To the nice person who requested I add links to these items, thanks! That will take some time! If you'd like to help by sending links to my e-mail (see below), I'd be eternally grateful.
As a writer in a technical writing course, you may need some strategies for finding topics for writing projects, which are provided in this section.
By definition, technical-writing courses are opportunities to focus on practical uses of your writing skills. In the ideal technical-writing course, you would have a work-related writing project every two to three weeks: for example, instructions for that pesky fax machine down the hall or recommendations on home alarm systems. However, technical-writing courses are also great opportunities for exploring science and technology: latest advances in nanotechnology, latest theories about the origin of the universe, latest methods for hydroponic gardening. If your instructor encourages you to find your own topics, take a look at the following suggestions.
How ambitious and daring are you? The link below takes you to some amazing, crazy inventions and discoveries. |
| Gizmag.com clippings |
Find a service-learning opportunity that involves some writing! |
| Read about Service Learning. In particular, take a look at the volunteer opportunities |
Peruse these topics—see if any possibilities for projects come to mind. |
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| Mind-controlled devices | Water supply | Gut, gut bacteria | |
| Graphene | Driverless autos | Water purification | Computer face recognition |
| Wormholes | Superstrings | 3D printing | High-definition TV |
| Anthropocene era | Unmanned avionics (drones) | Green roofs | WiFi |
| Global warming | Deforestation | Acid rain | Ozone depletion |
| Rain forests | Continental drift | Greenhouse effect | Endangered species |
| Industrial waste disposal | Mount St. Helens eruption | Solar energy devices | Nuclear power |
| Plate tectonics | Solar automobiles | Petroleum-based energy | Thermal power |
| Wind energy | Freon | Mass transportation | Nuclear fusion |
| Microwave technologies | Bomb detection methods | High-tech weaponry | Advances in automotives |
| Xeriscaping | Soil analysis | Hybridization techniques | Hydroponics |
| Recycling | Drip irrigation | Alternative agriculture | Desalination methods |
| Genetic engineering | World Wide Web | Computer video | Multimedia |
| Computer memory | Computer animation | Fiber optics | Computer audio |
| Virtual reality | Artificial intelligence | Telecomputing | Telecommuting |
| Advanced compact disks | Cellular telephones | Personal digital assistants | Videoconferencing |
| Digital interactive TV | UFOs | Satellite TV | Object-oriented programming |
| Digital imaging | Cable TV | Computer-aided education | Neural networks |
| Teleconferencing | Advances in telephony | CD-ROM technology | Computer graphics |
| Distance education | Computer crime | DVD technology | Robotics |
| Tech Prep | Virtual classroom | Expert systems | Devices for diabetics |
| Advanced prostheses | Artificial heart | Diabetes | Artificial limbs |
| Kidney transplants | Alzheimer's disease | Hypoglycemia | AIDS |
| Ebola | Encephalitis | Knee/hip replacements | Carcinogens |
| Hyperkinetic behavior | Caffeine | Saccharine | Psychosomatic disorders |
| Nicotine | Genetic engineering | Vitamin therapies | Magnetic resonance imaging |
| Recombinant DNA | Gulf War Syndrome | Ultrasound | Sickle cell anemia |
| Agent Orange | Inflation | Recession | Capital-punishment methods |
| Dream research | Balanced budget | Abortion methods | Handwriting analysis |
| Dyslexia | Biorhythms | Pheromones | Wellness programs |
| Acupuncture | Big Bang Theory | Life on Mars | Saturn expedition |
| Extraterrestrial intelligence | Gout | Supernova | Mars expedition |
| Halley's Comet | Universe | Space shuttles | Uranus expedition |
| Black holes | The Moon | Volcanoes | Sink holes |
| Venus | Tornadoes | Hurricanes | Earthquakes |
| Monsoons | Droughts | Whales | Boa constrictors |
| Rattlesnakes | Sharks | Geckoes | Panda bears |
| Black widows | Iguanas | Wolves | Eagles |
| Dolphins | Scorpions | Coyotes | Dinosaurs |
| Influenza | Panic attacks | Heart attacks | Breast cancer |
| Lung cancer | Bioengineered foods | Migraines | Nanotechnology |
See if the following list of audiences brings to mind technical-writing projects. |
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| City council members | Parent-teacher association | Downtown renovation commission | |
| Neighborhood association | City transportation board | Rural utilities cooperative | |
| Recycling special interest group | Student parking action group | Student housing board | |
| City mass transportation agency | Business secretary association | Pet owners society | |
| Save-our-trees action group | Citizens antipornography league | City beautification commission | |
| Alternative energy-resource investors | Friends of sidewalk artists | Housing for the homeless society | |
| Computer animators society | Alternative-transportation action group | College solar-automobile club | |
| High-school science teachers association | City busriders support group | Drug-rehab center board | |
| Citizens-against-crime league | Computer-game design society | Your local government representative | |
| City mayor | County commissioners | Home-brewers and microbrewers club | |
| Organic foods cooperative | Student housing cooperative | Local wine makers society | |
| Student services director | |||
Consider interesting courses or projects related to your major or any of the following. |
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| Accounting | Air conditioning technology | Aerospace technology | Refrigeration technology |
| Astronomy | Automotive technology | Biology | Biotechnology |
| Engineering | Chemistry | Child development | Computer science |
| Culinary arts | Diagnostic medical imaging | Electronics | Building construction technology |
| Emergency medical service technology | Engineering design graphics | Information records management | Physical fitness technology |
| Geomatics (land surveying technology) | Fire protection technology | Medical lab technology | Meteorology |
| Molecular genetics | Urban studies | Engineering | Marine biology |
| Molecular biology | Biochemistry | Petroleum engineering | Geosystems engineering |
| Neurobiology | Mechanical engineering | Electrical engineering | Biomedical engineering |
| Military science | Civil engineering | Chemical engineering | Nursing |
| Occupational therapy | Office systems technology | Pharmacy technology | Photography |
| Geology | Physics | Printing technology | Quality assurance |
| Surgical technology | Technical communication | Welding technology | X-ray operations |
Go to your local library or newsstand and flip through some of the following. |
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| Flying | Mother Earth News Magazine | Popular Photography | |
| Issues in Medical Ethics | Wood Magazine | 4 Wheel & Off Road magazine | |
| Air & Space Magazine | Audio Magazine | Smithsonian | |
| Home Improver Magazine | Family Business Magazine | PC Magazine | |
| Byte Magazine | Family | Handyman Magazine | |
| Anthropological Linguistics | Nature | Astronomy Magazine | |
| Scientific American | National Geographic | Cogeneration | |
| Energy Research News | Lab Animal | Molecular Vision | |
| Neuron | Petroleum Equipment & Technology | BBC News: Science and Technology | |
| Electronic Journal of Biotechnology | American Naturalist | Nuclear Plant Journal | |
| Garden and Forest | Water, Air, and Soil Pollution | Forest Ecology and Management | |
| Weed Research | Wetlands Ecology and Management | Conscious Choice: The Journal of Ecology & Natural Living | |
| Issues in Science and Technology | Technology & Culture | Electric Vehicle World | |
| Discover Magazine | Distant Star | GEO Magazine | |
| Gene Therapy Weekly | Home Power Magazine | Physics World | |
| Robot Science & Technology | UFO Digest | Sea Technology | |
| UFO Magazine | NanoTechnology Magazine | Popular Mechanics | |
| Popular Science | Technology Review | Cyberspace Today | |
| Wired | Space Business International | Amateur Astronomy Magazine | |
| Sky & Telescope | CNN: Sci-Tech | Brain & Mind | |
| Journal of Prisoners on Prisons | Electronic House Online | Home Energy | |
| Popular Home Automation | Hazardous Materials Management Magazine | Professional Boatbuilder Magazine | |
| Practical Hydroponics & Greenhouses | Progressive Farmer Today | Potato Grower | |
| Pest Control Technology (PCT) | Goat Farmer Magazine | Disaster Recovery Journal | |
| Upholster Magazine | CleanRooms | Worm Digest | |
| Recycling Today Magazine | American Waste Digest | American Small Farm Magazine | |
| Pacific Fishing | Urban Transportation Monitor | Advanced Rescue Technology | |
| Pit and Quarry Magazine | Corrections Technology & Management Magazine | Wireless Access Technologies | |
| Journal of Emergency Medical Services | |||
Browse some these websites for ideas. |
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| Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. Provided by the Georgia Tech Mobile Robot Lab http://www.cc.gatech.edu/ai/robot-lab/links.html | |
| Robotics. From the Seattle Robotics Society http://www.seattlerobotics.org/gettingstarted.php | Virtual Reality Society. News, software, links, introductory information about virtual reality http://www.vrs.org.uk |
| Solar Car Page. Lots of information about and links to solar-powered cars http://www.seattlerobotics.org/gettingstarted.php | -- |
| Introduction to Artificial Intelligence. A free course provided by udacity.com. https://www.udacity.com/course/intro-to-artificial-intelligence--cs271 | |
| Virtual Worlds at MIT. Symposium: Learning environments, Global communities, Second Life, Wonderland, Google Earth, and more. http://web.mit.edu/oeit-projects/IAP-VW/ | |
| American Association for Wind Engineering. An organization for promoting the research and professional practice of as well as for distributing information on wind engineering http://aawe.org | |
| Cold Fusion Times. Journal on the scientific aspects of loading isotopic fuels into materials as well as related topics http://world.std.com/~mica/cft.html | |
| -- | Scientists for Global Responsibility. Web site promoting socially responsible and ethical uses of science and technology dead link |
| The Future of Food. Provided by the American Museum of Natural History | -- |
| GreenerCars Ratings. Provided by greenercars.org, part of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) | -- |
| -- | -- |
| Hybrid Electric Vehicles. Provided by the U.S. Department of Energy's Clean Cities program | -- |
| -- | -- |
| American Cryonics Society. Preserving the whole body, head, or brain, of persons recently declared legally dead, in the hope of revival at some time in the future. Available at Wikipedia.org | The Visible Human Project. MRI cross-sections of the human body with explanations |
| -- | |
| -- | -- |
| Superluminal Motion: Concerning faster-than-the-speed-of-light travel. Provided by scienceworld.wolfram.com superluminal motion | -- |
| -- | -- |
| Human Genome Organisation. Human Genome Organisation (HUGO), the international organization with the global initiative to map and sequence the human genome | -- |
What's going on at work? Are the projects there, just waiting for you? Browse some of these ideas: |
Does the office need a new photocopy machine? |
| Are you considering a fax machine? a CD writer? a digital camera? | |
| Is the staff expected to use a new software application for which there is no user guide? | |
| Are you and other employees interested in telecommuting (using electronic and computer methods to work at home)? | |
| Is management considering putting all operating procedures and other administrative materials online? | |
| Has your agency been challenged to go "paperless"—to get all files stored and searchable electronically? | |
| Have you been tasked with recommending a personal digital assistant, cell phone, or notebook computer for all employees in your company? | |
A good source for volunteer projects is Idealist at www.idealist.org, a site run by Action Without Borders, a non-profit foundation. It lists 10,000 Web sites for non-profit organizations, information on volunteering, jobs, and projects. |
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| Inadequate public transportation | Lack of parking | Overflowing land fills |
| Smog and otherwise dirty air | Crowded streets and highways | Crime, vandalism |
| Homeless people | Lack of daycare facilities | Unemployment |
| Lack of low-cost housing | Dwindling water supplies | Expensive electricity |
| Natural areas threatened by urban development | Lack of parks and recreational facilities | Lack of facilities for the elderly |
| Rodent infestations | Mosquitoes | Lack of vegetation (trees, shrubbery, etc.) |
| Projects for nonprofits | Lack of facilities for young people | Expensive water |
I would appreciate your thoughts, reactions, criticism regarding this chapter: your response—David McMurrey.
