Laura Duncan (Convenor)
Academic Centre for International Students, University of Southampton (UK)
Since 2007, I have worked across the university with engineering students on a range of programmes. I started by developing a language module for the Engineering Foundation Year, but now mainly work with PGR and PGT students. I really enjoy helping students communicate their technical ideas to a range of audiences. I’m interested in the variety of discourse within engineering.
Patrick Fitzgerald (Web)
I have been involved with EAP for over 10 years, both as a teacher and developer of published materials. I have also worked as an ESP trainer, with a focus on language for healthcare and computing. My background before EAP was in library and information management. I worked primarily in healthcare and education settings with a focus on developing information skills. I have a particular interest in the development of learning materials, the development of writing skills and how vocabulary is acquired and used in different disciplines.
Lori-Ann Miln (Events)
Academic Centre for International Students, University of Southampton (UK)
My main role is Programme Lead for our Ocean Engineering Joint Institute at Harbin Engineering University. This collaboration began in 2020 and is the first of its kind at the University of Southampton. For someone with a non-STEM background to be tasked with developing the English for Engineers modules involving creating assessments, designing the syllabus and materials was a challenge. The steep learning curve inspired me to become a member of the STEM SIG committee and connect with like-minded individuals who share similar experiences and interests. I am eager to exchange ideas about assessment design for English for STEM disciplines and explore the potential impact of AI software on teaching practices. Currently, I am conducting a research project to determine the most effective delivery model for a Joint UG Engineering Programme, based on input from key stakeholders. The post-pandemic Transnational landscape has undergone significant changes, and as a result, the original design of Joint programmes may need developing. My goal is to use this research to inform the future design of the programme and to demonstrate that a blended model can be equally or more effective and sustainable than a fully synchronous one.
Natasha Rust (Treasurer)
Language Centre, University of Leeds (UK)
My current student education practices are within STEM-related disciplines and my experience in EAP for STEM ranges from foundation to PGR for pre-sessional, in-sessional and MSc STEM programmes. Since 2016 I have principally developed, managed and taught on foundation year and pre-sessional modules for students progressing to STEM subjects and have contributed to discussion on needs analysis, curriculum and syllabus for EAP for STEM in the Language Centre at the University of Leeds. Since 2020, I have worked mainly on our in-sessional programme within the School of Chemistry and School of Physics and Astronomy and am now integral and fully integrated into the MSc offerings in this school and have had some success in making the language and discourse needs apparent to both staff and students and have made changes to the learning outcomes and syllabus. My scholarship interests are currently in the use of metalanguage with STEM students to understand certain complexities in language choices, genre and moves analysis within STEM texts and student writer identities within STEM texts. I joined the STEM SIG as I wanted to share my own experiences and seek collaborations with EAP practitioners and researchers with similar scholarship interests.
Ana Vučićević (Research Officer)
Faculty of Philology and Arts, University of Kragujevac (Serbia)
My primary research interest in genre analysis brought me to a variety of discipline-specific EAP discourses. Aiming to go beyond already familiar language of humanities, I decided to delve into discourse of some STEM disciplines such as mathematics and computer science. For the time being, my focus is on student-authored written genres, contexts they are generated in and the correspondence between discourse/text and context.
Aaron Woodcock
University of Reading (UK)
Aaron Woodcock is an accomplished educator specializing in English for Specific Academic Purposes (ESAP) and Transnational Education (TNE) for STEM disciplines. With a focus on designing teaching materials and running ESAP courses for TNE students in China, Aaron fosters inclusive learning environments and empowers students for academic success.