Strategic Technical Writer
Portfolio
Marketing and Comms
I collaborate with engineers (subject matter experts) to understand the technical details and PMs and customers to understand the pain points, then quickly hone in on the story: “how is this different from other solutions” and “why do I care”.
Blogs
Ghost-writing: At Broad, I helped bring content supplied by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) alive. See Rare genomics with seqr in Terra.
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Personal blog: Exploring topics at the intersection of science and society, Allie’s Milkyway Cafe serves up “great ideas from this galaxy and beyond.”
Case Studies
Outstanding science should stand out in the crowd, not get lost in the ethernet.
I write original content to be interesting and accessible with a nice side of enticing graphics… and the occasional snark, if it’s appropriate.
Press Releases
With the right words, even the most technical concept can blossom into a stellar press release. I wrote this based on a jargon-dense, 30+ page patent that had more equations than words. The release generated more earned media than any other release in 2017.
Technical Documentation + Education
Whether helping students or end-users, communicating ideas clearly and strategically is key.
Information architecture
I believe clear communication isn’t just nice-to-have—it’s essential infrastructure that multiplies engineering impact and accelerates scientific discovery. Helping bring big data analytics to bear solving Big Problems requires bridging the gap between software developers and your customers.
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See, for example, Overview: Research in the Cloud on Terra and Paying for your cloud analysis in Terra Support for examples of articles I’ve written.
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Full case study of all the ways docs can boost your bottom line on YouTube.
K-12 Learning Resources
There’s nothing cooler than talking to elementary aged kids about black holes and getting them to learn a bit of math and chemistry on the side. I spent more than six years at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center writing, developing, and promoting STEM education materials for grades K-12. Our small but mighty team worked closely with NASA scientists and external educators to develop lesson plans, posters, and web pages that get students excited while meeting current science and math standards.
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See You Be the Astrophysicist on NASA's Imagine the Universe website.
Project Management
I have outstanding organization skills and attention to detail (and I don't need ChatGPT to tell me to write that). I write effectively and concisely (thanks, liberal arts education!). I complete projects – with many moving parts and many partners – on time and with great enthusiasm. I have vision and energy: great qualities when leading a team!
Docs as Infrastructure
When users can't find or understand the docs, everyone pays. See how I transformed our knowledge base to make docs more readable and findable, while ferreting out inefficiencies and identifying where docs and communication could boost the bottom line.
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Website Overhaul
I spearheaded a complete redo of a non-profit's ancient website.
I completed in six months a project that had been simmering on the back burner for years, effectively coordinating board members, a diverse group of org members, and a wonderful designer to get the job done.
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