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Science Writing Workshops
As part of their professional development, Duke Engineering offers PhD students scientific and technical writing courses each semester.
Fall 2018 Workshops
Note to students: While you are welcome to take both 790.07 and 790.08, please be aware that the emphasis on clarity, cohesion, and conciseness is the same in both courses.
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Writing Workshop—EGR 790.07
| Info Session | Aug. 28—8:30–10:00 am, Schiciano Auditorium |
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| Eligibility |
Open to engineering graduate students eligible for the NSF GRFP |
| Course Dates | Tuesdays – Sept. 4, 11, 18, 25 and Oct. 12 |
| Meeting Time | 8:30–9:45 a.m. |
| Location | 115A Hudson |
| Course Description | The Duke University Pratt School of Engineering highly encourages graduate students to submit proposals for prestigious competitive fellowships, such as the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program. To assist you with your submissions, we offer a six-week writing workshop this fall (1.25 hrs./wk.) with a special focus on preparing your NSF GRFP proposals. Over five weeks, you will draft, critique, revise, and polish proposals. You will learn concrete strategies for making your writing as clear and cohesive as possible, from individual sentences to paragraphs to overall organization. |
| Credit | 1 |
| Grading | S/NS |
| Enrollment Limit | 35 |
| Registration | Go to DukeHub » |
Technical Writing Workshop—EGR 790.08
| Course Subtitle | Making Texts Clear, Cohesive and Concise
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|---|---|
| Eligibility |
Open to engineering PhD students only |
| Course Dates | Tuesdays – Oct. 16, 23, 30 and Nov. 6 and 13 |
| Meeting Time | 8:30–9:45 a.m. |
| Location | 115A Hudson |
| Course Description | This workshop is a series of five 1.5-hour workshops designed to help make your writing as clear and strong as possible. Workshop topics will include clarity, conciseness, cohesion, organization, common errors, and “putting it all together” in research proposals and scientific papers. You’ll develop a toolbox of strategies for crafting, evaluating, and revising texts. Throughout the workshop, text examples will come directly from participants’ own writing. As a participant, you will be asked to submit writing samples in advance. |
| Credit | 1 |
| Grading | S/NS |
| Enrollment Limit | 25 |
| Registration | Go to DukeHub » |
Instructor Bio: Elizabeth Paley
The course instructor is Elizabeth Paley, who led academic writing workshops for six years at the Duke Writing Studio before branching out on a freelance basis. She has taught numerous science-writing workshops at Duke and at the University of Freiburg since 2010. With an MS in astronomy and a PhD in music theory, she has published in a variety of venues, including The Astrophysical Journal, Nineteenth-Century Music, and The Chronicle for Higher Education.
Contact
Questions? Please contact Sara Faust at sfaust@duke.edu