Jay R. Gould Award
The Jay R. Gould Award for Excellence in Teaching Technical Communication honors the distinguished teaching career of the late Professor Gould, whose academic mentorship guided many into the technical communication profession. To be eligible for the award, a nominee must have been a member of the STC for at least 10 years and must have been involved in postsecondary education for at least 15 years.
This year’s winner is Nancy Coppola. Her citation reads:
For outstanding achievements in promoting Technical Communication as a discipline; for innovative curriculum and program design; and for excellent teaching that has inspired the next generation of technical communicators.
Nancy Coppola is honored for her leadership in research-based instruction in the field of technical communication. She has made an outstanding contribution to not only teaching the body of knowledge but also developing our knowledge base as an original member of the STC Body of Knowledge (BoK) initiative. Her research on core competencies expected of graduates who practice technical communication helped inform the structural backbone for the current TC Body of Knowledge. As founding director of one of the first online graduate programs in technical communication, Nancy Coppola demonstrates a sustained pattern of mentorship to ensure student success. She built and maintains a strong student network of community through social media use. Involved in research beyond the classroom, she has ensured that her funded work always included a student presence. Her publications and presentations of research on learning outcomes for programs and core competencies for students in technical communication have established her as a national figure in program assessment who is changing the way technical communication is taught and measured.
Congratulations to Nancy.
Ken Rainey Award
The Ken Rainey Award for Excellence in Research was established by the STC in 2006 to celebrate and honor Professor Rainey’s passion for research that results in improvements to technical communication, especially to practice. The goal of the award is to encourage quality and excellence in technical communication research by honoring those whose research studies have made an outstanding contribution to the field.
This year’s winner is Judith Ramey, PhD. Her citation reads:
For her foundational, continued, and pragmatic research efforts on behalf of the user, STC awards Dr. Judith Ramey this award for Excellence in Research.
Judith Ramey is a professor in the department of human centered design and engineering (formerly the department of technical communication) within the College of Engineering at the University of Washington. Her innovative research in usability research methods and user-centered design, including founding the Laboratory for Usability Testing and Evaluation, has resulted in more than 100 articles, book chapters, technical reports, and conference proceedings. Her teaching, research, and leadership have brought her multiple awards, including STC’s Jay R. Gould Award in 2000, the Landmark Paper Author Award from the IEEE Professional Communication Society in 2007, and STC Fellow in 1998. She has also contributed to the field by establishing a PhD program in her department and serving as chair for 11 years.
Congratulations to Judith for this well-deserved honor.
Community Achievement Awards
The community achievement awards (CAA) program recognizes STC chapters and special interest groups (SIGs) for exceptional accomplishments in meeting Society goals. The awards not only acknowledge that the obligations of a properly functioning community have been met, but that the winning communities have performed well beyond expectations.
The awards program recognizes, in a visible and meaningful manner, communities that demonstrate outstanding, innovative, and sustained performance in advancing the goals of the Society. STC recognizes the following communities for their efforts.
Communities of Distinction
Geographic Community 76–150 members
Orlando
For excellent and innovative services to members, particularly the Reach the Summit initiative.
Geographic Community 151–300 members
Willamette Valley
For providing members with value-laden programs during difficult financial times, supporting student members with mentoring and internship opportunities, and using creative meeting formats and social media to expand the effective reach of the community.
Geographic Community 301–600 members
Atlanta
For increasing member participation in leadership, redesigning your website, increasing your value to members by hosting social events, and finding sponsors to keep meetings low cost or free.
Virtual Community less than 1,500 members
Instructional Design and Learning SIG
For providing rich resources that hone your members’ skills through webinars, online resources, and a forum for the free exchange of knowledge and ideas.
Virtual Community more than 1,500 members
Technical Editing SIG
For effectively providing valuable resources on an outstanding website, innovating new uses of social media, and setting aggressive goals in a challenging year.
Communities of Excellence
- Carolina
- Chicago
- Houston
- Lone Star
- Northeast Ohio
- Phoenix
- Rocky Mountain
Community of Merit
- Southeast Michigan
Pacesetter Award
The Pacesetter Award acknowledges a community’s contributions to the Society’s goals through a single innovative and effective program or activity. Congratulations to the honorees.
Houston Chapter
For offering program meetings in a way that increases value for members and improves the flow of revenue for the chapter.
France Chapter, Transalpine Chapter, and Europe SIG
For collaborative work on a topic of great significance this year, content strategy, culminating in a collaborative conference held in conjunction with the conference of another organization.
Toronto Chapter
For streamlining operations, clarifying offerings that provide value for members, and moving toward financial self sufficiency.
Technical Editing SIG
For innovations in education and networking for members, generating revenue for STC, and supporting other STC chapters and SIGs.
SIGMA TAU CHI
STC sponsors Sigma Tau Chi (STX) to recognize exemplary technical communication students in baccalaureate or graduate programs.
STX recognizes students enrolled in technical communication programs who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or above, are exemplary in participation in STC, and demonstrate a potential for significant contribution to the profession. Students who are accepted into Sigma Tau Chi receive one year’s membership in STC, a pin, and a t-shirt.
Congratulations to the students below!
Peggy Harvey
North Carolina State University
Rita G. Howard
Clemson University
Katie Marburger
Cedarville University
Kelly Shackelford
Cedarville University
Anna Beth Wilkerson
Clemson University
Alan Jeffrey Wyman
University of Minnesota
2010 President’s Award
The President’s Award honors one or more persons or institutions that have made distinguished contributions to the profession or the Society. The STC president announced the names of this year’s recipients during the opening session of the Society’s annual conference.
Larry Kunz
For your wisdom, advice, leadership, dedication, insight, and most of all patience while guiding the STC Board of Directors in the development of the first-ever STC Strategic Plan.
Richard O’Sullivan
For your tireless effort working with the United States Department of Labor, which resulted in the recognition of technical writers as a profession distinct from all other writing professions. Your tremendous contribution provides an unbiased and respected voice confirming STC’s longtime position before employers and human resource departments.
Congratulations to Larry and Richard for this high honor, and thank you for your service to the Society.
