Southern Polytechnic State University's Carol Barnum has received two grants to help support a technical writing workshop in China this summer. The grants - totaling $15,000 from the Society for Technical Communication and the Office of International Education of the University System of Georgia - will allow a group of professors from the University System to visit the Jiangsu province in China and conduct the workshop.

"Technical writing is not currently a discipline in China. We hope the institute will help technical writing become part of the curriculum," said Barnum, a professor of humanities and technical communication at SPSU.

Barnum feels that the workshop is a big step for China towards enhancing their technology capabilities. "China is poised on the world stage to be a player with the eventual admission to the World Trade Organization. They have in their platform of goals to increase their role in high technology. Technical writing is a major component that will support this effort," said Barnum.

Last year Barnum conducted a lecture tour on technical writing classes in Jiangsu. As part of The University System of Georgia's agreement to form initiatives with China, she has been visiting Jiangsu to strengthen exchanges, talks and programs.

Southern Polytechnic State University is a residential university with approximately 4,000 students pursuing bachelor's and master's degrees in many of the nation's fastest-growing fields related to engineering and technology. One mile west of I-75's Exit 263, the university is just 20 minutes northwest of downtown Atlanta, GA.