The University of Rhode Island has won $500,000 from the National Science Foundation to launch a graduate center focused on science writing.
The program will include workshops and classes to train students in the sciences to write more clearly and persuasively. University officials said the program is part of a trend on college campuses, as researchers increasingly recognize the importance of communicating beyond academia.
"So much public policy, from climate change to sustainable farming, requires clear and effective writing accessible not only to academics, but also to the public," said writing and rhetoric professor Nedra Reynolds in URI's official announcement of the new center.
Goals for the science writing program include giving students earlier training and more opportunities to practice the types of writing that typically fall outside of science courses.
URI's Harrington School of Communication and Media and the College of Environmental and Life Sciences will partner in the effort.
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