University of South Florida Professor Meredith Johnson has won the 2020 CCCC Research Impact Award for her book “Lean Technical Communication: Toward Sustainable Program Innovation.” The Conference on College Composition and Communication presents the award each year for “the empirical research publication… that most advances the mission of the organization or the needs of the profession.”
“Lean Technical Communication,” co-authored with W. Michele Simmons and Patricia Sullivan, aims to help programs make decisions in the face of uncertainty. It is comprised of a flexible theoretical model that is applied to case studies of innovation.
“Several of the book’s chapters showcase curricular innovation at USF, and I’m so happy to be shedding national light on the good work that has happened here,” Johnson says. “We did a lot of work to make sure it’s applicable to a wide range of institutions.”
In a letter to the authors, CCCC Chair Vershawn Ashanti Young writes, “’Lean Technical Communication’ makes a powerful contribution to our professional work in the field.” The CCCC Awards Presentation will take place in Milwaukee on March 27, and Johnson plans to attend.
“It feels like a high point in my career,” Johnson says of the award. “It’s saying to me that we hit a nerve. We found a need, and we truly addressed it…. It’s remarkable to be told that the profession benefits directly from your work and that it addresses a significant need.”