Audience Awareness & Analysis

An essential part of applying for grants is securing strong letters of support from colleagues, collaborators, or others in the field who can speak to the applicant's qualifications and ability to execute the proposed project. In academic research, it’s common for applicants to draft a sample letter of support or provide an outline for the writer. This helps ensure the letter includes all relevant details of the proposed project, saves time, and increases the chances of timely submission. The letter writer always has the freedom to revise the draft or write a new letter that reflects their personal voice and perspective, however providing a draft is generally seen as a helpful and efficient way to streamline the process. As part of my work in the Marriott Lab, I was tasked with creating a how-to guide for writing letters of support. I chose to do this in the form of an infographic which serves as a practical, visually appealing guide for lab members who may be unfamiliar with the process. It also provides a resource for letter writers, helping them understand the key elements to include when supporting a grant application. 

As part of my MS in Professional and Technical Writing program at Portland State University, I took a course titled Book Design Software, where I created a chapbook using Adobe InDesign to adapt and present key information from my paper, 'Inclusive Approaches for Measuring Demographics of Underrepresented Populations in STEM and Biomedical Research Training Programs,' published in the Journal of STEM Outreach. The goal was to make demographic data collection more accessible and actionable for a broader audience, including educators, researchers, and program managers. The process involved adapting complex content and restructuring elements to fit the new format, ensuring clarity and usability. Throughout the project, I maintained a focus on user-centered design by ensuring that the layout was both visually appealing and functional. As this project extended beyond the scope of the course assignment, it is still a work in progress.