Day: September 10, 2014

Mystery novelist Nancy Barr, a PhD student in the RTC program and a staff member in the ME-EM Department, was recently featured on two Michigan-oriented websites. She is the author of three novels, Page One: Hit and Run, Page One: Vanished, and Page One: Whiteout, published by Arbutus Press. All three books are set in the Upper Peninsula and feature a strong female protagonist, newspaper reporter Robin Hamilton.

The Motown Writers Network featured her on their site this summer and Michigander Monday posted an interview with Nancy on September 1.

In addition to her busy career and school schedule, she is working on a new novel that is part mystery, part ghost story that shifts between two time frames: the Copper Country’s mining boom days in the early 1900s and the early 1970s, shortly after the last mine in Houghton County shut down.

The RTC graduate program will be well-represented at the Writing across the Peninsula Conference to be held on October 9 and 10, 2014 at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. The theme of this year’s conference is “Digital Landscapes and Engaging in the Hybrid Environment.” Here is a list of papers that will be presented by RTC students:

“Will U HI R Me?: Considering professionalism in digital environments”
Rebecca Miner, Michigan Technological University

“Green, Red, Blue, Yellow, Green: Color Tools for the Writing Classroom”
Joel Beatty, Michigan Technological University

“Understanding Buzzfeed.com: Exploring the Practical and Theoretical Implications of Digital News”
Thomas Adolphs, Michigan Technological University

“Content Management and Communication in the Composition Classroom”
Elsa Roberts, Michigan Technological University

Three PhD students in the RTC program have been recognized for distinctive accomplishments recently:

Wincharles Coker’s essay, ” Media Culture and Television News: A Review of Five Recent Books and their Implications for Future Research” (published October 2013) has been selected as the Best Article of the Year for 2013 by the International Journal of Communication and Media Studies.

Gary Kaunonen was awarded a Michigan Tech Doctoral “Finishing Fellowship” for the fall semester. This competitive fellowship recognizes outstanding PhD candidates by providing financial support as the finish writing their dissertations.

Isidore Dorpinyo was chosen as the second place winner for the 2014 CPTSC/Bedford St. Martin’s Diversity Scholarship. The award carries a $500 scholarship to assist the recipient with expenses attending the annual conference at Colorado Springs this September.