Engineering Graduate Communications Lab at Zucrow Labs

Engineering Graduate Communications Lab at Zucrow Labs

The Engineering Graduate Communications lab is a pilot program tailored to provide individual feedback, workshops/events, and communication resources for Zucrow graduate students, by Zucrow graduate students, at Zucrow.

Office Location: Chaffee Hall room 121
Email: engrgradcommlab@purdue.edu

About the lab

The goal of the Engineering Graduate Communications Lab is to provide the Zucrow community with resources tailored to their communication needs. These resources include events such as group writing sessions, seminars, and one-on-one consultations. See the sidebar for upcoming workshops and events. During the COVID-19 school closure, all events will be held through online meeting rooms.

*One-on-one services on hiatus

One-on-one services such as consultation and the helpdesk are on hiatus and not currently available. Check out our website and look out for emails from the communications Lab for future updates.

One-on-one consultations*

The Engineering Graduate Communications Lab offers one-on-one consultations with a Communication Fellow. These 30-minute sessions can be used to receive feedback on specific papers, practice giving presentations with Q & A, or obtain general communication advice. During the COVID-19 school closure, these consultations will be held through an online meeting room.

To register for an appointment, click the Calendly link below*. Appointments are 30 minutes by default. If you’d like a longer appointment, please state the requested duration in the additional comments section on the form. You will receive a confirmation email verifying the date and time of your appointment, as well as a Zoom link.

The screen sharing tool can be used to discuss any presentations or documents you would like assistance with.

Feel free to bring your coffee mug to enjoy a hot drink while you meet with one of the Communication Fellows!

Helpdesk: Ask a Comm Fellow*

Have a quick question? Ask an Engineering Graduate Communications Lab Fellow!

More information here

Events and Seminars Video Catalog

Purdue students can access our catalog of previously hosted events and seminars through our MediaSpace Channel

Post-tutoring session feedback

FAQs

Technical writing and communication involves both documenting complex technical processes and communicating the processes to people who may not have technical expertise. Not only do good communication skills help engineers get jobs, they improve job security by enabling the engineers to present their case for funding to company management or investors. All the technical knowledge in the world is useless if it cannot be communicated to others.

Instructional Solutions: What is Technical Writing?

Engineering Management Institution: How Good Writing Skills can Benefit You Engineering Career

Automation World: Is Writing an Essential Skill for Engineers?

Yes! The goal Engineering Graduate Communications lab’s goal is to improve the writing capabilities of all Zucrow graduate students, whether it is their first or tenth paper.

No. The GradCommLab is available as a resource to help you organize and edit your own work. Our goal is to help you become a better writer, and we will assist that growth by offering coaching and information and by explaining grammar and usage standards as appropriate. We believe that having us edit or proofread your work would not help you get better at doing it yourself. 

 

The ENGR Graduate Communications Lab is offered to all graduate students and post-docs working at Zucrow Labs. Our resources are designed for graduate technical communications requirements and issues, and particularly the issues and challenges presented by Zucrow's areas of focus. Undergraduate students and grad students from other areas are encouraged to use on-campus resources aimed at their communication questions.

 

Hosted Events

Originally held 04-13-2021

Link to Recording

We are proud to present a panel of experts with diverse backgrounds related to remote communication, team building, and developing virtual technologies:

  • Dr. Stacey Connaughton | Professor of Communication and director of the Purdue Policy Research Institute
  • Jeff Chicki | Instructional Design Manager at Purdue University with experience in educational technology including E-learning and online course design
  • Eric Adams | Program Manager for Information Technology at Purdue overseeing the Research Computing training program and developing online workshops
  • Andrew Sumner | Technical artist for the Purdue Envision Center who researches and develops virtual experiences for virtual / augmented reality, personal computer, and mobile applications.

Each speaker will present their perspectives on the technological and sociological challenges of communicating and working remotely as well as strategies to overcome them. 

Originally Hosted on 02-01-2021

Watch Here

This virtual event will feature a panel of experts representing different perspectives on science journalism.

Technical Experts

  • Dr. Steven Collicott | AAE Professor and Expert on microgravity environments and space applications
  • Dr. Steve Wereley | ME Professor and expert on microfluidics

Communication and the Press:

  • Dr. Bart Collins | Director of Brian Lamb School’s Graduate Program and expert in communications
  • Kayla Wiles | Engineering Sciences Writer / Communications Specialist, Purdue News Service

The event will be held in a Zoom online meeting room on February 1st at 3:30. The presentation will run for 1 hour and be followed by a 30-minute Q & A session.

 

 

Watch Here

Originally Hosted on 11-10-2020

Communicating Your Ideas through Documentation: Effective Standards and Practices

The Engineering Graduate Communications Lab is excited to announce "Communicating Your Ideas through Documentation: Effective Standards and Practices," a presentation and discussion led by Rohan Gejji and Michelle Kidd.

Come learn about effective communication strategies and standard industry techniques through the analysis of student project case studies and other real-world examples. Rohan Gejji and Michelle Kidd, staff members at Zucrow Labs, have extensive experience helping graduate students prepare effective engineering documentation, such as P&IDs, to communicate designs to investors and fabricators. This event is an excellent opportunity to learn about the documentary tools necessary to translate your ideas into finished products and how to use them effectively.

 

Watch Here

Originally Hosted on 10-08-2020

What are the advantages of presenting your research at a conference? How can you get the most out of your experience there? And what conference should you submit to in the first place? These and other questions will be addressed by a panel of ME and AAE graduate students who have presented their work at a wide variety of difference conferences. Come prepared to get your conference questions answered!

Watch Here

What are the advantages of presenting your research at a conference? How can you get the most out of your experience there? And what conference should you submit to in the first place? These and other questions will be addressed by a panel of ME and AAE graduate students who have presented their work at a wide variety of difference conferences. Come prepared to get your conference questions answered! 

 

Watch Here

Originally Hosted on 08-05-2020

The Zucrow Engineering Graduate Communications Lab presents “Effectively Navigating Interpersonal Communication Challenges: Strategies for Graduate Students.” The following people will present information to enable you to deal with communication challenges and give you resources to help you as you go about your academic work and research. 

--Dr. Drew Zaitsoff, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) 

--Sharon Williams, Purdue Human Resources 

--Dr. James Mohler, the Graduate School's Ombuds Services 

-- Dr. Dana Weinstein, College of Engineering Associate Dean  

Originally Hosted on 07-14-2020

Learn how patents and intellectual property laws are relevant and useful to your work, whether you are an entrepreneur and designer or are trying to expand your options for literature reviews and background study. Two of Purdue's experts in patents and intellectual property will give presentations hosted by the Engineering Graduate Communications Lab. Dr. D.H.S. Sarma, Senior Patent Agent, has over 30 years of experience in generating, evaluating, and advising about patents. He will be speaking about the process of applying for a patent. David Zwicky, Associate Professor in the Libraries and School of Information Studies and a patent and trademark specialist, will be speaking on how to use patents to supplement your research. In addition, Navin Lingaraju, a USPTO examiner from 2011-2017, will speak briefly about his experiences there and the USPTO as a possible career path for engineers.

Watch Here

Come learn about writing and publishing your research from your fellow grad students! Join us online for a panel discussion featuring four senior Zucrow graduate students: Christian Blum-Sorensen, Monique McClain, Logan Kamperschroer, and Phil Piper. The discussion will be followed by time for open Q&A, where you can ask questions about communicating your research and preparing and publishing technical papers.

Watch Here

What does technical communication look like in the engineering workplace? What sorts of documents and presentations does an engineering professional need to prepare? And more importantly, how can you, as an engineering graduate student, best prepare to be a valuable member of the work force? The Engineering Graduate Communications Lab is excited to host a panel of professional engineers from propulsion and aerospace fields to discuss these questions. The panelists include representatives from industry, start-ups, and national labs. Please join us to learn more about real-world technical communication challenges. 

Originally Hosted on 06-09-2020

Learn how to maintain some control over your publications and how to navigate copyright questions in your work. Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Director, University Copyright Office, Donna Ferullo will give a presentation introducing copyright laws and practices hosted by the Engineering Graduate Communications Lab. 

 

Resources

General Communication Resources

Fellowships can be a good way to get funding for your project. Knowing how to write a strong, compelling application is important.

 

Zucrow Students Commonly work with material that falls under the jurisdiction of the International Trade and Arms Regulations. Zucrow Students also work with proprietary technologies or with technologies they wish to protect. It is often difficult to know what can be published and how to protect Intellectual property.

Always consult with your PI or advisor before making any public announcements, publications, etc. These resources are aimed to help you understand the rules and best practices for IP protection and ITAR compliance for graduate school and your professional career. 

The ultimate goal of graduate school is to get a job doing what you love. A strong CV or resume and other application materials can show off your skills.

 

Zucrow students often work with proprietary technologies or develop technologies they wish to protect. It is often difficult to know what can be published and how to protect intellectual property.

A high-level view of the importance of Patents for engineers and warnings regarding public disclosures such as presentations, and publications: American Society of Mechanical Engineers: Intellectual property and engineers

 

As an engineer, writing proposals and applying for funding will be a part of your life throughout your career. Learn how to generate a compelling proposal and how to aim it at your audience.

 

Comprehensive resource covering copyright, plagiarism, conflicts of interest, etc.: Wiley: Publishing Ethics

  

You have been doing research for years, and the time has come to gather it all together into your thesis or dissertation. Although a thesis or dissertation can be similar in structure to a journal or conference paper, it is usually far longer and has its own unique challenges.

 

Lab notebooks are a powerful tool but are often under-utilized or poorly organized. Below are resources meant to improve the effectiveness and utility of your lab notebook.

Brief page with recommendations on how to keep a tidy lab notebook: Science and Engineering Project Laboratory Notebooks: Getting Started Guide

Microsoft OneNote is an application included in the Microsoft Office suite of software. This guide provides an excellent reference if you are interested in going paperless with your lab work: Quick guide for using Microsoft OneNote as laboratory notebook 

 MIT's Mechanical Engineering departments guide to keeping a good lab notebook. While it does include information specific to their labs, it does include a lot of techniques and methodologies that can be useful for new and experienced researchers: MIT: Instructions for using your laboratory notebook

 

 

Everyone has come across code that was illegible and confusing. Here are some resources to help you write code in such a way that it communicates its purpose and process to the reader.

High level view of how to make code readable. Content is generalizable to any programming language: Writing highly readable code

 Excellent style guide specifically tailored for MATLAB. Naming conventions, and formatting rules to keep code consistent from author to author: Matlab Style Guidelines

Technical Writing

The abstract is the first, and frequently only, portion of your paper someone will read. Summarizing your work in a concise and engaging way is the goal of the abstract. 

 

This page contains links to some of the most popular journals where Zucrow students often submit papers. Find a good fit for your project as well as information about formatting and submission.

The Methods section tells the reader what you did and what process you followed so they can evaluate your results and possibly duplicate them. Clarity and specificity are critical.

 

A picture is worth a thousand words. Graphics can help convey complex ideas succinctly and quickly to an unfamiliar audience. 

Well written article with examples of how the same data can be expressed more effectively by changing the format of charts and figure: MIT Comm Lab: Figure Design

 

 

Resources such as Mendeley and Zotero are indispensable tools for storing, sorting, and citing your references. They can also auto-generate in-text citations and reference lists and modify them to match the formatting required by your journal. If you want to submit to another journal later, no worries! You can change the formatting of all the citations in your paper with a few clicks of the mouse.

The Results and Conclusion or Discussion sections are where you present your findings and explain their significance. This section tends to have a larger graphics-to-text ratio than the others.

 

If you want people to read and reference your work, it must be discoverable. In this age of search engines, a good, descriptive title and key word choices are critical.

 

Technical Presentations

This page contains links to some of the most popular conferences attended by Zucrow students. Find a good fit for your current project or explore places you might want to submit to in the future.

Giving technical presentations, especially for a professional audience, can be very intimidating. Here are some resources to help you prepare well and feel confident when you step to the podium.

 

A picture is worth a thousand words. Graphics can help convey complex ideas succinctly and quickly to an unfamiliar audience. 

MIT Comm Lab: Figure Design

Well written article with examples of how the same data can be expressed more effectively by changing the format of charts and figure 

A good poster will summarize your entire research project in a visually appealing way and be accessible even to people unfamiliar with your field of study. That’s a pretty tall order!

 

Request or Suggest a Resource

Special Events

No upcoming events.

Need Help?

On Hiatus

The Engineering Graduate Communications Lab offers one-on-one consultations with a Communication Fellow. These 30-minute sessions can be used to receive feedback on specific papers, practice giving presentations with Q & A, or obtain general communication advice. 

 

More info here

 

On Hiatus

Have a quick question? ask one of the Engineering Graduate Communication Lab's communications fellow!

 

More info here

 

Read more: Julie Bach

Julie Bach

Fellow from 2020-2021, Graduated May 2021

Julie Bach is a second-year ME master’s student in Dr. Steven Son’s group. Her research project involves 3D printing solid propellant. Prior to earning a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Utah State University, she earned a bachelor’s degree in public speaking, theater, and music. During her senior year at Utah State, she worked as a writing consultant at the Engineering Writing Center. She has also coached people in public speaking and freelanced a little as a storyteller. She is an avid reader and loves hiking and camping around her home state of Utah, as well as traveling everywhere else.

Blair Francis

Blair Francis

Fellow from 2020-present

Blair Francis is from Indianapolis, IN, and received both his bachelor’s degree (2017) and master’s degree (2019) from Purdue in Aeronautical and Astronautical engineering. Blair is currently working towards his Ph.D. as a research assistant in Dr. Timothée Pourpoint's lab, where he develops antifouling surface treatments for super alloys. Blair is experienced at presenting to general and technical audiences. In his free time, Blair enjoys karate, photography, and hiking.