Where STEM Meets Communication

The Online Technical Communication Center provides resources, videos, and printouts directly addressing STEM communication methods.

Graduate Student Resources

We provide specialized resources for graduate students, including events, workshops, and tailored consulting.

The Writing Center

The Writing Center is now located at 1700 Illinois St

Thesis Writers Retreat Application Opens March 25th

The Thesis Writers Retreat is a four-day program which gives graduate students structured time to work on their thesis or other writing projects.

The goal behind the Thesis Writers Retreat is to provide graduate students with the opportunity to prioritize their writing in an environment that fosters community, support, and productivity.

Appointment Information

Both in-person and online appointments are available for Spring 2024. All in-person appointments take place at 1700 Illinois St. We look forward to working with you this semester!

Watch our video below for more information about how the Writing Center can support you.

How to Make an Appointment

To visit the Writing Center, please go to our online scheduler at mines.mywconline.com. Log in or register for an account with your Mines email address. You will then be able to see the entire schedule and make, change, or cancel appointments. Appointments are 50 minutes in length. Although 30-minute appointments are available, we recommend you only use these for brainstorming sessions, outlining, or assignments under 300 words.

If you need to cancel, you must do so at least 20 minutes before your appointment time or the system will mark you as a no-show. After three no-shows, you will be locked out of the system.

What to Expect During Your Appointment

During your appointment, you and your consultant will discuss your goals and establish an agenda to help you reach them. You can expect sessions to last 50 minutes and to leave with anything from an outline to a rough draft to a final draft, depending on your stage of the writing process. With repeat appointments, you can expect to become a more competent, confident communicator.

For questions or concerns, please contact the Writing Center at writing@mines.edu.

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PAID Opportunity for Graduate Students to Create OER

Boost your CV and gain experience creating pedagogical resources for STEM communication! The Writing Center is seeking graduate students to create resources for The Online Technical Communication Center (OTCC).

Application deadline extended until Monday, April 1st

Residence Hall Tutoring

Evenings from 6 to 9pm
Mon, March 25th: Maple
Tue, March 26th: Trads
Wed, March 27th: 1750 Jackson
Thu, March 28th: Spruce
Mon, April 1st: Spruce
Tue, April 2nd: Elm
Wen, April 3rd: Weaver
Thu, April 4th: Trads

Make an Appointment

The Writing Center Offers In-Person & Online Support:

Writing Center Appointments: Both in-person and online appointments are available during the following days and times:

  • Online and in-person, Monday-Friday: 9:00 AM- 5:00 PM
  • Online only, Sunday-Thursday: 6:00 PM-9:00 PM

Drop-in Hours with the Undergraduate Writing Fellows (UWFs): Our UWFs are  undergraduate peer writing tutors who are trained by Writing Center faculty. They can help with a variety of projects, from cover letters and personal statements to presentations and essays. These hours do not require an appointment and take place in the Library’s Tutoring Room (take a right at Book & Brew) on the following evenings:

  • Sunday-Thursday evenings, 6-9pm

ADA Accessibility: The Writing Center’s new location, 1700 Illinois St., is not ADA accessible. If you require ADA accessibility, we are happy to work with you! Please consider scheduling an online appointment or e-mailing your consultant 48 hours in advance to set up a consultation in a common ADA accessible area on campus.

 

What students are saying about the writing center

The Writing Center was indispensable in the process of applying for the Goldwater scholarship. While I had a good understanding of the technical details of my prior research and future aspirations, the Writing Center provided crucial feedback to effectively communicate this passion in my personal statements. I highly recommend utilizing the Writing Center for any scholarship/fellowship application where every word and sentence counts.

-Paul V.

B.S. Engineering Physics, 2023

What students are saying about the writing center

Using the Writing Center also helped me with one of the trickiest parts of undergraduate research: communicating complex ideas to non-expert audiences. While I may be able to explain why the Bernstein–Vazirani algorithm doesn’t work well as a benchmark to other people in my research group, I need to also communicate the essential ideas to others. By working with the Writing Center, I have been able to develop this communication muscle. This puts me on a path to be not just a researcher, but a researcher who can skillfully explain why their research matters.

-Paul V.

B.S Engineering Physics 2023

What students are saying about the writing center

I met with advisors from the writing center on two separate occasions to review my essays for the Goldwater Scholarship application. During these meetings, I had the chance to read through and address several ways to improve my essays and short answers for the application. Some of the improvements were grammatical, while others helped restructure the overall narrative and make my application stronger. The writing center was integral to making my application both concise and convincing.

-Ethan P.

B.S. Computer Science, 2021

M.S. Computer Science, 2022

What students are saying about the writing center

The writing center indirectly contributed to my undergraduate research experience by helping me become a better writer and by assisting me in refining my Goldwater undergraduate research scholarship application. I would recommend all students, whether involved in undergraduate research or not, to explore the resources of the writing center at least once during their time at School of Mines. They make both direct improvements to the work which is brought to them and will also support one’s ability to become a better writer and critical thinker.

-Ethan P.

B.S. Computer Science, 2021

M.S. Computer Science, 2022

What students are saying about the writing center

With the help of the Mines Writing Center, I created successful applications for both the Barry M. Goldwater scholarship and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). Consultants at the Writing Center are very skilled in both their knowledge of technical writing and personal essay writing. For the Goldwater application, I was tasked with writing a research paper on a research project that I had completed. The Writing Center consultant gave me specific and actionable advice, which helped transform a convoluted paper full of technical jargon into an easy-to-follow research narrative. For the NSF GRFP, the consultant I met with had familiarity with the fellowship and was able to highlight which parts of my application I should delete or expand upon in order to meet their requirements and appeal to the judges. I highly recommend the Writing Center for anyone writing an essay for a scholarship, or for anyone seeking to improve their technical writing skills.

-Zoe B.

B.S. Computer Science and Applied Math, 2022

What students are saying about the writing center

With the help of the Mines Writing Center, I created successful applications for both the Barry M. Goldwater scholarship and the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP). Consultants at the Writing Center are very skilled in both their knowledge of technical writing and personal essay writing. For the Goldwater application, I was tasked with writing a research paper on a research project that I had completed. The Writing Center consultant gave me specific and actionable advice, which helped transform a convoluted paper full of technical jargon into an easy-to-follow research narrative. For the NSF GRFP, the consultant I met with had familiarity with the fellowship and was able to highlight which parts of my application I should delete or expand upon in order to meet their requirements and appeal to the judges. I highly recommend the Writing Center for anyone writing an essay for a scholarship, or for anyone seeking to improve their technical writing skills.

-Zoe B.

B.S. Computer Science and Applied Math, 2022

Resources & Initiatives

The Writing Center provides free academic support to all members of the campus community, including faculty, staff, students, and alumni. We assist with any form of communication including papers, scholarship essays, and presentations at any stage of the process. The Writing Center’s goal is to support the entire Mines community, from students to faculty to alumni.

Online Technical Communication Center

The Online Technical Communication Center (OTCC) connects students and faculty with resources to develop their oral and written communication skills in STEM. All resources are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical 4.0 International license (CC-BY-NC). Our resources are designed to be shared and modified by the public to meet your individual communication needs.The OTCC is funded by the Colorado Department of Higher Education Open Education Resources grant and the Colorado School of Mines Writing Center. 

Click here to get to the OTCC.

Workshops

Our workshops are designed to address communication and writing issues commonly encountered in STEM. We tailor each workshop for our unique student body and faculty alike.

Please click here to learn more about our workshops.

Faculty Resources

As a resource for faculty, we provide in-class writing and communication workshops, assistance with writing assessment, and help teaching writing successfully across the curriculum.

Click here to learn more about our faculty resources and to request an in-class workshop.

Graduate Student Resources

The Writing Center’s goal is to support the entire Mines community, from students to faculty to alumni. As a resource for graduate students, we work with topics such as thesis writing, journal articles, class assignments, and poster presentations. We also hold a Graduate Writing Group every other Friday to provide dedicated time and space for graduate student writers.

Click here to learn more about our graduate student resources.

The Writing Center hosts a signature event each year known as the Thesis Writers Retreat. Exclusive to graduate students, this retreat is a chance to write with your peers, learn from breakout sessions on a variety of topics, and work with professional writing consultants to best portray your research.

Writing Across the Curriculum Research

From 1998 until 2011, Mines engaged in an initiative to develop best practices for writing across the curriculum. Please click here to read through our results and best practices.