Welcome. Thank you for your participation in the course. Here's to an interesting and productive second summer session.
I would like you to use this page to enter a brief personal profile.
Jim Collier. I am your humble instructor. If you have questions at any time regarding the class, or this wiki, do not hesitate to ask.
I have taught technical writing on numerous occasions both in class and on-line. I truly believe the course can be challenging and fun ("fun" being a rather highly subjective notion …). For some of you, this course my be one of your last opportunities to develop your writing abilities (before you enter the work force) in a sustained, deliberate way. I hope you will take advantage of the opportunities an on-line course affords — a personalized approach to learning, the opportunity to develop both individual and collaborative writing practices, and a public forum (this wiki for example) for displaying your abilities. Put starkly, you will be judged in matters both professional and personal on your ability to write. I want those judgments to provide you with the opportunities you desire. Now, to the personal stuff: I'm originally from Richmond, Virginia and grew up near the University of Richmond. My step father graduated from Tech in 1943 — the "Old Guard." I've been at Tech on (mostly) and off since 1979 — my freshman year. So I know a bit about about university and town lore. My wife, Monique, has just returned to school and is pursuing a degree in Science and Technology Studies (that's my background as well). We met in Durham, North Carolina. I am a fan of "new grass" music and New Grass Revival in particular (ah, 1980's bluegrass). And I play a little mandolin … see Mom, those ten years of piano lessons were worth it! I've become a fan of the university-based lipdub. UBC Vancouver seems to have raised the bar — or glass as it were.
We have a cat, Spenser …
As a final note, if I may say, the definitive book has yet to be written about the extraordinary number of cat images and cat sites on the web. Perhaps such a project can be best conceived as a matter of technical writing for, as we all know, The Internet is Made of Cats!
Please add your profile below. Thanks.
Patrick Black
I am a junior Civil Engineering major and Spanish minor. Last fall I joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Tech and it proved to be a great decision through which I made many friendships. I am from Mechanicsville, Virginia, a town just north of Richmond, where I am taking this class virtually. There's not a whole lot going on here so being able to take this class online for the summer should be a productive use of my free time as well as a convenient fulfillment of a required course. Here I teach swim lessons and manage the pool at Burkwood Swim and Racquet Club where I have done so for many years. When I'm not doing that, I'm usually visiting with friends and family, reading, watching sports, or playing guitar to keep myself occupied.
James Mangrum
Hello, I am a rising senior in the aspect of Structural Civil Engineering. I am also thinking about going for a master in Environmental Engineering, and possibly a minor in green engineering. I transferred to Virginia Tech from Virginia Western Community College out of Roanoke, Virginia. I am from Patrick County, Virginia and asked often where it is in relation to Blacksburg. It is south of Blacksburg and about an hour and 15 minutes away, our county borders Henry County and Floyd County while bordering the VA and NC border line. I find it kind of funny, because I am from a small town. I am an easy-going guy, who can got the work done and proud to be a Hokie. When I’m not doing school, I am usually hanging out with my friends and playing sports outside. Go Hokies!
Ethan Hill
Some may see me as a sojournist traveling to and fro and from job to job. I moved to the Richmond area five years ago when I was a young 21 taking a job as a youth director at a local church in Chester, VA. I survived that position for two years to the day, when I finally decided that it was time to pursue my future as a Civil Engineer. Several jobs later, an associate degree, and meeting the woman of my dreams I found myself loving the education here at only the best school in America! I love being a Hokie! I will be married to the woman mentioned earlier next June, and will finish up my senior year here at Tech. (sadly)
Edwin Torres
Hello! I am a Junior transfer from Eastern Mennonite University just a little North in Harrisonburg, Virginia. I'm at Virginia Tech to pursue Chemical Engineering and Biochemistry. Hopefully my interests aren't swayed by Material Science Engineering. Some fun facts about myself: I was born in Colombia, grew up in Miami, speak and write Spanish (fluently), love soccer, and I've always liked technical creative writing (even though I don't think what I write is good). I look forward to enjoying these coming years in Blacksburg, even though I'm so far from home. In spite of that, I love making new friends as I always find myself living at places where I don't know a single soul. I look forward to meeting some of you. Ciao!
Anna Dellapenta
I'm a 23 year old in the College of Natural Resources and the Environment focusing on Fisheries Management (I think there are 10 girls in fisheries altogether). I first started at Virginia Tech in 2006 but I have taken a few semesters off in search of something that I can be passionate enough about to work with for the rest of my life. In that time off of school I started working at C&P Pets in Christiansburg, VA and I fell in love with the husbandry and challenges associated with fish keeping, both on the hobby and professional level. Given my off and on approach to my college career thus far it's sort of difficult for me to pin down exactly what year I'm in. While I'm not trying to help fellow students/other people with their fish problems I enjoy hiking with my dog and crocheting. I'm originally from Northern Virginia but after living in Blacksburg for 5 years I'm proud to call it home. Oh and I'm a redditor so I agree that the internet is made of cats.
Shan Rammah
Howdy! I am a rising Junior at Virginia Tech studying Civil and Environmental Engineering. I was born and raised in NOVA (boy do I dread saying that over and over again) and have only been outside of the US once to visit Germany. In my free time at Virginia Tech I am involved in many intramural sports including, Frisbee, Softball and Flag Football. I also DJ at WUVT once a week. On my radio show I mostly play indie music. Its hard to catch me without my headphones on around campus, they're glued to my ears. One of my favorite activites in Blacksburg is playing disc golf at either Goldenhills or the course in Dublin. During the summers I play for an amateur baseball league, the Potomac Cardinals, and play in DC, Maryland and Virginia.
Justin Emery
Hi, I am a rising Senior in Civil Engineering, although I am a rising Senior I have not been at Virginia Tech for an entire year yet. I am originally from Henrico, Virginia (just east of Richmond), my first 2 years of college were completed at J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College. I then transferred to Tech and started in the Civil engineering major, currently I have no idea what I want to do with this major but Civil engineering has plenty of choices. This summer I am working with a GIS group on campus to map all the buildings and figured I would take a summer class to have something to do in my free time. If I am not working at my job, or working on an assignment for this class you will probably find me hiking in the mountains or at home gaming.
Danny Duangphachanh
Hello all. I am currently a junior studying Computer Engineering after changing majors multiple times. I originally went to the University of Utah studying Pre-Med in 2006 but stopped after a year and took a break from school. Went back to school at Northern Virginia Community College and transferred into the Engineering school at Virginia Tech in 2009. I landed an internship in Fairfax County this summer and that’s why I’m taking this class online. In my free time I like to play sports, video games, hang out with friends, or surf the interwebz. I frequently visit reddit, tumblr, and all that, and I also have to agree that the internet is run by and for cats. They’re taking over.
Sam Castonguay
Hey all! I am a rising junior studying Civil Engineering. I am from Mechanicsburg, PA and am thoroughly enjoying my time here at Virginia Tech. I love the outdoors, sports, and going to concerts. At tech I was a participant of the Rising Sophomore Abroad Program and am an event coordinator for my fraternity's philanthropy, FIJI Run Across Virginia. I am excited to be down in Blacksburg this summer, and even more enthusiastic for the opportunity to take an English class again. Hope everyone has a good summer session!
Alexis Carambot
Hello my fellow Tech writers. My name is Alexis but people call me Lex or Lexy. I am a rising junior studying Civil Engineering and thinking about getting a minor in Math or Green Engineering. I transferred from York College in PA where I was studying Mechanical Engineering. I am from Robbinsville, NJ and currently working at Six Flags Great Adventures. At Tech I work with the New Students Program and with Leadership Tech. In my spare time I endlessly solve sudoku puzzles, while I play Words with friends and listen to music.
Dan Goff
I'm a senior in the Geography program and minoring in math; once approved, I'll also be adding a second major in Meteorology. It's been a few years since high school for me; since then I relocated from my hometown of Shawsville, Va., just down US 460, to Richmond, where I spent a bit of time in the real world before going back to school and earning an Associate's Degree in math from J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in 2010. I'm a part-time sysadmin at the Conservation Management Institute, and I'm also the resident weather guy and a columnist for rvanews.com, a Richmond-based news website. Between my two paid jobs and my work on the Board of Directors of the Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence, a national organization focused on high school academic competition. My girlfriend and I now live together in Christiansburg, and between all of the responsibilities I've listed above, sadly, my free time is nonexistent. I'm told that I used to enjoy things like reading, playing video games, and spending time either hiking or on the river.
Alex Zammit
I'm going to be a senior this year at Virginia Tech. After starting school in engineering, I switched to computer science, then business information technology, and now am planning on getting a degree in resource management. I spent about a year in each trying to figure out what I was going to do so I should end up graduating this 5th year of school. My hometown is Wytheville, VA so I'm really only an hour out from home. My grandfather, mom, aunt, and sister have all been VT alumni so I pretty much always knew this was where I wanted to be. In the summer, I'll usually be working for my parents' construction company, but since I'm taking 3 classes this second session I'll be pretty much full-time in Blacksburg. In my free time, I'm usually caught playing computer games, however I enjoy hiking and backpacking and just haven't made the time for as many trips as I would like recently.
Greg Kubacki
Hello everybody. I am a junior here at Tech majoring in Chemical Engineering. I hope to pursue a further degree and eventually do research in the field. I live in Hamilton, New Jersey and this is where I am taking the class from. This summer I am also attempting to learn Japanese using audio discs on my computer. I enjoy writing sometimes when I get to be creative, have fun, and really let my personality show. When I am not doing school work I am either relaxing with friends, playing volleyball, golfing, or occasionally cooking. I love being a Hokie and cannot wait to get back to Blacksburg in the fall!
Kevin Pfab
Hey all. I'm a rising Junior studying Computer Science here. I'm living in Blacksburg for the summer doing an internship at Rackspace (over in the University Mall), so I'm available for anyone who wants to work together in person. I'm from Richmond, VA (Glen Allen specifically), which is roughly 3 and a half hours away, so I'll probably take multiple weekend trips back there. I spend a lot of my free time working on side projects in an effort to gain enough competency to hopefully found a startup one day.. I build a lot of web apps, games, and other data oriented software (such as an API) in order to hone my skills for that task. Before working my internship at Rackspace, I'd successfully made summer job money off of developing software for people, being a (semi) professional video game player (helped others improve their skills), and building iPhone apps.
Andrew Jensen
Hello, I am a rising senior studying Civil Engineering and am in Navy ROTC and in the Corps of Cadets. I am living in Blacksburg for the rest of the summer and am also taking Deforms. I live in Springfield, Virginia and enjoy skateboarding, paintball, soccer, hiking, and anything outdoors. I am involved with Campus Crusade for Christ here at Virginia Tech. I hope to have a career in Civil Engineering after I am done with the Navy.
