STC's 50th Annual Conference in Dallas

STC's 50th Annual Conference was held May 18-21, 2003, in Dallas, Texas. The conference theme was "STC@50."

The SIG held its business meeting on Sunday the 18th, 4-5 pm, in the Cooper Room at the Wyndham Anatole Hotel..

The SIG also had a table at the SIG Luncheon on Tuesday, May 20.

Hillary Hart was honored as an associate fellow at the Tuesday night awards banquet. Kathy Hall received an award at the opening ceremony for "best of show" in the international technical publications competition.

Sessions related to ES&H, medical or science writing.

Download Conference materials from the STC website.

Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday

Monday, May 19

Estimating Time and Cost for Policies and Procedures Projects : Panelists will discuss ways to estimate the time and financial resources needed to complete a policy and procedure project.
Moderator: Audrey Cielinski-Kessler, The Write Hand of Ohio
Speakers:
Adrienne S. Escoe, Escoe Bliss Communication
Susan M. Foskin, Devon Energy
Raymond E. Urgo, Urgo & Associates

The Medical Report as a Tool for Teaching Technical Writing- : This session reviews a medical report assignment in which students conduct research and write about a disease in scientific report format for a college-level writing class.
Moderator and speaker: Janet L. Mizrahi, University of California

Single-Sourcing: Benefits to the life sciences: This session looks at how single sourcing is helping the life sciences industry improve the way it creates content. Topics will include electronic initiatives, regulatory controls, XML, and Six Sigma.
Moderator: Ann Rockley
Speakers: Steve Manning, Ann Rockley

Encouraging Meaningful Participation: Involving Users Throughout the Process - : Technology projects succeed when users participate. This panel presents a rationale for and specific examples of the connection between meaningful user participation in the project process and ultimate project success.
Moderator:
John James Conklin, IDT Inc.
Speakers:
John James Conklin, IDT Inc.
Hillary Hart, University of Texas at Austin
Janice C. Redish, Redish & Associates

Hiding Humanity: Verbal and Visual Ethics in Accident Reports : This workshop (a sequel to Nashville's provocative "Cruel Pies") illustrates how visuals can dehumanize victims in accident reports. Learn to create graphic and textual solutions to reintroduce the human element.
Leaders:
Sam Dragga, Texas Tech. University
Daniel W. Voss, Lockheed Martin

Certifications and Credentials for Scientific Editors : Explore credentials and certifications that can help further the careers of scientific editors. The panel will discuss in-depth training, degrees, experiences, and affiliations specific to scientific editing.
Moderator:
Elaine R. Firestone, SAIC, NASA/GSFC
Speakers:
Tony Caruso, RWD Technologies
Michael Ebinger, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Elaine R. Firestone, SAIC, NASA/GSFC
Earlene C. Hammock, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Sushil K. Oswal, University of Hartford
Barbara A. Simmons, Association Management Center

Policies and Procedures Communication: In this demonstration, gain an overview of communicating policies and procedures (P&P) and the P&P discipline: purpose, principles, techniques, vocabulary, trends, and resources.
Leader:
Raymond E. Urgo, Urgo & Associates

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Tuesday, May 20

Experiences with Online Policies and Procedures Information : A moderated panel discussion presents the important concerns, issues, obstacles, and triumphs that three organizations encountered with their transition to online policies and procedures.
Moderator:
Raymond E. Urgo, Urgo & Associates
Speakers:
Diane M. Garcia, Wescom Credit Union
Cheryl Hultiquist, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Jill A. McCauslin, RADCom, Inc.

STC's Research Grants Program: Learn about STC's revised Research Grants Program that offers members exciting new research opportunities and new resources while preserving the best features of the Society's earlier program.
Moderator and speaker: Judith A. Ramey, University of Washington

Topics in Policy and Procedure Communication: In this progression, review a range of policy and procedure (P&P) topics, including organizing documentation, combining or separating P&P documents, and extrinsic vs. intrinsic approaches to P&P information.
Moderator:
Audrey Cielinski-Kessler, The Write Hand of Ohio
Speakers:
Dawnell K. Claessen, Science Application International Corporation: Policy and Procedure: Together or Separate?
Susan M. Foskin, Devon Energy: Fitting the Format of Your P&P Documents to the Audience and the Delivery Medium
Cheryl Hultiquist, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center: What to Keep and What to Throw Away: Organizing Your Documentation
Karina J. Ritchie, Capitol Commerce Mortgage Co.: Policies and Procedures for Policies and Procedures
Ralph E. Robinson, Appendix Publishing Inc.: P&P Documentation-- Is Content the Only Consideration?
Raymond E. Urgo, Urgo & Associates: Historical Aspects of Policies and Procedures Communication
Barbara Scott Zeller, TCF National Bank: When Single Sourcing Is Not an Option

The Environmental Impact of What We Do: Do technical communicators affect the environment? This panel helps you discover how you do, understand your options in protecting the environment, and see how "green" companies (locally and internationally) practice environmental stewardship while preserving their bottom lines.
Moderator:
Diana M. Barkley, TCEQ
Speakers:
Diana M. Barkley, TCEQ
Bonnie B. Yelverton - companion Web site

Assessing the Use of Animation in Public Science Presentations : This session analyzes an experiment comparing the effectiveness of visualized versus non-visualized presentations. It is designed to provide practical guidelines for technical communicators preparing presentations.
Moderator:
Donald E. Zimmerman
Speakers:
Carol Akerelrea, USDOI - Bureau of Land Management
Garrett O'Keefe, Colorado State University
Jane Kapler Smith, USDA Forest Service
Donald E. Zimmerman

Special Topics: Archiving, Writing Medical Brochures, and Typography : In this varied program, learn what to save when you finish a job, how to craft health-care literature, and how to improve the appearance of your documents by knowing principles of typography.
Moderator:
Michael J. Albers, University of Memphis
Speakers:
Michael J. Albers, University of Memphis
Nicole M. Madison, Bowling Green State University
Edward J. Marshall, Jr.

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Wednesday, May 21

Writing and Editing Progression: In this progression, choose from offerings on work efficiency, on-the-job training, journal editing, and other topics.
Moderator:
Diane Feldman, AuthorCraft Editorial Services
Speakers:
Michelle Corbin, IBM: Measuring the Quality of Information
Gaye A. Davis, Kitba Consulting Services, L.P.: Cover to Cover: Publishing Client Documentation for a Mass Audience
Diane Feldman, AuthorCraft Editorial Services: Why Your Pubs Group Needs an Editor
Elaine R. Firestone, SAIC, NASA/GSFC: These Words are Interchangeable, Aren't They?
Holly Harkness, Mirant: Advantages and Disadvantages of Peer Editing in Documentation Teams
Geoffrey J.S. Hart, FERIC: Overcoming Objections to On-screen Editing
Mary Sue Rominger, Kitba Consulting Services, L.P.: Making a Mole Hill Out of a Mountain: Maximizing Efficiency for Large Workloads
Rhonda J. Stanton, Southwest Missouri State University: Journal Editing and Editing for Everyone
Daniel E. Wise, International Code Council: Training on the Fly

Case Studies in Web Design: Learn how two government agencies dealt with complex Web design. Staff from the Centers for Disease Control shares lessons learned from discount usability, while staff from the Environmental Protection Agency describes how template use worked for their project.
Moderator:
Lee Ellis, US EPA OEI OIAA IAD
Speakers:
Lee Ellis, US EPA OEI OIAA IAD
Colleen P. Jones, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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