My specific research interests are Engineering and Technical Communication, Research Ethics, Social impact ofTechnology and Gender, and Environmental and Risk Communication.

Engineering Communication

The following book, now in its second edition, is intended to help lower-division undergraduate engineering students write and present technical information.

• Hart, H., 2008. Introduction to Engineering Communication, 2nd edition, Prentice-Hall; Upper Saddle River, NJ

For engineering graduate students, I have co-developed (with Professor Desmond Lawler) a guide to the writing of theses and dissertations:

• Hart, H. and Lawler, D. 1999. A Guide to the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations in Science and Engineering. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Austin. Updated 2006.

The Profession of Technical Communication
I am also interested in developing new models and metaphors to describe the actual practice of technical communication today. Technical communicators are doing a lot more than writing -- they are designing information, participating in strategic and business processes, and often organizing and directing the web of communication internally and externally. Engineering communicators must also be strategic in thier thinking, writing, and presenting. Here is an article describing the first stage of a qualitative study of technical communicators.

• Hart, H. and Conklin, J., (2006) “Toward a Meaningful Model for Technical Communication,” Technical Communication. Vol. 53, no. 4, pp. 395-415 (winner of Distinguished Technical Communication Award, 2007).

Engineering Research Ethics

I have just completed (with Christy Moore and Steven Nichols) a 2-year NSF project to develop teaching modules on research ethics for graduate engineering courses. These modules are based on the undergraduate modules the team has developed. The process of developing these modules, and their pedagogical intent, are described in the following publications and refereed conference proceedings:

• Hart, H. and Moore, C., 2007. “Developing Curriculum on Research Ethics for Engineers: Gathering the Data.”  Proceedings of the ASEE Conference, Honolulu, Hawaii, June 27.
• Moore, C., Hart, H., Randall, D., and Nichols, S. (2006) “PRiME: Integrating Professional Responsibility into the Engineering Curriculum,” Science and Engineering Ethics. Volume 12, no. 2, pp. 273-289.
• Hart, H. and Randall, D. 2005. “Designing Challenge-Based Ethics Instruction for Undergraduate Engineers,” Proceedings of the IPCC Conference (CD-ROM), Limerick, Ireland, July.

Formerly, I was co-PI on a p roject called Professional Responsibility Modules in Engineering (PRiME). Funded by the UT Chair for Free Enterprise and the College of Engineering, this project seeks to assess the need for and then develop web-based instructional materials and instructor guides on engineering ethics' topics. The goal is to create materials that are easily usable in almost any engineering course, no matter what is the background or available time of the instructor. In the spring of 2005, six lessons on various topics were piloted and assesssed at the university of Texas at Austin. The results of that assessment are described in the following report:

Assessing the PRiME Modules: Spring 2005, Nadine Romig, Theresa Jones, and Hillary Hart

The need for the ethics modules under development was determined originally by a summer 2004 needs assessment.  This preliminary assessment of UT and peer institutions is described in the following report:

• Professional Responsibility and Leadership in Engineering Education at UT Austin and Peer Institutions,  Christene Moore and Hillary Hart, 2004

For more information on the PRiME project, see this Powerpoint presentation.

Environmental Risk Communication

Environmental Communication develops strategies (rhetorical and otherwise) to ensure productive, interactive communication on environmental issues among engineers, regulators, industry, and the public. This field draws on research from Public Policy, Law, and Health Communication, as well as those areas listed above. Sponsored research projects include:

Risk Communication , 1997-1999
Sponsor: British Petroleum Oil Co.

Hart, H., Risk-Communication Research Report: Executive Summary

Hart. H. Communication Plan for Pantex Risk Characterization Study , 1997-1998
Sponsor: Amarillo National Center for Research in Plutonium