Kessler and Graham Awarded 2019 Nell Ann Pickett Award

Congratulations to Molly M. Kessler and S. Scott Graham who were awarded the Nell Ann Pickett Award for their article, “Terminal Node Problems: ANT 2.0 and Prescription Drug Labels,” published in Technical Communication Quarterly, Volume 27.2, 2018. 

The Award Selection Committee noted that “Kessler and Graham ambitiously challenge presuppositions of actor-network theory research in technical communication, in particular past synchronic approaches and explanations of durability.  But they do not limit their research to critique, also offering innovative ways to reframe such problems. Their demonstration of diachronic processes of PDL construction opens up new research pathways, and we believe this article will be a reference point for scholars applying actor-network theory for years to come.”

The Nell Ann Pickett Award is given annually for the best article in ATTW’s journal, Technical Communication Quarterly, for the previous publication year. Judges for the award are previous award winners. It is named for a founding member of the association who initiated the award and originally funded it.

The Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW) is an active professional organization of teachers, researchers, and practitioners of technical communication. Formed in 1973 to encourage dialogue among teachers of technical communication and to develop technical communication as an academic discipline, the organization boasts an international and interdisciplinary membership. ATTW produces Technical Communication Quarterly, a leading academic journal, and it collaborates with Taylor & Francis/Routledge to publish the ATTW Book Series in Technical and Professional Communication.

ATTW Announces 2019 Amplification Awards

ATTW is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2019 ATTW Amplification Awards. As part of ATTW’s commitment to social justice practices and increasing organizational participation and supporting research from underrepresented scholars and teachers of technical communication, ATTW offers up to three awards to recognize and amplify the important contributions of underrepresented students and/or non-tenure track faculty presenting at ATTW 2019 in Pittsburgh. The award includes a conference registration waiver and financial assistance ($500) with the costs of traveling to ATTW 2019. Award recipients were honored at the ATTW awards reception.

Congratulations to the following recipients who presented their research at the ATTW 2019 Conference in Pittsburgh

Exploring Documentation and Rhetorical Practices of Addressing Public Health Crises During Nepal Earthquake 2015
Sweta Baniya, Purdue University

“My Blood Cells When I Take My Truvada”: Examining Twitter Users’ Engagement with PrEP, Truvada, and Sexual Health
Ryan Murphy, Purdue University

The award selection committee was really impressed with the quality and potential contributions of these research projects as well as the others submitted. Award recipients were featured and presented their research in at the annual ATTW conference, which was held on March 12-13, 2019, in Pittsburgh.

The Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW) is an active professional organization of teachers, researchers, and practitioners of technical communication. Formed in 1973 to encourage dialogue among teachers of technical communication and to develop technical communication as an academic discipline, the organization boasts an international and interdisciplinary membership. ATTW produces Technical Communication Quarterly, a leading academic journal, and it collaborates with Taylor & Francis/Routledge to publish the ATTW Book Series in Technical and Professional Communication.

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ATTW Amplification Awards

As part of ATTW’s commitment to social justice practices and increasing organizational participation and supporting research from underrepresented scholars and teachers of technical communication, ATTW is offering up to three awards to recognize and amplify the important contributions of underrepresented students and/or non-tenure track faculty presenting at ATTW 2018 in Kansas City, Kansas. The award includes a conference registration waiver and financial assistance ($500) with the costs of traveling to ATTW 2018. Award recipients will be honored at the ATTW awards reception.

Eligible candidates for this award include students and non-tenure-track faculty whose race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, and/or nationality are underrepresented in the field of technical communication. Applications include an extended abstract (not more than 750 words) that summarizes the applicant’s ATTW presentation and its contribution(s) to the field of technical communication. The Awards Selection Committee will prioritize abstracts that are clearly defined and offer significant pedagogical, theoretical, and/or methodological contributions to the field of technical communication.

Call for Applications: ATTW Information Officer/ Communications Team

ATTW’s Executive Committee requests applications for ATTW’s Information Officer and Communications Team, which should consist of Website Editor(s) and a Social Media Coordinator, to begin May 15, 2019.

ATTW’s Information Officer and Communications Team will assist ATTW by guiding our use of networked resources to enable the continued growth and development of the organization. The technical and creative work required in the position also offers opportunities for, and may contribute to, the applicant’s digital research agenda.

Parties interested should send the following by April 15, 2019 to Michelle Eble at eblem@ecu.edu:

  • letter of application responding to the needs noted in the following description,
  • vita, and
  • a letter of support from the applicant’s administration (department chair and/or dean); release time and graduate student assistance is welcome but not required. (ATTW will provide up to $3,000 for graduate students per year, if needed).

The ATTW Information Officer/Website Editor will have the following duties:

The Information Officer/Website Editor will serve as a leader in the ATTW organization and will have the opportunity to shape the direction of ATTW by leveraging internet technologies.  This officer should understand new trends and possibilities on the internet and make recommendations to the Executive Committee to guide the organization’s decisions about its web and social media presence. The Executive Committee is committed to providing feedback and support for the work of this officer and welcomes the active development of new content strategy. The office should work with their team members to implement strategies and solutions and foster collaborations that take advantage of what current technologies have to offer. In the recent past, these have included making new services available to our members via social networking, collaborative authorship with open source projects, and integration of web services through APIs. Developments that coincide with the editor’s personal research agenda are particularly encouraged.

Website Development

  • Develop and expand site content as needed. Work with ATTW committee chairs and the executive committee (including book series and journal editors) to update content. Update functional aspects of the site as needed or as upgrades become available.
  • Assist ATTW in using its website and social media to better engage members, enhance participation, and grow the organization’s value as a professional resource. Recommend and implement new ways to enable interaction on the website and find ways to expand existing means of interaction.

Website Maintenance

  • Maintain critical functions on the ATTW website. These include, especially, Bulletin/Blog, TCQ, ATTW Book Series, and Conference pages. These also include “commercial” aspects of the site, such as interactions that facilitate conference proposal and review, registration, and payment. These functions involve the ability to work with external partners and vendors to facilitate usable and useful experiences for our members.
  • Maintain site integrity and security. This includes keeping all the software and plugins for a given web CMS platform current, updating all critical security patches, etc.
  • Collaborate with the conference program chair(s), conference coordinator, and ATTW’s secretary and treasurer to coordinate the proposal submission system, registration system, conference web pages and other materials as outlined in the conference planning calendar.

Committee and Officer Liaison

  • Serve on the ATTW Executive Committee and report to the Executive Committee on a regular basis regarding website maintenance and status. A brief progress report should be sent to the Executive Committee annually.
  • Collaborate with other ATTW entities and work with them to develop website content and functionalities that meet their needs.
  • Collaborate with the Bulletin/Blog, TCQ, and ATTW Book Series editors to meet their needs. Help them to improve existing features and develop new features of the publications.
  • Collaborate with the ATTW treasurer and other officers, as needed, on development of registration and membership aspects of the site and on any other issues involving payment or articulation with Taylor & Francis.

Membership Development
Find and implement ways to use the website as a marketing and promotional tool for the organization.

Communication Technologies
Administer the ATTW-L and ExComm-L listservs and ATTW email account.

Social Media Liaison

  • Work with social media coordinator(s) of ATTW social network sites.
  • Work to develop collaboration with non-ATTW social media and web-based endeavors relevant to ATTW members.

The ATTW web editor should have the following qualifications:

Web Design Experience

  • Advanced knowledge of current web authoring technologies including html and CSS.
  • Knowledge of current web design standards, including web accessibility.
  • Understanding of user experience (UX) quality standards and best practices.

Knowledge of Software

  • Advanced knowledge of and experience with relevant content management systems. The web editor is expected to be proficient in WordPress.
  • Ability and willingness to critically evaluate software, vendor services, and platforms and to make changes when needed.

Familiarity with the ATTW Organization

Be a member of ATTW in good standing and be familiar with the organization and its members.

The ATTW web editor should meet the following parameters and expectations:

The web editor position is a 2-year term with opportunity for renewal.

Like the organization’s journal editor, the web editor is expected to be the primary person fulfilling the duties listed above. Qualified graduate and undergraduate students may assist in technical duties that do not include access to any personal information about members, such as conference proposal reviews and financial records, or proprietary financial information about the organization; however, the web editor should provide oversight and assume responsibility for any student-completed tasks. Accountability will rest with the web editor.

The ATTW Social Media Coordinator will have the following duties:

  1. Manage social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and other sites as needed
  2. Respond to queries on these sites
  3. Schedule regular announcements and updates to run on these sites
  4. Keep data on reach & engagement (e.g., Facebook likes, reach for posts, etc.)
  5. Select social media curators to tweet and post about the annual conference
  6. Promote engagement on Twitter and other sites before, during, and after the conference (e.g., ask participants to use the #attwcon hashtag)
  7. Work closely with the Web Editor to effectively advertise ATTW messages
  8. Share other resources relevant to membership (e.g., CFPs, news stories, etc.)
  9. Archive conference tweets using the #attwcon hashtag (using Hawksey or another service)
  10. Maintain security of accounts through selecting and managing strong passwords

ATTW 2019 Conference Information

ATTW 2019 is one week away! We wanted to round up all the information about conference events in one place as everyone prepares for their travel. Hopefully, this answers your last minute questions, but if not, please feel free to contact us at attworg@gmail.com.

Have a look at the  ATTW 2019 Program Previews and plan your conference!
Tuesday, March 12 Program Schedule & Sessions
Wednesday, March 13 Program Schedule & Sessions
Wednesday, March 13 Poster Session

All ATTW conference events are held at the Westin Pittsburgh,  1000 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222

Registration

If you haven’t registered, please do so by Friday, March 8. While you will be able to register on-site at the conference, the registration costs will be increased. Registering early lets us provide the hotel with a more accurate headcount, and it promotes a more efficient check-in process at the conference. Plus, you’ll have a printed name-tag. Here’s the registration link:

Register for ATTW 2019 Two-Day Conference

Social media

Plan to tweet using the #attwcon hashtag.

Conference Check-in

Check-in and registration will be available in the atrium on the second floor of the Westin on Tuesday, March 12, beginning at 8:30 am.
Check-in and registration will be available outside of the Pennsylvania Ballroom on Wednesday, March 13, beginning at 7:30 am.
The main room for ATTW on Wednesday will be the Pennsylvania Ballroom.

If you preregistered for the conference:

Look for someone with a cellphone or tablet to get you checked in quickly through Eventbrite. Pick up your nametag and program, and have a great conference!

If you registered, but need to pay onsite:

Look for Brian Blackburne & Michelle Eble. They’ll help you finish your registration.

If you missed the online registration window:

Look for Brian Blackburne. He will be handling onsite registrations. Here are the costs for onsite registrations:

Full-time faculty or professionals $170.00
Contingent faculty $100.00
Students $70.00

Poster Presentation Information

The Poster Presentation Session is scheduled for Wednesday, March 13, from 11:15 am-12:15 pm in the Pennsylvania Ballroom Posters should be 30″ x 40″ or smaller to fit on the foam boards that will be provided.  We will provide foam boards, binder clips, and push pins to mount the posters. Then the foam boards will be displayed on easels.

Presenter Information

Rooms will have a projector, screen, and Internet access. Presenters should bring laptops and connecting dongles for audio visual.

Each session is an hour and fifteen minutes. In general, with a panel of four, each presenter has fifteen minutes, leaving fifteen minutes for questions. The issue of when to take questions is up to the chair and the panel, but taking questions at the end, by which time everyone has had time to present, is a good idea. Please stick to your time in the session.

Publisher Exhibits

Please make an effort to visit the publisher exhibits on Wednesday, March 13. They will be set-up in the Pennsylvania Ballroom for the majority of the day. Thanks to Bedford St. Martin’s/Macmillan Learning; Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group; and University Press of Colorado & Utah State University Press for participating in this year’s conference.

Research Methods Workshops

The Research Methods workshop will take place Tuesday, March 12 from 1:30 pm-5:30 pm in the Armstrong Room in the Westin.

The room will have a projector and screen, but facilitators and participants should bring laptops.

There will be a short break from 2:45-3:15.

Women in TC Luncheon

The luncheon is scheduled in the Pennsylvania Ballroom on Wednesday, March 13, 12:15 pm-1:30 pm. Registration is required for this event. Organizers will check people in at the door using the Eventbrite registration information.

Accessibility

If you have have accessibility concerns for which you need assistance, please contact Michelle Eble at eblem@ecu.edu.

ATTW 2019 Conference Registration Open

Program chairs Marie Moeller and Han Yu invite you to the 22nd Annual Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW) two-day conference, “Accountability in Technical Communication,” which will be held at the Westin Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA, on March 12-13, 2019, immediately preceding the Conference on College Composition and Communication. The ATTW conference includes a plenary, concurrent sessions, book exhibits, an editor’s roundtable, and opportunities for exchanging ideas and networking.

Register for the conference here: https://attw2019.eventbrite.com

Eventbrite is your one-stop-shop for conference events in Pittsburgh including registration for the conference, the Research Methods Workshops on Tuesday March 13th, and the Women in Technical Communication Luncheon on Wednesday, March 14.

We look forward to seeing you in Pittsburgh!

Conference Program
For additional information about the conference schedule/program (when it is available), go to https://attw.org/2019-conference/.

ATTW Membership
Please make sure your ATTW membership is up to date. For more information on joining or renewing your ATTW membership, go to https://attw.org/about-attw/membership/

If you have questions about tickets or have difficulty registering, please contact attworg@gmail.com.