Campus News Briefs

USU professors to speak at conference

Utah State University English professors Kelli Cook, Mark Zachry and Charlotte Thralls have been asked to speak about their joint research on doctoral programs in technical, scientific and professional communication at this year’s Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW) conference in Chicago. The Association of Teachers of Technical Writing was formed in 1973 to encourage dialogue among teachers of technical communication and to develop technical communication as an academic discipline. ATTW today has approximately 1,000 members and includes graduate and undergraduate students of technical communication as well as technical communicators in business and industry. At this year’s meeting, Cook, Zachry and Thralls will present research to document national hiring and graduation trends for Ph.Ds in this rapidly growing field.  The Utah State faculty will be joined by practitioners and researchers from across the United States to discuss this year’s theme, “Understanding and Living with Diversity in Technical Communiction.” Presenters and participants will explore the range of knowledge, skills, roles and possibilities associated with technological change and the shifting roles of technical communicators, according to a press release.Book preserves Shoshoni culture

Utah State University Press announced publication of the first major linguistic study of Shoshoni songs. Newe Hupia, written by Beverly Crum, Earl Crum and Jon P. Dayley, is a treasury of written texts and songs in Shoshoni and English with figurative and literal translations. According to a release, a CD containing performances of the songs by Earl and Beverly Crum add depth and beauty to the work. Readers and listeners of Newe Hupia will find the songs lyrical, pleasing to the ear and evocative of the natural world.  Newe Hupia is a “scholastic contribution and a significant achievement in the preservation of an important aspect of Shoshoni language and culture. Its literary value lies within its presentation of Shoshoni verse and aesthetics,” John Alley, executive editor of USU Press, said.  “We know precious little about Shoshoni aesthetic achievements or their deeper attachments to land and place,” Catherine S. Fowler from University of Nevada, Reno, said. “What better vehicle to see these connections than through song.” Each song includes an introduction and commentary discussing the cultural background, meaning, form and performance context. It also includes an appendix of Shoshoni terms.  For more information about Newe Hupia, contact Brooke Bigelow, Utah State University Press at 797-1202.