Aerospace Engineering

A SCIENTIFIC APPROACH TO WRITING Technical ideas may be solid or even groundbreaking, but if these ideas cannot be clearly communicated, reviewers of technical documents--e.g., proposals for research funding, articles submitted to scientific journals, and business plans to commercialize technology--are likely to reject the argument for advancing these ideas. The problem is that many engineers and scientists, entirely comfortable with the logic and principles of mathematics and science, treat writing as if it possesses none of these attributes. The absence of a systematic framework for writing often results in sentences that are difficult to follow or arguments that leave reviewers scratching their heads. This book fixes that problem by presenting a "scientific" approach to writing that mirrors the sensibilities of scientists and engineers, an approach based on an easily-discernable set of principles. Rather than merely stating rules for English grammar and composition, this book explains the reasons behind these rules and shows that good reasons can guide every writing decision. This resource is also well suited for the growing number of scientists and engineers in the U.S. and elsewhere who speak English as a second language, as well as for anyone else who just wants to be understood.

This book offers the first comprehensive guide to poster presentation at academic, scientific and professional conferences. Each chapter explores different factors that impact upon how posters function, and how they fit within today's conference practices, as well as provides guidance on how to address compilation and presentation issues with the poster medium. Drawing from fields of education, psychology, advertising and other areas, the book offers examples of how theories may be applied to practice in terms of both traditional paper and electronic poster formats. Importantly, the book offers a critical examination of how academic and scientific posters are able to achieve their potential for knowledge dissemination, networking and knowledge transfer. The many new and challengi ng findings provide an evidence-based approach to help both novice and experienced presenters compile effective poster presentations, and to see how poster presentations can best be used to share knowledge, facilitate networking, and promote dialogue. Additionally, educators, employers, and conference organizers may use this book to re-evaluate how conferences meet the needs of today's globally connected peer groups, and the benefit they provide at individual and group levels.

Championing Science shows scientists how to persuasively communicate complex scientific ideas to decision makers in government, industry, and education. This comprehensive guide provides real-world strategies to help scientists develop the essential communication, influence, and relationship-building skills needed to motivate nonexperts to understand and support their science. Instruction, interviews, and examples demonstrate how inspiring decision makers to act requires scientists to extract the essence of their work, craft clear messages, simplify visuals, bridge paradigm gaps, and tell compelling narratives. The authors bring these principles to life in the accounts of science champions such as Robert Millikan, Vannevar Bush, scientists at Caltech and MIT, and others. With Championing Science, scientists will learn how to use these vital skills to make an impact.