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Why is a Master of Fine Arts
student working for EPSCoR?
Tom MoranAlaska EPSCoR Graduate Assistant
May 28, 2010
Background• B.A. in English and
Environmental Science• Five years as newspaper
reporter, including four at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
• Enrolled as MFA student in creative writing (focus on dramatic writing) in Jan. ’07
• Graduated this month; thesis was a full-length play
Grant Editing• Based on grant workshop
recommendations, retained by EPSCoR in Sept. ‘07 to edit grants by rural campus directors
• Work never materialized, so I began writing instead
EPSCoR PI Peter Schweitzer at the August 2007 grant workshop
Newsletters• Produced 5 bi-annual
newsletters since ’07 (No. 6 forthcoming)
• Content: News and features on EPSCoR programs and people
• Work includes selecting and writing stories, gathering and taking photographs, layout, distribution to mailing list
Photography & Brochure
• Photos and copy for official brochure
• Collecting and taking photos for EPSCoR photo database – useful for publicity, reports to National Science Foundation
NSF and External Reporting
• Powerpoint for reverse site visit to NSF in D.C.
• Annual reports• Strategic Plan• Contact and
demographic information databases
Research Highlights• One-page PDF
summaries of research and outreach efforts
• Useful for NSF reporting, web site, general publicity
Video Project• Collaborated with
undergrad Kaleb Yates to produce short documentary clips about EPSCoR people and projects
• Useful for NSF reporting and for web site
Yates interviews Andy Kliskey at Westchester Lagoon in Anchorage
Professional Development
• EPSCoR paid for Adobe InDesign course, digital camera and accessories
• Travel to WAISCs in Nome and Unalaska, All-Hands Meeting in Anchorage, AAAS in Juneau
So Why am I Here?
• Public outreach is highly valued by NSF
• Clear and coherent writing is an undervalued skill in the science community
• Writers with some science background (or vice versa) can help translate science into plain English
So Why am I Here?
• Science cannot go forward without the funding and general support of non-scientists
• If you can’t explain it in layman’s terms, why will the layman care?