Why is a Master of Fine Arts

student working for EPSCoR?

Tom MoranAlaska EPSCoR Graduate Assistant

May 28, 2010

Background• B.A. in English and

Environmental Science• Five years as newspaper

reporter, including four at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

• Enrolled as MFA student in creative writing (focus on dramatic writing) in Jan. ’07

• Graduated this month; thesis was a full-length play

Grant Editing• Based on grant workshop

recommendations, retained by EPSCoR in Sept. ‘07 to edit grants by rural campus directors

• Work never materialized, so I began writing instead

EPSCoR PI Peter Schweitzer at the August 2007 grant workshop

Newsletters• Produced 5 bi-annual

newsletters since ’07 (No. 6 forthcoming)

• Content: News and features on EPSCoR programs and people

• Work includes selecting and writing stories, gathering and taking photographs, layout, distribution to mailing list

Photography & Brochure

• Photos and copy for official brochure

• Collecting and taking photos for EPSCoR photo database – useful for publicity, reports to National Science Foundation

NSF and External Reporting

• Powerpoint for reverse site visit to NSF in D.C.

• Annual reports• Strategic Plan• Contact and

demographic information databases

Research Highlights• One-page PDF

summaries of research and outreach efforts

• Useful for NSF reporting, web site, general publicity

Video Project• Collaborated with

undergrad Kaleb Yates to produce short documentary clips about EPSCoR people and projects

• Useful for NSF reporting and for web site

Yates interviews Andy Kliskey at Westchester Lagoon in Anchorage

Professional Development

• EPSCoR paid for Adobe InDesign course, digital camera and accessories

• Travel to WAISCs in Nome and Unalaska, All-Hands Meeting in Anchorage, AAAS in Juneau

So Why am I Here?

• Public outreach is highly valued by NSF

• Clear and coherent writing is an undervalued skill in the science community

• Writers with some science background (or vice versa) can help translate science into plain English

So Why am I Here?

• Science cannot go forward without the funding and general support of non-scientists

• If you can’t explain it in layman’s terms, why will the layman care?