The STEM Writing Institute Launches New Writing Workshops for STEM Professionals

VIRGINIA, January 2, 2022—As writing and communication demands increase for professionals in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), The STEM Writing Institute (SWI) is on a mission to help burgeoning STEM professionals find their voice and improve their communication skills through clear and concise writing.

Having experience in creative writing, SWI founder Kelly Scarff was familiar with the concept of writing workshops where writers come together in a common space to work on their respective projects and receive feedback for improvement. However, while searching for similar workshops for a group of mechanical engineering graduate students, Scarff noticed a lack of writing workshop opportunities for burgeoning STEM professionals.

“Writing is often viewed as separate from STEM, but the truth is that writing is an integral part of STEM, and it must be regarded as such if you want your research, and credibility, to thrive” said Scarff, who is a faculty member and the Technical Communication Program Director in Virginia Tech’s Mechanical Engineering Department. “Writing is not something you tack on at the end of a lab experiment or a product design; rather, writing is an iterative part of the entire process, from start to finish.” At The STEM Writing Institute, participants are provided with a better understanding of the writing process and STEM publication requirements, concrete writing instruction that they can apply to their own writing, and one-on-one feedback on a piece of their writing that will lead to a polished draft ready for submission.

Starting in June 2023, SWI will offer both virtual and in-person STEM writing workshops. Additionally, SWI writing workshops can be tailored to fit your specific needs. SWI will work with you on both the medium of the SWI workshop and the curriculum. If you have a group of STEM professionals (graduate students, faculty, or industry professionals) who needs help with their writing, email info@thestemwritinginstitute.com to schedule a consultation with an SWI team member to create your Custom SWI Workshop.