Andrew Fiss

Andrew Fiss

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  • Associate Professor of Technical & Professional Communication
  • Ph.D. History & Philosophy of Science, Indiana University
  • A.B. Mathematics, Vassar College

Biography

I work at the intersections of scientific and technical communication (STC) and science, technology, and society (STS). My research articles have appeared in the journals Science & Education, the History of Education Quarterly, New York History, Peitho, Configurations, and Technical Communication Quarterly. My book, Performing Math: A History of Communication and Anxiety in the American Mathematics Classroom (Rutgers, 2021), uses archival research to argue that we must understand mathematics as communication-based, particularly in light of Americans’ widespread math hatred and high rates of math anxiety. Looking to historical developments in higher education, it brings together nineteenth-century instructions for reading mathematics textbooks, manuals for speaking at the blackboard, debates about written testing, and informal student performances: funerals for mathematics textbooks and student-written mathematical plays. Performing Math has been favorably reviewed and was recognized with the Best Book Award in Technical or Scientific Communication 2023 from the Conference on College Composition and Communication.

I especially teach courses that contribute to the BS/BA Programs in Scientific and Technical Communication. STC at Michigan Tech is a leader in the field, significantly arguing for the importance of humanities-based STC for over 40 years. At the graduate level, I teach and advise for the MS/PhD Programs in Rhetoric, Theory, and Culture, with classes in Technical & Scientific Communication; Public Understandings of Science; and the Practicum in Teaching Technical Communication. Also, I participate in grants and other activities that advance transdisciplinary education, community engagement, and educational innovation.

Links of Interest

Google Scholar Profile

Specialties

  • Technical Communication
  • STS (Science and Technology Studies; Science, Technology, and Society)
  • Science Communication
  • History and Philosophy of Science and Math
  • Interdisciplinary, Multidisciplinary, and Transdisciplinary Education