Technical Writing Recap

Chad A. B. Wilson, Director of Technical Communications

ECE and BIOE 4334Monday, January 30, 2012

Writing Team Reports: 3 Methods

Introduction

Statement of Work

Accomplishments

Chad

Sarah

Travis

Break it up into sections and each member writes a section.

Writing Team Reports: 3 MethodsBreak it up into sections and

each member writes a section.Have one member write the

entire report, and then send it to each of the other members for revision.Entire Report Entire Report

Goes to next member who uses track changes

Entire ReportGoes to next member who uses track changes

Writing Team Reports: 3 MethodsBreak it up into sections and

each member writes a section.Have one member write the

entire report, and then send it to each of the other members for revision.

Have one member designated to manage the project, one person writes a rough draft, another writes the report, and a third revises.

Chad: The Manager

Sarah: Content Specialist

Travis: The WriterTodd: Quality Control Editor

How to reference sources in electrical engineeringIEEE Guidelineshttp://www.ieee.org/documents/stylemanual.pdf

Council of Science Editorshttp://writing.colostate.edu/guides/researchsources/documentation/cbe_citation/index.cfm

Start

Quote, paraphrase, or summary from a source

Is it a controversial

idea or statement?

Do you want to back up

your statement?

No

Cite

Yes

Yes

Yes

Do not cite

Is it exact words, a quote?

No

No

Yes

No

Did you have to look up the information?

Can you find it in any book on the subject?

Yes

No

When should you cite

information?

Each proposal shall consist of not more than five single-spaced pages plus a cover page, a budget page, a summary page of no more than 300 words, and a page detailing current research funding. All text shall be printed in single-column format on 8-1/2 x 11-inch paper with margins of at least 1 inch on all sides…

Example of an RFP from a major funding organization

Always follow the guidelines

Your paper is limited to 5 pages (double-spaced, 12-font, Times New Roman), exclusive of figures, tables and attachments. Attachments (including figures and tables) are limited to 5 pages. The paper format as a minimum should include the following sections:• Cover page• Table of contents• List of Tables (as applicable)• List of Figures (as applicable)• List of Attachments, Exhibits, Appendices, etc. (as applicable)• Introduction• Water use on university campuses• Water conservation strategies for universities• Building efficiencies in managing water resources on campuses• Conclusions• List of References

Your research paper guidelines

Always follow the guidelines

Create a template in Word

The results show that cracking delamination and dampness of exposed plaster walls and cracking sealant failure and water seepage of glass curtain walls have the highest ratings.

adapted from “Factorial Method for Performance Assessment of Building Facades” by Chew, et al. in Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 2004.

The results show that cracking, delamination, and dampness of exposed plaster walls, and cracking, sealant failure, and water seepage of glass curtain walls have the highest ratings.

After the construction workers finished eating rats emerged to look for the scraps.

In all the containers were in good condition considering the rough journey.

As you can see the efficiency peaks around 10-12%.

If an acoustic horn has a higher throat impedance within a certain frequency range it will act as a filter in that range which is undesirable.

From Beer and McMurrey

Fresnel’s equations determine the reflectance, transmittance, phase, and polarization of a light beam at any angle of incidence.

Tomorrow’s engineers will have to be able to manage information overload, communicate skillfully, and employ a computer as an extension of themselves.

For the final exam, you will need: a pencil, a calculator, and three sheets of graph paper.

For the final exam, you will need a pencil, a calculator, and three sheets of graph paper.

For the final exam, you will need several items: a pencil, a calculator, and three sheet sof graph paper.

Having completed the needed modifications and adjustments, the equipment operated correctly and met all specifications.

Once we completed the needed modifications and adjustments, the equipment operated correctly and met all specifications.

Once the modifications and adjustments were made, the equipment operated correctly and met all specifications.

We will study the terrain by soil analysis and computer simulation before reaching a decision on whether construction can take place here. This will also enable us to…

 Back in 1954, three researchers made a

series of discoveries about the unknown sources of Barbour’s early notebooks. These prompted them to further investigate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyN0E6Bo0c4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxPVyieptwA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWedkk3K2Q4

7% is communicated through the actual words

you use

55% is communicated non-verbally

38% is communicated through inflection and vocal quality

From Mahrabian, Psychology Today

Mechanical Structure

Figure 3: Robot chassis, gearbox, motors, and ball caster

Created by Dr. Todd Helwig, Civil Engineering

PMDFpermanent metal

deck forms

Block Diagram

Requirements

Flash LED’s

Measure distance

Detect line

Record audio

Play sound Display message on LCD

Grip & carry objects

Design

Assembling parts

Electronic Design

Programming

Deliverable

ECE 4436 Robot

Watch out for the following during your presentations

Putting your hands in your pockets

Turning your back to your audience

Trailing off at the end of sentences…

Staring at your professor during your presentation

Looking only at your group of friends

Standing perfectly still Reading from notes,

especially in monotone

Saying “umm,” “well,” “like,” or “uh” throughout your presentation

Looking surprised at the slide that comes next

Having to say, “Hmm, that wasn’t supposed to do that.”

Including group members who aren’t familiar with the presentation

Staring at your notes throughout the entire presentation

Including slides with just lots of text (like this one!)

RESULTS FOR EXISTING DECK-GIRDER CONNECTIONS

0

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0.06

0.07

0.08

0 0.005 0.01 0.015 0.02 0.025 0.03

g (in/in)

t (

k/in

)

StiffeningAngle atPanel Ends22 gage deck

Created by Dr. Todd Helwig, Civil Engineering

Organizing Presentations Designing Slides Delivering Presentations

Introduction

Organizing Presentations Designing Slides Delivering Presentations

Introduction

Three applications of nanotechnology

MilitaryMilitary

MedicalMedical

ComputerComputer

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