexts.

KEYWORDS:

• Classroom research
• curriculum design
• pedagogical theory
• rhetoric of science

Additional information

Funding

Support for this project is provided by the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Education and Human Resources award #1545275.

Notes on contributors

Caroline Gottschalk Druschke

Caroline Gottschalk Druschke is an assistant professor of composition and rhetoric in the Department of English and faculty affiliate in the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she researches and teaches about rhetoric, engagement, and environmental management.

Nedra Reynolds

Nedra Reynolds is professor of writing and rhetoric at the University of Rhode Island; she trains teachers of writing and teaches courses in rhetorical theory, composition pedagogy, and argument.

Jenna Morton-Aiken

Jenna Morton-Aiken holds a PhD in English specializing in rhetoric and composition from the University of Rhode Island. She focuses on networked information infrastructures, archives, assessment, and interdisciplinary writing support programs. She teaches at Brown University.

Ingrid E. Lofgren

Ingrid E. Lofgren is an associate professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at the University of Rhode Island. She researches and teaches how lipids and sustainability are impacted by foods and food systems.

Nancy E. Karraker

Nancy E. Karraker is an associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources Science at University of Rhode Island. Her work focuses on biodiversity conservation, and she leads science writing workshops in the U.S. and Indonesia.

Scott R. McWilliams

Scott R. McWilliams is a professor in the Department of Natural Resources Science at University of Rhode Island, where he researches the physiology and ecology of migratory birds and teaches advanced ecology, and wildlife field techniques.