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STC Information

Membership

The following lists some of the professions people are in who belong to the Society for Technical Communication (STC) and describes what STC is for and what the Washington, DC chapter offers you as a member. See our STC Information: Join STC and the Washington DC, Chapter page for information about why you should join STC and the membership benefits in STC and the Washington, DC Chapter. For information about STC annual conferences / technical summits, STC election candidates (when available), related professional and student chapters in our region, and links to membership and educational information on the Society's site, see our STC Information: Annual Conference & STC Connections page.

STC Mission Statement

STC advances the theory and practice of technical communication across all user abilities and media so that both businesses and customers benefit from safe, appropriate, and effective use of products, information, and services.

What is STC

The Society for Technical Communication (STC) is a Section 501(c)(3) not-for-profit educational, scientific, and charitable organization dedicated to furthering the art of communicating technical information and promoting the education, improvement, and advancement of its members. STC is the world's largest professional organization serving the technical communication profession. STC was established in 1953 and currently has 130 chapters, 22 SIGs, and around 11,500 members worldwide.

STC members include:

  • academics
  • accessibility specialists
  • consultants
  • graphic artists & creative designers
  • human factors engineers
  • information planners
  • instructional designers
  • interface designers
  • journalists
  • managers of technical communication departments or projects
  • marketing and public relations communicators
  • photographers, film, and video production specialists
  • publishers
  • researchers
  • software engineers
  • students
  • technical communicators
  • technical, medical, and scientific illustrators
  • technical, medical, and scientific writers and editors
  • translators
  • web designers, web developers, content managers, & webmasters

Technical communicators translate technical information into plain language that is easily understood by the user. They can convey scientific and technical information precisely, accurately, and clearly. Technical communication is recognized as an increasingly essential occupation in business and government. Technical communicators work with scientists and engineers in offices, factories, banks, hospitals, laboratories, from home, and on military bases. They work on a team, by themselves, as staff writers, managers, contractors, and consultants.

Special Interest Groups

STC's Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are groups of STC members with common experiences and interests who share their skills and knowledge with each other and the Society. You may sign up for as many SIGs as you wish.

Current SIGs include:

  • Academic
  • AccessAbility
  • Canadian Issues
  • Consulting & Independent Contracting
  • Content Strategy  New
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Environmental, Safety, & Health Communication
  • Europe  New
  • Illustrators & Visual Designers
  • Information Design & Architecture
  • Instructional Design & Learning
  • International Technical Communication
  • Lone Writer
  • Management
  • Marketing Communication
  • Online
  • Policies & Procedures
  • Quality & Process Improvement
  • Scientific Communication
  • Single Sourcing
  • Technical Editing
  • Usability & User Experience

Branches of some SIGs are sponsored locally by the Washington, DC Chapter. See our Special Interest Groups page for information about local SIG contacts.

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The Washington, DC Chapter

The Washington, DC Chapter is one of the largest in the Society. The Chapter celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2005 and has approximately 419 members  Revised in diverse fields including advertising, computer manufacturing, data processing, education, electronics, engineering, government, medicine, publishing, and research. For a brief summary about our chapter, see the Washington, DC Chapter brochure (.pdf). Honors and awards held by the chapter and chapter members as well as past chapter presidents are provided in the Chapter History pages.

Our strong and enthusiastic leaders have helped the chapter win the Society's Chapter Achievement Award of Distinction in 2009, Excellence in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008; the Chapter Achievement Award of Merit in 2003; the Chapter Pacesetter Award in 2003 and 1995, and the Outstanding Chapter of Achievement Award in 1988. For a list of all the awards given to the Chapter, see Chapter Honors.  Updated

The chapter has also won numerous STC Newsletter and STC Public Relations Competition awards.

The following are some of the benefits of becoming a member of the chapter:

• Monthly Events
• Chapter Blog
• Employment Service
• Publications and Competitions
• High School Technical Communication Competition Scholarships
• Research Grants and College Scholarships
• Seminars and Workshops
• Annual Conference
• Group Rate Insurance

Monthly Events

Monthly chapter events held from August/September through June feature guest speakers, tours of communication centers, and panel discussions on topics of interest to technical communicators. The Washington, DC Chapter provides a variety of event formats from informal networking and discussions to complete dinner events. Events are held in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and occasionally on the Potomac River to accommodate members throughout the area.

Chapter Blog

The STC WDC Blog provides news of chapter events, Society news, and feature articles. Submissions are welcome from members. The blog replaces the paper-format Capital Letter newsletter. Copies of archived newsletters are available in PDF format from the Newsletter page.  Updated

Employment Service

The chapter has a Job Board  New where employers and recruiters post job announcements. Limited job counseling services are available as well as salary surveys. The chapter also provides a Documentation Consultants & Contractors page and a Talent Pool page for members to advertise their skills. (There is a fee charged for nonmembers on the list.)

Publications and Competitions

The Washington, DC Chapter sponsors annual competitions for art, online communication, and technical publications. The competitions are open to members and nonmembers, who submit samples of their work for judging by their peers.

Entries may include books, brochures, graphic and packaging designs, hardware and software documentation, newsletters, online presentations and publications, periodicals, promotional material, technical reports, technical graphics, and video.

Awards are presented at four levels: Distinguished Technical Communication, Excellence, Merit, and Achievement. Winners are honored at a gala banquet and the best of the winning entries are submitted to compete in the International Technical Publications and Art Competitions.

High School Technical Communication Competition Scholarships

The Washington, DC Chapter sponsors an annual Austin T. Brown Technical Communication Scholarship to encourage the development and awareness of technical communication.

High school students in grades 10 through 12 are invited to submit technically oriented papers to compete for cash awards. The first place winner competes in the International Student Technical Writing Competition.

Research Grants and College Scholarships

One of STC's major goals is to advance the theory and practice of the arts and sciences of technical communication. To encourage members to engage in scientific, literary, or educational research, the Society funds appropriate research in technical communication.

STC fosters the growth of the technical communication profession by awarding scholarships to students enrolled in technical communication programs at universities, colleges, junior colleges, and technical schools. The Society awards deserving students with scholarships up to $2000.

In addition, the Washington, DC Chapter awards a Shirley G. Carter Memorial Scholarship to an undergraduate and a graduate college student who may, upon graduation, make contributions to the technical communication profession in Maryland, DC, or Virginia.

Seminars and Workshops

In addition to monthly events, the Washington, DC Chapter sponsors a variety of professional and technical workshops to assist career development and advancement. Typical workshop topics include electronic publishing, stress management, and resume preparation.

Annual Conference

Washington, DC Chapter members share their expertise by presenting papers, leading workshops, and moderating panels at the Annual Conference.

Group Rate Insurance

As a member of the Society for Technical Communication, you can get enhanced benefits or reduced rates on certain coverages offered by the Mutual of Omaha Companies—advantages not available to the general public. For more information, see the Society's Membership page.

For more information about the Washington, DC Chapter, contact our Membership Manager, Karen Stierman, by e-mail at .

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Where Do I Sign UP?

See the Join STC and the Washington, DC Chapter page for information about how to join STC and our chapter. See the Corporate Sponsorship page for how organizations and corporations may become STC corporate members or sponsors of our chapter.

Change or Upgrade Your Membership

The STC Membership Change/Upgrade Form allows you to change the type of membership category you're in and add or delete chapter affiliations and SIGs.

Change of Address Notice

Use our Change of address Web page for notifying the chapter about changes to your name, address, phone numbers, or e-mail address.

To send information to the STC headquarters to update mailing lists for STC journals and notices, send e-mail to .

Membership •  Change of Address Form • Join STC and the Washington DC, Chapter
Corporate Sponsorship

About STC •  RSS News Feed •  Submitting Articles to STC Publications • Related Professional Organizations

Last modified Tuesday, 22-Sep-2009

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