Pre/Views
By Vicki Tolar Burton, WIC Director
June is the time for congratulations, gratitude, and closure. In this issue we congratulate Walt Ream’s student team in Microbiology 311 who turned a class research project on genomes into a scholarly publication. Congratulations also to our 2016 WIC Culture of Writing awardees from across the university, and to their nominating teachers. Read below about these amazing undergraduate research projects. These are among the best of OSU’s undergraduate writers.
Feeling a little stressed? Check out my article “Mindfulness for Distracted Writers,” which was also the topic of one of our spring lunches. Did you miss Chris Thaiss’s wonderful presentations on writing in STEM? Kristina Lum and Natalie Saleh bring you some highlights.
I also want to express public thanks to the WIC team, who have made this year a success and a joy. Thanks again for the generous leadership of Tracy Ann Robinson, who served as interim WIC Director while I took a fall term sabbatical. Thanks also to Kristina Lum the WIC GTA. Her positive spirit, astute course assessment, consulting advice, and event planning have made WIC a better program and my life much better. Thanks to WIC intern Natalie Saleh, who worked with us throughout the year, contributing in many areas of the program from the newsletter to course reviews. Thanks also to WIC office assistant Julie Howard for her attention to endless details on many WIC projects. And thanks to all the faculty who have taught our 150+ WIC courses this year.
Have a great summer! See you in September.
Good Advice from Chris Thaiss on Writing in STEMBy Kristina Lum, (MA 2016, SWLF) WIC GTA, and Natalie Saleh, (MA 2017, SWLF) WIC Intern
Chris Thaiss, Clark Kerr Presidential Chair and Professor in the University Writing Program at the University of California Davis, visited Oregon State on May 13, 2016 to provide a workshop for STEM faculty and spoke at the last Spring Series WIC Lunch. He shared his techniques of rhetorical approaches to STEM reading and writing at both events, and the following is a summary of some main points from a rich day of faculty development. Read More
Mindfulness for Distracted WritersBy Vicki Tolar Burton, WIC DirectorWe are all distracted writers. David Levy, Professor of Information Sciences at the University of Washington, is so concerned about the effects of omnipresent media on his students that he asks them to study themselves and their own media-driven distractibility. Read More
Call for Nominations: Fall 2016 WIC Faculty SeminarBy WIC TeamThe WIC Faculty Seminar for the 2016-2017 school year will be held in fall term. Faculty interested in participating should ask their unit heads to email a nomination to WIC director Vicki Tolar Burton at vicki.tolarburton@oregonstate.edu. Read More
Microbiology WIC Students Publish Genome Research
By WIC Team
Congratulations to Professor Walt Ream and his Microbiology 311 students for the publication of their article, “Draft Genome Sequence of Erwinia billingiae OSU19-1, Isolated from a Pear Tree Canker” in the journal Genome Announcements. The students were enrolled in a Molecular Microbiology Lab WIC Course (MB311, winter, 2015). Read More
Writing Advice from WIC Culture of Writing Award WinnersBy WIC TeamThe 2016 WIC Culture of Writing Award winners were asked to give writing advice for students in their respective majors/disciplines. Here is what they had to say: Read More
2016 WIC Culture of Writing Awards in the Disciplines
By WIC Team
Participation in the Culture of Writing Award has thrived since 2006 as students earn recognition and cash awards through either individual or team writing projects. This year, participation continues to be strong. WIC would like to thank all participating units for their continued desire to recognize and reward outstanding student writing. Congratulations to this year’s awardees! Read More
The Role of GTAs in WIC Classes
By Kristina Lum, (MA 2016, SWLF) WIC GTA, and Natalie Saleh, (MA 2017, SWLF) WIC Intern
A panel of GTAs and instructors whose WIC courses involve GTAs presented on their experience with student writers at the WIC lunch on May 6. The panel provided insight into the strengths and weakness of student writing and pointed out ways that instructors can make better use of GTAs in their classrooms. Read More
