communication department

The deadline for receipt of applications for the Marian Norby and student scholarships is February 15, 2008.

Register by March 17, 2008, to receive the early bird rates for teh Technical Communication Summit., STC's 55th Annual Conference. Registration is available online at www.stc.org/55thConf, as well as by fax and mail.

STC wouldn't be the world's largest professional association for technical communicators without the dedication and commitment of its volunteer leaders. To help chapter and special interest group (SIG) volunteers perform their duties, the STC office provides the following resources.

STC 2005 Honorary Fellow Felice Frankel can add another honor to her résumé. A scientific imagist and senior research fellow at Harvard University's Initiative in Innovative Computing, Frankel is the 2007 recipient of the Lennart Nilsson Award for science or nature photography. According to a Harvard news release, the award is presented in honor of Swedish photographer Nilsson,

By Donn DeBoard, Senior Member

Philadelphia is an exciting and culturally diverse place. With events ranging across the wide spectrum of human expression from music to art to dance, the city can make your toe tap, your heart leap, and your spirit soar. Wherever your passion for the arts lies, you can discover the many cultural gems that Philadelphia has to offer while you are here for the Technical Communication Summit, STC's 55th Annual Conference. Culture is one way Philadelphia welcomes you and says, "We're glad you're here to visit-make yourself at home."

By Thomas Barker, Manager, STC Academic Community, and Hillary Hart, Chair, Academic-Industry Collaborations

For STC to remain a strong organization supportive of all its members, academics and industry/government practitioners must collaborate and pool resources. Important initiatives, such as a possible body-of-knowledge project, would require the cooperation of both groups. As the Society adjusts to the realities of a global marketplace and to an expanded definition of technical writer as technical communicator, what time is better than the present for leading academics and practitioners to discuss ways of strengthening STC?

In September and October 2007, STC held a referendum on proposed new Society bylaws. Voters approved adoption of the new bylaws by a vote of 775 (97 percent) to 27 (3 percent). Of 14,070 eligible voters, 802 (6 percent) cast ballots.

STC's Bylaws Committee identified several reasons why new bylaws were needed:

Renewal invoices for the 2008 Society year will be mailed in December to all STC members who had not renewed their memberships online at www.stc.org. For membership dues, STC accepts checks in U.S. or Canadian dollars, as well as payments made by American Express, MasterCard, or Visa. Dues payments should be received by February 28, 2008.

The Technical Communication Summit is the world's largest gathering of technical communicators. It provides a terrific opportunity to talk with professionals who share your interests, to

The following are descriptions of the membership categories offered to STC members for 2008. Please note that under the new dues structure approved by the Board of Directors in August 2007, the cost of each additional chapter membership (beyond what is included in a member’s respective membership package) is $25 per year, and each additional special interest group (SIG) membership (beyond what is included in a member’s respective membership package) is $10 per year. For more information about the new dues structure, please refer to “Q & A for Chapter Leaders: New Dues Structure” in the October Tieline (www.stc-cdx.org/node/692).