UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Michael Alley, associate professor of engineering communications, has been named the winner of the 2014 Ronald S. Blicq Award for Distinction in Technical Communication Education.
The award, bestowed by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Professional Communications Society since 2001, recognizes innovative educators who have influenced the ways that technical communication is taught, ranging from pre-college all the way to professional workshops and seminars.
Alley has been a member of the Penn State faculty since 2006 and specializes in teaching writing and speaking skills to students majoring in engineering and science. He has taught workshops on scientific writing and speaking to researchers around the world.
Prior to coming to the University, Alley served as an associate professor at Virginia Tech from 1999 to 2006.
He holds a master's degree in electrical engineering from Texas Tech University and a master's of fine arts in fiction writing from the University of Alabama. Alley has authored three books on the crafts of scientific presentations, scientific writing and editing, and he edits the website Writing Guidelines for Engineering and Science Students, which receives more than a million visitors each year.
He will receive his award in October at the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference in Pittsburgh.