Russel Hirst has a doctorate in Communication & Rhetoric from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and is now an emeritus professor of English. For three decades he directed the University of Tennessee English department’s program in technical communication. He is founding editor of the International Journal of Nuclear Security, a fellow of the Society for Technical Communication (STC), a former president of the East Tennessee Chapter of that society, co-editor of Education in Technical Communication: Academic Programs That Work, co-author of A Short Guide to Business Writing, and an editorial board member for the Journal of Technical Writing & Communication. In addition to publications on scientific and technical communication, he has published book chapters and articles on the history and theory of rhetoric.