Doctoral Grads Honored by Leading Journal for Outstanding Work

Two recent doctoral graduates from the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures were recognized for their outstanding work by Kairos, a leading peer-reviewed journal of rhetoric, technology, and pedagogy.

Phil Bratta and Heather Turner, who both just completed their Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Writing, were presented Kairos Awards for Graduate Students and Adjuncts at the 2018 Computers and Writing conference, held at George Mason University May 24-27.

portrait of a women with red hard wearing a white and black shirt and a black blazer
Dr. Heather Turner

The Kairos Awards for Graduate Students and Adjuncts is a series of three awards to recognize outstanding contributions in teaching, scholarship/research, and service to the field of computers and writing by graduate students and non-tenure-track faculty. Graduate students and adjuncts working in fields relating to the mission of Kairos (computers and writing, rhetoric-and-technology, etc.) are eligible to be nominated for the awards.

Turner received the Kairos Service Award for her work developing a summer technology program for Latina and Indigenous girls in the Lansing area, while Bratta received the Kairos Scholarship/Research Award based on the depth and breadth of his scholarly work, both as an author and as an editor.

portrait of a man with brown hair wearing a white button up shirt and a blue blazer
Dr. Phil Bratta

The Kairos Service Award is given to an individual whose work includes activities that promote excellent computers and writing pedagogy, theory, and community building. This marks the second straight year that a member of MSU’s Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures has received this award.

The Kairos Scholarship/Research Award is presented each year to a person with excellent research and scholarship and/or who shows future promise for having an impact on the computers and writing field. This is the first time since 2012 that someone from MSU has won this award, but the sixth time overall.

Kairos is an open-access online journal that explores the intersections of rhetoric, technology, and pedagogy. More than 22 years old, the journal is extensively peer-reviewed and reaches a wide international audience, about 45,000 per month.