Academic Programs:
Communications Center
Bren Hall 4406 Written and spoken communication is a key component of the Bren School master's curriculum, and PhD students must write and speak regularly and clearly about their research. The Bren Communications Center supports students to improve their skills in a range of academic and professional communication tasks. Communications Center staff can help you generate ideas, organize information, visualize data, revise drafts, and polish your documents in a supportive one-on-one environment. We also offer workshops to enhance the clarity of your writing. A variety of writing tasks may be reviewed at the center, including class assignments, research proposals, funding applications, and project presentations. When to Use the Communications Center for Cover Letters and Resumes
Cover Letters — First-year students should attend the Career Development Cover Letter Workshop held in fall quarter. Students who need further assistance with the look, marketability, or content of their cover letters should seek help from the Career Development staff during scheduled office hours. The Career Development staff will focus mainly on how students can more effectively market and present themselves. Students who need help with writing skills (sentence structure, transitions, coherence, etc), should seek tutoring from the Communications Center. Resumes — First-year students should attend the Career Development Resume Design Workshop during orientation week. Students who require further assistance with their resumes should seek help from the Career Development staff during scheduled office hours. Students should not have the Communications Center staff review resumes unless the Career Development staff refers students to the center or students have questions or concerns about their writing skills. Resume critique should be conducted by the Career Development staff. Winter Quarter 2012 Hours Monday: 8:30-11:30 am, 2:00-5:00 pm Appointment Scheduling and Format • Send us an e-mail • Drop-in sessions are also available • Most sessions last about 30 minutes • Priority will be given to students who have not received more than three sessions per quarter What to Bring Your session will be more productive if you bring: • The assignment • Drafts, outlines, sketches, or brainstorm notes • Any comments or feedback you have received from your instructor Note: The Communications Center staff does not copyedit papers; rather, we support students to develop their own professional writing processes. 2011 Workshops Poster Design Workshop [Friday, 2/18/11] [download ppt] [download handout] Past Workshops Please visit our blog for slides, summaries, and handouts. • ESM 201 Writing Workshop [Monday, 10/26/09] • Proposal & Grant Writing Workshop [download ppt Day 1 | Day 2 ] [11/6/09 & 11/13/09] • Working and Writing Together: Strategies for Effective Collaboration, Panel Discussion [Monday, 11/9/09] • Finding Flow: Transitions that Work [Tuesday, 11/10/09] • Doris Duke Q &A [Thursday, 12/3/09] • Information Visualization Workshop I: Meaningful Poster Design [Friday, 2/20/09] [download handout] • Information Visualization Workshop II: Compelling Slide Design [Friday, 2/27/09] • Framing an argument: The key to compelling writing at Bren [Tuesday, 10/16/07] [download ppt] • Working and Writing Together: Strategies for Effective Collaboration [Tuesday, 11/13/07] [download ppt | notes]
Our workshop handouts can be a valuable addition to your writing practice. Use our "Common Mistakes" guide as a quick reference, or our memo formatting handout to help with your next assignment. Check here after our workshops to download the handouts we've used: • Common Mistakes in Graduate Writing • How to Write an Effective Memo
• UCSB Library's Help with Citing Sources • Purdue University Online Writing Lab • Grant Writing Tips from UCSB's Office of Research • Our favorite online grammar resource: Dr. Grammar • General research and documentation from Diana Hacker • Scientific Style and Format, published by the Council of Biology Editors 1994 • Strunk & White's Elements of Style • Paragraph structure: Coherence and transitions from Indiana University, Bloomington's Writing Center • University of Minnesota Center for Writing • Helpful Tips for Science Poster Design from George Mason University • References for Science Writing from George Mason University
Jonathan Berlin, Writing Consultant, is a MESM student specializing in both Conservation Planning and Economics and Politics of the Environment. He majored in journalism at the University of Maryland at College Park. As an undergraduate, he wrote for several magazines and newspapers about environmental issues and tutored foreign graduate students in English. In his time away from the desk, Jon is usually playing tennis, hiking the Coast Range or biking the foothills. Sean Baumgarten, Writing Consultant, is a MESM student specializing in Conservation Planning. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Sean received his undergraduate degree in Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology from the University of California, Davis. Prior coming to the Bren School, Sean taught middle and elementary school and worked at an environmental nonprofit in Oakland, CA. This past summer, Sean interned with the Bureau of Land Management, where he was lead author of a management plan for the Amargosa Wild & Scenic River. In his free time, Sean enjoys running, backpacking, bicycling, and playing guitar. Janet Martorana, Environmental Sciences Librarian, holds office hours at Bren each week during the academic year. Just drop by if you need help conducting your literature searches or have other research needs. Her hours for the current quarter are listed above. She is also available for research consultations or Group Project group instruction at other times as well. E-mail her or call to set up an appointment: 805-893-8724. |