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 This is my first blog post on Blogger!

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Learning How to Write Like a Journalist

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Does journalism get a bad rap? I think it does. By definition jour·nal·ism is the activity or profession of writing for newspapers, magazines, or news websites or preparing news to be broadcast. In effect, journalism is something we partake in every day. As we go to and fro, much of what we see in the world is viewed through the filter of journalism. Whether by a TV advertisement, radio news show, or YouTube blogger, each of us has found a journalistic personality or channel that we trust to introduce us to current events, new takes on an old idea, or just a fun respite from the monotony of life. As a consumer of journalism, I never knew why a particular piece makes me stop and pay attention. And that is important because I'm not only a consumer but also a producer of new technologies in my day job as a robotics researcher. To be successful in the long term, I will need everyday consumers to understand the advancements I make in my lab. If I can do what good journalism does well, p...
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Expertise can be your lifeline

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Today, I measured the gulf between education and expertise - and it's pretty large. All of us have an area where we are the expert. For example, when it comes to robot design, colleagues come to me for advice. But, no matter our expertise, there will be work where our inexperience will not only delay completion, it will render the final product less than what it could have been. Today, many experts store their knowledge on the Internet for anyone to use. When I am stuck in the mire of a home project for which I had insufficient experience, a well-placed Google search or YouTube video can be my lifeline. When it comes to intellectual pursuits like paper writing, a self-help video is less instructive. For these, I need an expert's personal attention. Lately, I struggled to complete an editorial writing assignment. My subject is that HBCUs are the best resource for diversifying the STEM graduate pool. I am an educated recruiter who has written many research articles. But I am no e...
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