Dr. Sara Parks, assistant professor and coordinator of technical writing in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of English and Creative Writing, has co-authored a chapter in the upcoming book titled “Technical Communication for Environmental Action.”
Edited by Sean D. Williams, associate professor of technical communication and information design at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, this collection of essays engages scholars and practitioners in a conversation about action to address climate change. The book is slated to be published in early January.
“This book sprung from a 2019 conference panel on environmental accountability in technical communication,” Parks said. “It has been fun to watch the process move from casual synergy to a full edition.”
The chapter titled “Resilient Farmland: The Role of Technical Communicators” presents cases of technical communication that seek to shape agricultural and environmental resiliency in the Midwest, specifically in Iowa. It also reviews technical writing associated with the Des Moines Waterworks case and other water quality cases. Parks co-authored the chapter with Dr. Lee Tesdell, emeritus faculty member at Minnesota State University Mankato.
The two are former MSU colleagues with a shared interest and background in agricultural resiliency and applied technical communication. Their partnership started with many long conversations and brainstorming opportunities in this area of study.
“We hope our chapter gives insight into the practices of technical communicators and the challenges they face when engaging with agriculture resiliency and environmental action in the U.S. Midwest,” Parks said.
Prior to her arrival at SFA in 2019, Parks taught a variety of courses at Kansas State University, Iowa State University and MSU. She specializes in rhetoric of science and completed her dissertation while working as a science communicator for a biorenewable energy National Science Foundation grant in Iowa.
Parks also has published six articles for various journals related to science communication.
For more information or to preorder the book, visit gosfa.com/3igWdAe.
