Stopping Power: Examining the Rhetoric and ethics in the 2021 Texas electrical grid shutdown
A research proposal looking into the 2021 Texas electrical grid. This project gave insight into the rhetorical maneuverings used by ERCOT, the electrical supplier,during a congressional deposition. Gains from this assignment include insight into America’s electrical grid system, how it should and shouldn’t run, and how technical writers should talk about it.
This project was instructive in narrowing down a deluge of information into a manageable and accessible format, and allowed me to focus on greater systems analysis. This also granted me a higher insight into the organization of complex informational flows.
“It’s still the sun”: Thomas Kuhn and climate change
This essay, written for a class focusing on technical writing in the sciences, was part of an initial pitch written for the journal Aeon.
Drafting this article, about philosopher Thomas Kuhn and paradigmatic thinking, trained my ability to think using metacognition, a subject Kuhn covers in extreme depth. Learning how to learn is an invaluable skill in any field, but should find a particular spot in the toolkit of technical writing, whose practitioners are expected to quickly learn and master new fields and areas of information to the point of easy communication.
Pedagogical Applications of Wayne Booth
Written for an independent study class, this essay outlines a practical application for Wanye Booth’s “Rhetoric of fiction” I chose to focus on the role of metacognition in my writing process.
This essay strengthened my ability to identify the parameters of what a given audience wants. It outlines student tools for distinguishing between what the teachers expect from my work, the genre expectation, and what my personal expectations are. This seems invaluable to further work as a technical writer.
Wittgenstein as a Philosopher of Technology
Written as an project in collaboration with Lokchun K. Gustin Law, this interpretation of the linguistic philosophers work, examines applications of his thinking to the fields of robotics and music, this essay used and integrated Wittgenstein in a more systematic way within philosophy of technology and engage with perennial questions from the philosophical tradition.
Competencies
Research
Subject Matter Familiarity (Domain Knowledge)
Project Planning/Project Management
Personal Characteristics
Analytical/critical thinking
Time management/deadlines
Competencies
Research
Subject Matter Familiarity (Domain Knowledge)
Team Collaberation
Personal Characteristics
Leadership
Decision- Making Under Pressure
Competencies
Rhetoric
Abstract Thought
Systems Thinking
Personal Characteristics
Time Management
Competencies
Abstract Thinking
Systems Analysis
Personal Characteristics
Collaborative Work
Speculative and Prognostic thinking