STAC Research Thesis Option

I still regularly receive emails from the Georgia Tech mailing lists, which I like, because it lets me know what’s going on back at my alma mater. Professor Lisa Yaszek sent an email out yesterday announcing a new degree track for STAC (Science, Technology, and Culture) majors in the School of Literature, Communication and Culture: the Research Thesis Option. This will prepare STAC students for writing their senior thesis for presentation or publication through a multisemester research project that is augmented by coursework in discipline oriented writing. I think this program is a great idea, and I like the way that it’s implemented. I bet that this will lead to further success for the academically inclined STAC folks, because of its progression of work and skills leading up to the thesis and it will be something actually printed on student transcripts. I worked with Professor Kenneth J. Knoespel and Professor Yaszek to achieve a similar result when I was at Georgia Tech, but my transcript doesn’t say anything at the top level regarding my research. You have to dig down to the final semesters I was at Tech and you see my Independent Studies and Research Assistantships. Therefore, there is a certain amount of explanation necessary on my part when I apply to schools. I hope that this new option for STAC students will obviate this delimma and legitimize the great work going on in LCC at the undergraduate level.