Silent Code: Reverse Engineering Technical Writing
Edition: 1
Copyright: 2026
Pages: 90
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$75.00 USD
Silent Code: Reverse-Engineering Technical Writing is a concise field guide designed to help STEM students develop effective technical communication skills. Rather than focusing on lengthy discussions of theory, the book examines the logic and structure behind successful technical documents. Using a reverse-engineering approach, readers learn to analyze reports, proposals, research papers, and other forms of technical communication to better understand how they are constructed and why they work. Designed with today's STEM curriculum in mind, Silent Code provides practical, immediately applicable strategies in an accessible format. Its focused approach makes it a valuable resource for project-based courses, senior design experiences, capstone projects, and other technical learning environments where clear communication is essential.
About this Book
CHAPTER 1 Disciplines, Disciplinarity, and STEM Fields
CHAPTER 2 Genre and Discourse
CHAPTER 3 The Four Pillars of Persuasion: Applying Classical Rhetoric to STEM
CHAPTER 4 Figures, Tables, and Captions
CHAPTER 5 Information Literacy, Introductions, and Conclusions
CHAPTER 6 Writing Process
CHAPTER 7 Public-Facing STEM and Multimedia
CHAPTER 8 Artificial Intelligence
CHAPTER 9 Citation and References
CHAPTER 10 The Architect’s Blueprint: A MetaUnderstanding of the Silent Code
Dr. Amelia Herb is a metascientist and educator at the University of Arizona, specializing in STEM writing, rhetoric, disciplinary practice and cognition, and AI communication. With a background researching and teaching across more than 30+ STEM fields, her work explores the social, rhetorical, and neuroscientific dimensions of disciplinarity. She advocates for technologies that support human connection, prioritizing accessible communication centered on equity and human values.
At the University of Arizona, Dr. Herb plays a pivotal role in the institutional adoption of technology and pedagogical innovation. She co-leads the Artificial Intelligence Communications team and the AI Education Training and Infrastructure team. She is currently implementing an interdisciplinary, university-wide Minecraft for Education program. Additionally, she serves as a subgroup lead for the University Wide General Education Committee and co-leads the Compassionate Pedagogy Collaborative Learning Community. Her current research focuses on the intersection of AI and STEM communication, which she explores through her blog, Ars Artificialis, and by leading the AI in Society: Building the Future book club.
Previously, Dr. Herb served as the Assistant Director of Writing Across the Curriculum at UA. Before joining the university, she was a Science Writing Associate at Princeton University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, where she received AAAS EurekAlert! recognition for her science journalism. She also taught writing in the disciplines at MIT across many fields, including physics, neuroscience, and engineering. She holds a Ph.D. from the Center for Writing Studies at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.