Title: Professor, Associate Dean for Administration & Finance
University: Texas Tech University, College of Media & Communication
Email: amy.koerber@ttu.edu
Description of your work
Dr. Koerber’s research agenda centers around the question of how experts make effective arguments, particularly in the context of health, science, and medicine. Toward this end, she employs multiple research methods, including textual analysis as well as interviews and focus groups. Although her doctoral training is based in classical rhetoric, her current research employs a wide variety of theoretical frameworks, and she is especially interested in scholarly approaches that facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge-making. Dr. Koerber’s current research seeks to understand the role of effective communication in the STEM professions. Specifically, she has conducted a series of interviews with STEM professionals from various disciplines in attempt to understand which communication skills these professionals believe to be most crucial to obtaining and succeeding in leadership positions in their disciplines. Prior to this current project, Dr. Koerber published numerous peer-reviewed articles and two academic books, all related to her broadly defined interests in health and science communication. Her most recent book, “From Hysteria to Hormones: A Rhetorical History,” was published by Penn State University Press in April 2018. Her previous book, “Breast or Bottle: Contemporary Controversies in Infant-Feeding Policy and Practice,” was published by University of South Carolina Press in 2013, and was awarded the NCTE Award for Best Book in Scientific or Technical Communication.