communication department

Volume XX Number 4

Honors and Awards

Distinguished Chapter Service Award Winners for 2007

The Society for Technical Communication has long recognized the importance of the hard work and commitment of its chapter members. Without their energy and enthusiasm, the Society would cease to be the largest, most effective, and most prestigious organization of technical communicators in the world.

In 1988, the Society initiated the Distinguished Chapter Service Award (DCSA) to recognize exemplary dedication to the chapter and its activities. The first awards were presented in 1989. Following is a list of DCSA winners for 2007.

Region 1 Chapters

Boston
Virginia Adams
Karen Giventer
Patty Morin

Eastern Ontario
Rick Lorenz

Philadelphia Metro
Michael V. Sharp
Prescott S. Williams

Southwestern Ontario
Opal Gamble
Nancy Halverson

Region 2 Chapters

Carolina
Meredith Kinder
Cindy Richardson-Decker

Washington, D.C.
Katharyn L. Bine

Region 3 Chapters

Atlanta
Dirk Bender
Roger Siegel

East Tennessee
Tim Hammon

Region 4 Chapters

Northeast Ohio
Jeanette Evans
Lori J. Klepfer

Pittsburgh
Alan Houser

Southeastern Michigan
Kathleen Belanger
Deborah Stacy

Region 5 Chapters

Houston
Ann Jennings

Lone Star
Jackie Damrau
Jeanne Foster
Paul Holland

Phoenix
Linda Glass Shacklock

Southern Arizona
Pat Markey

Region 7 Chapters

Mid-Valley
Scott Logan

Rocky Mountain
Anne C. Halsey

Region 8 Chapters

Berkeley
Kathryn Munn

East Bay
T. R. Girill

Los Angeles
Melissa Stoller

NorthBay
Rolfe Dlugy-Hegwer

San Francisco
Larry Pastori

San Gabriel Valley
Kathy Broman

Silicon Valley
Jeff Beeler
Andrew Davis
Colleen Doherty
Mimi Wessling
Anne Wilson

Distinguished SIG Service Award Winners for 2007

In 2002, the Society initiated a formal awards program to recognize the commitment and hard work of members of its special interest groups (SIGs). The Distinguished SIG Service Award (DSSA) recognizes length of SIG membership, consistency of service over the duration of membership, and variety of service.

Following are the winners of the 2007 Distinguished SIG Service Award:

Academic
Kenneth T. Rainey (posthumous award)

Instructional Design and Learning
Chris Emanuelli

Management
Patrick Lufkin
Richard Mateosian

Online
Rachel Houghton
Destry Wion

Policies and Procedures
Raymond E. Urgo

Quality and Process Improvement
Thomas Neuburger

Usability and User Experience
Amanda J. Nance

Distinguished Service Award for Students

In 2005, the Society introduced a special awards program, the Distinguished Service Award for Students (DSAS), designed to recognize exemplary dedication to student chapters and their activities. Only student members who are currently attending school on a full-time basis are eligible for this award. The winners of the 2007 DSAS are listed below.

Cedarville University Student Chapter
Brynn Paine

Chicago Chapter
Ginnifer Mastarone

Mercer University Student Chapter
Kyle Steele

Missouri Western State University Student Chapter
Stacey Fosburgh-Shores

Orlando Chapter
Rachel C. Eichen

Texas Tech University Student Chapter
Nicole M. Madison

Trinitite Student Chapter
Jennifer Bracken

New Sigma Tau Chi Members Named

The STC Board of Directors recently elected eight new members of Sigma Tau Chi (STX), the honorary society for students of technical communication. STX recognizes students enrolled in baccalaureate or graduate technical communication programs who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or above, are exemplary participants in STC, and demonstrate a potential for significant contribution to the profession. The new STX members at the undergraduate and graduate levels are as follows:

Undergraduate

Jennifer E. Davis
Arizona State University–Polytechnic Campus

Lindsay K. Lehmann
Cedarville University

Brynn Paine
Cedarville University

Graduate

Sarah J. Austin
Missouri State University

John Martin
North Carolina State University

Kimberly Michelle Rothwell
North Carolina State University

Elaine Wisniewski
Eastern Michigan University

Quan Zhou
University of Washington

For more information on STX, please contact the STC office.

Jay R. Gould Award Winners

The Jay R. Gould award for excellence in teaching technical communication honors the distinguished teaching career of the late Professor Gould. His academic mentorship guided many into the technical communication profession. The Gould award honors excellence in teaching that becomes true academic mentorship: the personal and professional concern that the best teachers extend to their students beyond the classroom. This mentorship continues beyond graduation as former students grow throughout their professional careers.

To be eligible for the award, a nominee must have been a member of the Society for Technical Communication for at least ten years and must have been involved in postsecondary education for at least fifteen years.

This year’s winners of the Jay R. Gould award for excellence in teaching technical communication are as follows:

David K. Farkas, Fellow
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington

M. Jimmie Killingsworth, Fellow
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas

Donald E. Zimmerman, Fellow
University of Colorado
Fort Collins, Colorado

Two Chosen for Inaugural Ken Rainey Award

This year, STC has established the Ken Rainey Award for Excellence in Research to celebrate and honor the late professor Rainey’s passion for research that results in improvements to technical communication, especially to practice. The award acknowledges the importance of exemplary research to technical communication and encourages excellence in technical communication research by honoring those whose research studies have made an outstanding contribution to the field.

STC is delighted to announce two winners of the inaugural Ken Rainey Award: Karen Schriver and Jan Spyridakis.

Karen Schriver’s research, especially in information design, has had a lasting impact on practice. Her 1997 book, Dynamics in Document Design: Creating Texts for Readers, is internationally recognized and widely consulted. Through her professional work, international dissemination of research results, and continuous outreach to the media, Karen has become an ambassador for technical communicators worldwide. She is considered a valued authority in our field and her work continues to have a positive influence on the profession.

Jan Spyridakis has devoted much of her professional life to conducting high-quality studies in our field. She is widely known for explicating innovations and trends in technical communication, conducting carefully crafted studies that extend those innovations, and helping practitioners understand and use research results to improve their professional lives. She has been a peerless research mentor, allowing her students first place in coauthored studies and educating new generations of researchers. Overall, Jan is an exemplar of best practices by designing studies that matter to practice and disseminating study results broadly and in ways accessible to everyone.

The recipients will receive their award at STC’s 54th Annual Conference, May 12–16, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

$10,000 Research Grants: June 29 Deadline

By Rachel Spilka, Manager, Research Grants Committee

An annual award of up to $10,000 is available to support research that connects well with STC's Strategic Objectives. STC is interested in supporting research that has direct relevance and value to the work of technical communication practitioners, who constitute the majority of the Society's membership.

The selection of the annual award recipient involves a three-stage process.

First Stage: Query

The deadline to submit a proposal is midnight on Friday, June 29, 2007. Researchers should submit an electronic copy of a cover page and a five-page query sent as a single e-mail attachment with a message addressed to Rachel Spilka, Manager, STC Research Grants Committee.

On the cover page, include the project title and researchers’ names and institutional affiliations.

The query should include the following:

• Problem statement, research questions, and project description
• Explanation (embedded in a brief literature review) of how the project will contribute to the field of technical communication and benefit the Society
• Description of the project design and methodology
• Description of researcher qualifications
• Citations list

Second Stage: Selection of Two Finalists

From the queries received, the Research Grants Committee will select two finalists, who will be notified in September 2007. The finalists will receive detailed feedback on their queries and on the viability of their research ideas to help them develop a full proposal, which will be due on December 1, 2007. Finalists may also be asked for additional information and materials to help the committee in its review and deliberation.

Third Stage: Final Selection

The Research Grants Committee will recommend one of the two projects to the STC Board of Directors for funding, and the awardee will be notified after the Board meets in January or February 2008.

Please contact Rachel Spilka if you have questions.