Kenny C.

Walker
Ph.D. Candidate | Graduate Associate
Department of English
University of Arizona

Modern Languages Building
Post Office Box 210067
Tucson, Arizona 85721-0067, USA
kcwalker@email.arizona.edu
www.kennycwalker.com
Phone: 530-204-8848

EDUCATION
Ph.D. Candidate: Rhetoric and Composition. University of Arizona. May 2015 (expected).

Dissertation: Rhetorical Translations of Visualized Uncertainties in Technoscientific Risk.
Committee: Amy Kimme Hea (Chair), Lynda C. Walsh, Ken S. McAllister, and Chris Cokinos.

Dissertation Abstract
My dissertation takes a mixed-methods approach to three cases of environmental risk in order to examine
the rhetorical dynamics of uncertainties. I argue that rhetorical uncertainties can effectively scaffold civic
reasoning and negotiations of ethos in risk communication through their ability to translate conflicting
interests and create sites of public participation. Traditionally uncertainties are conceived as a skeptics
commonplace, but from a rhetorical perspective uncertainties expand on our notions of risk because they
reveal associations between scientific inquiries, probability assessments, and the facilitation of evaluative
dialogues. I support this claim through a rhetorical model of translation, which adapts methods from Critical
Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Actor-Network Theory (ANT) in order assemble a data-driven and corpus-
based approach to rhetorical analysis. The particular insight of the model is to reveal a range of rhetorical
potentials in risk communication that can be confronted through uncertainties. My cases work through
corpora of print, televised, and digital media, and can be productively extended through computational
methods to big data sets.

M.A. English. University of Nevada, Reno. December 2009.
Concentration: Literature and Environment.

B.A. Nature and Culture. University of California, Davis. June 2005.
Emphasis: Plant Ecology and Science Writing.
Minor: English.

Research and Teaching Areas: Rhetoric of Science, Technology, and Environment; Technical and Professional
Communication; Science and Technology Studies; Writing Studies, and Assessment.

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
2014 Assessment Coordinator, Office of Instruction and Assessment (OIA), University of Arizona.

2013- Research Associate, Office of Instruction and Assessment (OIA), University of Arizona.

2011- Research Associate, Writing Program, University of Arizona.

2010- Teaching Associate, Writing Program, University of Arizona.

2007- Teaching Assistant/Instructor, Core Writing Program, University of Nevada, Reno.

2005- Museum Scientist, Natural Reserve System, UC Davis.




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FELLOWSHIPS
2011- Carson Scholars Program, Institute of the Environment, University of Arizona.
2013 A competitive and funded fellowship for communicating environmental science typically reserved for
scientists. Activities include development of communication and leadership skills through interdisciplinary
workshops based in new media; seminars with visiting speakers including Andy Revkin, Susan Joy Hassol,
and Jon Krosnick; funding solicitation through state-wide donor presentations; and bi-monthly meetings.
Mentored under Julia Cole (Geo-Sciences), Rafe Sagarin (Marine Ecology and Environmental Policy) and
Chris Cokinos (English).

PUBLICATIONS
Articles in Peer-Reviewed Academic Journals
2014 A choreography of living texts: Selections from the ARST Oral History Project. Rhetoric Review, 33(3),
262-280. w/ Jennifer Malkowski and Damien Pfister (40% of contribution).

2013 Without evidence, there is no answer: Uncertainty and scientific ethos in the Silent Spring[s] of Rachel
Carson. Environmental Humanities, 2, 101-116.

2012 No one knows what the ultimate consequences may be: How Rachel Carson transformed scientific
uncertainty into a site for public participation in Silent Spring. Journal of Business and Technical
Communication, 26(1), 3-34. w/ Lynda Walsh (50% of contribution). Reached #2 for most read articles.

2009 Walking the city: From aesthetics to ethics in The Cincinnati Arch. Interdisciplinary Literary Studies: A
Journal of Criticism and Theory, 10(2), 56-68.

2009 The effects of fire on the regeneration of a Quercus douglasii stand in Quail Ridge Reserve, Berryessa Valley
(California). Journal of Forest Research, 14(2), 81-87. w/ Jos Ramn Arvalo, Pelayo Alvarez, Nelmi
Navarez. (25% of contribution).

Conference Proceedings
2014 Rhetorical properties of scientific uncertainties: Public engagement in the Carson Scholars
Program. Project on the Rhetoric of Inquiry (POROI), 10(1), 1-9.

2013 Uncertainty, spheres of argument, and the transgressive ethos of the science adviser. In Jean Goodwin,
Michael F. Dahlstrom & Susanna Priest (Eds.), Ethical Issues in Science Communication: A Theory-Based
Approach (pp. 325-335). Charleston, SC: CreateSpace. w/ Lynda Walsh (25% of contribution).

2012 Signatures and spinoffs: Sequences of ignorance in the theory/practice split of the Ecological
Society of America, 1917-1950. In Jean Goodwin (editor.). Between Scientists and Citizens: Proceedings of a
Conference at Iowa State University, June 1-2, 2012. (pp. 403-411). Ames, IA: Great Plains Society for the
Study of Argumentation.

Non-Refereed Popular Publications
2013 International citizen science for tiger conservation. Public Library of Science (PLoS) Citizen Science Blog.
April 1
st
, 2013. 1000-word blog. w/ Ashwin Naidu and Ashley R. Kelly. (50% of contribution).

2012 Kenny Walker on Rachel Carsons use of uncertainty to raise public concerns about DDT. The New York
Times, Dot Earth. September 27
th
, 2012. 1000-word popularization written for the 50
th
Anniversary of
Rachel Carsons Silent Spring.

Textbook Contributions
2012 The transfer of first-year writing knowledge and skills to other academic disciplines. A Students Guide to
First-Year Writing. 33
rd
Edition. 2012-2013. Eds. Caitlin Rodriguez, Jerry Lee, Gina Szabady. Plymouth,
MI: Hayden McNeil. pp. 31-32.



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2012 The limits and ethics of primary research. A Students Guide to First-Year Writing. 33
rd
Edition. 2012-
2013. Eds. Caitlin Rodriguez, Jerry Lee, Gina Szabady. Plymouth, MI: Hayden McNeil. p. 152.

2012 Constructing arguments with Toulmin analysis. A Students Guide to First-Year Writing. 33
rd
. Edition.
2012-2013. Eds. Caitlin Rodriguez, Jerry Lee, Gina Szabady. Plymouth, MI: Hayden McNeil. p. 274.

2011 Developing thesis statements for public arguments. A Students Guide to First-Year Writing. 32
nd
Edition.
2011-2012. Eds. Jennifer Haley-Brown, Caitlin Rodriguez, Jerry Lee.
Plymouth, MI: Hayden McNeil. p. 240.

Book Reviews
2012 Review of Writing Against the Curriculum, ed. Randi Gray Kristensen and Ryan M. Claycomb. Composition
Studies, 40(1), 132-134.

2010 Review of Border Fictions, by Claudia Sadowski Smith. ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and
Environment, 17(1), 224-225.

CURRENT PROJECTS
Articles Under Review in Peer-Reviewed Academic Journals
Perspectives on uncertainty for scholars of technical communication. w/ Lynda Walsh (50% of contribution).
(Under Review, Technical Communication Quarterly, 30-page manuscript).

Mapping the contours of translation: Rhetorical properties of visualized uncertainties in the ozone hole
controversy (Under Review, Technical Communication Quarterly, 29-page manuscript).

Book Chapters Under Review in Edited Collections
Validating the consequences of social justice pedagogy: Explicit values in course-based grading contracts. Michelle
F. Eble & Angela M. Haas (Eds.), Key Theoretical Frameworks for Teaching Technical Communication in the
21
st
Century. Under Review. w/ Cruz Medina (50% of contribution, 25-page manuscript).

Figuring programmatic agency: The Framework as critical rearticulatory practice in Writing Program
Administration. Sherry Rankins-Robertson, Nicholas Behm, and Duane Roen (Eds). Applications of the
Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing: Scholarship, Theories, and Practices. Under Review. w/ Amy
Kimme Hea & Jenna Pack (33% of contribution, 20-page manuscript).

GRANTS & AWARDS
2014 CWPA Research Grant, 2013-2014 ($2,700). Council on Writing Program Administrators. July
w/ Aimee Mapes (PI) and Ana Ribero (Competitive Grant).

2014 CCCC Research Initiative Grant, 2013-2014 ($10,000). Conference on College Composition &
Communication. w/ Amy Kimme Hea (PI), Aimee Mapes, and Ana Ribero (Competitive Grant).

2013 Article of the Year Award. Association for the Rhetoric of Science and Technology. w/ Lynda Walsh
(Competitive Award).

2013 Writing Program Fellowship Award ($3000), The Writing Program, University of Arizona, Spring 2013
(Competitive Award). Project Funded archival research.

2012 Joanna Ploeger Memorial Award ($200), Association for the Rhetoric of Science and Technology award for
best student paper at annual conference, November 2012.

2012 Funds to Foster Collaboration Grant ($200), The Writing Program, University of Arizona, Spring 2012
(Competitive Award). Project funded a visual/spatial symposium to showcase student writing.

2011 Student/Faculty Interaction Grant ($500), University of Arizona, Fall 2011. (Competitive Grant). Project
funded a public symposium to showcase student writing.



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2011 Ruth Gardner Teaching Award Winner ($250), University of Arizona. (Competitive Award).

2010 First-Year Graduate Student Fellowship ($6,000), Department of English, University of Arizona,
(Competitive Fellowship).

2010- Graduate Student Travel Grant ($325), The English Graduate Union, University of Arizona,
2015 Ongoing.

2010 Graduate Student Travel Grant Winner ($350), The Institute of the Environment, University of
Arizona. (Competitive Grant).

2010 Graduate Student Research Grant ($2,500), Department of English. University of Nevada, Reno. (Selected
for Grant).

GUEST LECTURES & CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Guest Lecturers
2013 The Production, Reception, and Enduring Legacy of Rachel Carsons Silent Spring. Geography 260:
Environmental Studies, February 7
th
.

2012 Funding Graduate Student Environmental Research for Public Impact and Programmatic Sustainability.
Carson Scholars Fundraiser ($5000). Zuckerman Community Outreach. Tucson, AZ.

2012 The Importance of Ecological Communications: Lessons from 30 years of the ESA Carson Scholars Donor
Event. Tucson, AZ.

2012 A Legacy of Rachel Carson: Communicating Scientific Uncertainty. Carson Scholars Donor Event. Tucson,
AZ.

2011 Mapping Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for Programmatic Change: How to Use the CWPA
Framework for Curricular Development. English Articulation Task Force. Tucson, AZ.

International, National, and Regional Conference Presentations
2014 Mapping the Contours of Translation: Rhetorical Properties of Visualized Uncertainties in the
Ozone Hole Controversy.
National Communication Association (NCA), Association for the Rhetoric of Science and Technology (ARST).
Top Papers. Chicago, IL.

2014 Taking the Chaosmotic Plunge: Developing Complex Coding Schemes for Metacognition and Affect in
Student Writing Performances.
Council on Writing Program Administrators. July 2014. Normal, IL.

2014 Calculating the Regret: Can Climate Blogs Facilitate Rhetorical Deliberation about Adaptation?
Rhetoric Society of America. San Antonio, TX.

2014 Deep Judgment in Big Data: The Uses of Mixed Methods in a Rhetoric and Writing Program.
Rhetoric Society of America. May 2014. San Antonio, TX.

2013 Roundtable: Funded collaborations between scientists and rhetoricians of
science/technology/medicine.
National Communication Association (NCA), Association for the Rhetoric of Science and Technology (ARST)
Preconference. November 2013. Washington, D.C.

2013 Uncertainty, Spheres of Argument, and the Transgressive Ethos of the Science Advisor.
Ethical Issues in Science Communication: A Theory-Based Approach. Ames, IA.

2013 Argumentation Seminar Rhetoric Society of America: Institutes. Lawrence, Kansas.



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2013 Reanimating the Institutional Golem: Technological Kairos to Repurpose WID Requirements for WAC
Revival.
Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC). Las Vegas, NV.

2013 What Prudence Dictates, Despite These Uncertainties: Mario Molinas Rhetoric of
Uncertainty.
Association for the Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW). Las Vegas, NV.

2012 Agnoistic Argumentation in the Theory/Practice split of the Ecological Society of America,
1920-1950.
National Communications Association (NCA). Association for Rhetoric of Science and Technology (ARST), Top
Student Papers. Orlando, FL.

2012 Should Scientists Express Uncertainty to the Public?
Institute of the Environment: Environmental Graduate Research Blitz. Tucson, AZ.

2012 Multiple Locations: Disruptions, Connections, Lacuna
Writing Program Administrators Conference. Albuquerque, NM.

2012 Ignorance and Ethos in the Theory/Practice split of the Ecological Society of America, 1917-
1950.
Between Scientists and Citizens. Great Plains Society for the Study of Argumentation (GPSSA). Ames, IA.

2012 D2L Gets WACed: Re-purposing Visible Technologies for Writing to Learn Pedagogies. New Directions
in Critical Theory. Tucson, AZ.

2012 Cultivating Cross Disciplinary Conversations about Writing: The Writing Emphasis Courses
at the University of Arizona. Qualitative Research Network Forum.
Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC). St. Louis, MO.

2011 How Rachel Carson Transformed Scientific Uncertainty into a Site for Public Participation in
Silent Spring.
Institute of the Environment: Environmental Graduate Research Blitz. Tucson, AZ.

2011 Teaching for Transfer: Writing Awareness and Rhetoric and Composition Scholarship in the FYW
Classroom.
New Directions in Critical Theory. Tucson, AZ.

2011 Multiliteracies and STEM Genres in First-Year Writing Courses.
Conference on College, Composition, and Communication (CCCC). Atlanta, GA.

2011 STEM Genres for Writing Studies. Research Network Forum.
Conference on College, Composition, and Communication (CCCC). Atlanta, GA.

2010 Bridging Science and Citizens with Uncertainty: Uptake and Articulation of Scientific Uncertainty in
Rachel Carsons Silent Spring.
National Communications Association (NCA). Association for Rhetoric of Science and Technology (ARST). San
Francisco, CA.

2009 Rhetoric of Eco-Economics: Ecological Modernization and the Question of Community.
Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE). Victoria, B.C.

2009 Ideographs in Industrial Ecology: Political Elision in the Rhetoric of Natural Capitalism.
Crisis, Contradiction, Contestation: Postwar Economy and Culture. University of California, Berkeley.

2008 Class Ideology and Environmental Concern.
International Conference on Ecology and Languages. Cordoba, Argentina.



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2008 Walking the City: From Aesthetics to Ethics in The Cincinnati Arch.
American Literature Association (ALA). Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE). San
Francisco, CA.

2007 The Effects of Fire on the Regeneration of a Quercus douglasii stand at Quail Ridge Reserve,
California.
Ecological Society of America (ESA). San Jose, CA.

ACADEMIC ADMINISTRATION, WAC/WID, AND ASSESSMENT
2013- Assessment Coordinator & Graduate Associate, Office of Instruction and Assessment (OIA), University of Arizona.
2014 Working under the director and assistant director of the OIA, duties include: assessment coordination for
the campus-wide AACU Voluntary System of Accountability (VSA) assessment on written communication;
student learning outcome-based assessment of annual program reviews for approximately 20 departments
per year across the curriculum; preparing literature reviews; and review of departmental assessment websites
with a particular focus on writing in and across the disciplines. Competitive position came with reassigned
time from teaching one course each semester.

2011- Writing Program Research Associate, University of Arizona Writing Program
2014 Assistant WPA position. Designed and implemented several quantitative and qualitative long-term
research projects, including the UA Study of Student Writers, a large five-year longitudinal study of the
writing development of undergraduates during their academic careers and into their first year beyond
college. Major goals: Trace student development in writing across a five-year period; identify incentives and
obstacles to transfer of written knowledge and skills to courses in the major and future careers; use findings
to inform the work of writing across the curriculum. Duties include: Design and implementation of
qualitative research and assessment protocol. Grant writing. Recruitment. Data analysis. Writing for
publication. Research Association position also included: recruitment and execution of assessment teams;
managing IRB protocol; data collection and security; data analysis and report writing for Annual Program
Reviews; and administration. Competitive position came with re-assigned time from teaching one course
each semester.

2012- Make them Write the Whole Way Through: A Mixed-Methods Study of the Writing
2015 Emphasis (WE) Courses at UA, w/ Elizabeth Leahy & Al Harahap
A collaborative qualitative research project in Writing in the Disciplines (WID) at UA. Through faculty
surveys and interviews, and in coordination with Vice Provost of Instruction, the Office of Instruction and
Assessment, and the Writing Program, this project identifies best practices, key terms, and perceptions of
writing across the campus; develops opportunities for faculty professional development in the teaching and
assessment of writing in the disciplines; and generally fosters a culture of writing and assessment. IRB
approved April 2012.

2011- Honors First-Year Writing Curriculum Development, University of Arizona, 2011-2012
2012 Part of a four-person collaborative pilot project to research and develop a new curriculum for the first-year
honors course based on the rhetoric of inquiry and public writing. Development of student learning
outcomes, an honors symposium, a final exam based in meta-cognitive reflections about writing, and
portfolio/presentation materials.

2012 Co-Organizer, Graduate Teaching Assistant Orientation, University of Arizona.
Strategies for Teaching Rhetorical Analysis. Presentation for new graduate teachers.

2011 Co-Organizer, Strategies for Invention: A Podcast with Nancy Sommers. University
of Arizona.

2011 Co-Presenter, Graduate Teaching Assistant Orientation, University of Arizona.
Creating Spaces for Collision, Collaboration, and Connectivity Presentation for new
graduate teachers.



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2008 Assistant Conference Coordinator, Greening the American City, University of Nevada,
Reno.
Development of public conference with local authors, governmental representatives, and leading public
intellectuals from the Northern Nevada area. Selected for position.

2005- Museum Scientist and Naturalist, Natural Reserve System, John Muir Institute of the
2007 Environment, University of California Davis
Full time facilitation of research, teaching, and public use on three ecological reserves near Davis, California.
Duties included assistantship with ecological field experiments, design of vegetation management plans,
conduction of natural history tours for university and public audiences, soliciting projects to increase
appropriate use, participation in various advisory committees, stewardship, and administration. Competitive
position.

2005- Environmental Educator and Naturalist, Jepson Prairie Preserve, 2005-2008
2008 Conducted educational tours at Jepson Prairie Vernal Pool Ecological Preserve for K-12,
university, governmental, public and private groups.

2005- Coordinating Committee Member, Jepson Prairie Preserve Naturalists, 2005-2007
2007 Conducted training for guides, wrote and received grants, spearheaded development of
a 501(c) 3.

COURSES TAUGHT
Upper-Division Undergraduate Courses, University of Arizona
English 340: Topics in Professional/Technical Writing: Writing in STEM Disciplines
English 308: Technical Writing.
English 306: Advanced Composition: Rhetoric and Risk in Science, Technology, & Medicine.

Lower-Division Undergraduate Courses, University of Arizona
English 197: Med-Start, Thinking and Writing.
English 109H Honors First-Year Writing: Science, Technology, and Society
English 101/102: First-Year Writing: Rhetorical Analysis, Argument, Research

Lower-Division Undergraduate Courses, University of Nevada, Reno
English 101/102: First-Year Writing: Rhetorical Analysis, Argument, Research
English 098: Developmental Composition

Lower-Division Undergraduate Courses, Truckee Meadows Community College
English 101/102: First-Year Writing

SERVICE
National Service
2012- Annual Conference Submissions Reviewer, Panel Chair, etc. Association for the Rhetoric of Science and
Technology (ARST), National Communication Association. Ongoing.

2012 Oral History Project: Association for the Rhetoric of Science and Technology (ARST)
A digital humanities project for the 20th year anniversary of ARST. w/Damien Pfister and Jennifer
Malkowski.

2012- Membership and Outreach Committee, Association for the Rhetoric of Science and Technology
(ARST).

2007- Editorial Assistant, ISLE: Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment.
2009 Book review bibliography and copy editor.

2007- Editorial Assistant, Literary Bird Journal: Avian Life and Literary Arts.
2009 Proofreading, submissions judge, and other duties.


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University Service
2011 Minutes-taker, College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences Committee for Research and Instructional Computing
(CCRIC)

2011- Arizona Assurance Mentor, Center for Exploratory Students. Mentorship of under resourced and under
2013 privileged freshman seeking faculty interaction and guidance. Two students per semester.

Department Service
2012 Member, FACES: A subcommittee of the English Graduate Union responsible for advocating fo graduate
student parents in the English Department. Duties include advocacy for a child-care center, nursing rooms,
financial and community support.

2012 National Day on Writing Event
In coordination with Writing Program leadership, I co-organized and implemented the University of
Arizonas first NDoW event held on October 19
th
, 2012. Event attracted over 800 students, instructors,
and faculty to participate in writing events throughout the day.

2010 Research Assistant for Junior Faculty Research Fellowship, University of Nevada, Reno,
Conducted research on Rhetoric of Science and Rachel Carson, including a visit to the Carson papers at the
Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library and the National Archives.

2007- Co-Director, Students for the Advancement of Critical Theory, University of Nevada, Reno.
2009 Group study design of bi-weekly readings in advanced critical theory, solicit funding, meeting with
visiting professors/speakers, including J. Hillis Miller.

2008 Research Assistant, English Department, University of Nevada, Reno.
Conducted bibliographic research for Dr. Jen Hill on Victorian Culture and Climate Change.

2003 ESL Tutor, Writing Center, University of California, Davis, 2003
Tutored numerous ESL students as an undergraduate for the Linguistics Program, and emphasized basic
grammar and essay writing skills.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Association for Rhetoric, Science, and Technology (ARST)
Association of Teachers of Technical Writing (ATTW)
Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC)
Modern Language Association (MLA)
National Communication Association (NCA)
National Council for Teachers of English (NCTE)
Rhetoric Society of America (RSA)

PROFESSIONAL REFERENCES
Dr. Amy Kimme Hea | Associate Professor, RCTE | Director, Writing Program | Dept. of English |
University of Arizona | (520) 621-3553 | kimmiehea@email.arizona.edu

Dr. Lynda Walsh | Associate Professor, English | Director, Core Writing Program | Dept. of English |
University of Nevada, Reno | (775) 682-6364 | lwalsh@unr.edu

Christopher Cokinos | Associate Professor, English | Director, Creative Writing Program | Affiliated Faculty,
Institute of the Environment | Dept. of English | University of Arizona | (520) 621-1836 |
cokinos@email.arizona.edu



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Dr. Ken McAllister | Professor, RCTE | Co-Director, Learning Games Initiative | Dept. of English |
University of Arizona | (520) 621-1598 | mesmer@u.arizona.edu

Dr. Thomas Miller | Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs | Professor, RCTE | University of Arizona |
(520) 626-0202 | tpm@email.arizona.edu

Dr. Jane Detweiler | Associate Dean, College of Liberal Arts | Associate Professor, English |
University of Nevada, Reno | (775) 682-6379 | jad@unr.edu

Letters of Reference Available Upon Request.