The Earth and Mineral Sciences Writing Center

The Earth and Mineral Sciences Writing Center is located in 14 Deike Building in the Ryan Family Student Center. The Writing Center is open only to EMS undergrads, who are welcome to bring in drafts of any materials they are working on, from essays for classes to resumes and cover letters. Students in other majors are referred to the Center for Excellence in Writing, 219 Boucke Building, and graduate students are referred to Penn State’s Graduate Writing Center.

 

Writing Center Staff

JOE SCHALL has 25 years of experience as a writer, teacher, and tutor, with a background in English Education at both Juniata College and Penn State. Joe is highly familiar with the English Department classes as well as the EMS writing-intensive classes (designated by a “W” after the course number) taken by EMS students. Joe Schall’s current writing project is creating a new edition of Style for Students for online use.

 

Joe Schall’s e-mail:                               schall@ems.psu.edu

Joe Schall’s Office Hours:                     Monday-Thursday: 8:30-noon, 4:30 p.m.-8 p.m.

                                                              Friday: 8:30-noon.

 

JOE SCHALL will be out of the office, guest teaching at Pepperdine University, on THURSDAY, OCT. 16, and FRIDAY, OCT. 17.  ŐZLEM ZABITGIL will be in the office on those days, from 11:00 to 3:00 on Thursday and 12:30 to 4:30 on Friday.  Please contact ŐZLEM if you would like an appointment for Thursday or Friday.

 

ŐZLEM ZABITGIL works in the afternoons in the EMS Writing Center, and she is especially interested in helping students who use English as a Second Language (ESL). Őzlem is completing her PhD in Adult Education at Penn State, and she hails from Cyprus, having first come to the United States on a Fulbright Scholarship a few years ago. Őzlem can help you with any documents that you bring to the Writing Center.

 

Őzlem Zabitgil’s e-mail:                        oxz100@psu.edu

Őzlem Zabitgil’s Office Hours:             Monday-Friday: 12:30-4:30 p.m.

 

Making an Appointment to Meet with a Writing Tutor

Several hundred students per semester visit the EMS Writing Center, so it’s always best to make an appointment rather than drop in. To secure an appointment, you can call the Writing Center (814-863-6077), visit us in 14 Deike Building, or e-mail the tutor you wish to see. When making appointments by e-mail, please be sure to do the following:

 

1) See which tutor’s hours match your schedule and needs.

2) Plan a few days ahead and do not count on an instant reply, especially over the weekend.

3) Describe the document you’ll be bringing in so the tutor knows how much time to allot.

 

In some cases, you will be asked to e-mail documents ahead of time so that the tutor can preview the work before the appointment, and some follow-up meetings may take place by e-mail, at the tutor’s discretion. You may also use e-mail for quick correspondences such as cancellations, confirmations, or specific questions about writing that the tutor could answer for you.

 

Joe Schall’s Publications

Joe Schall’s publications, some of which are described below, range from style manuals to short stories. By clicking on a publication link, you automatically download a short sample pdf from that book.

 

 

Style for Students is widely used in courses at Penn State and serves as a writing handbook for all EMS students. It includes chapters on common problems of style and grammar as well as chapters on writing resumes and cover letters. EMS students can receive a free copy by stopping by the Writing Center in 14 Deike Building, and others interested can order the book directly from the publisher, Cengage Learning, by calling 800-355-9983. The cost of the book is around $18 plus shipping, and the ISBN is 1-581-75272-5.

Writing Recommendation Letters is in use at over 200 schools, and is the only handbook available on the subject specifically for university faculty. It includes chapters on ethical issues related to letter writing, offers plenty of material on generating detail, and includes 30 sample letters. The book can be ordered directly from the publisher, Cengage Learning, by calling 800-355-9983. The cost of the book is around $20 plus shipping, and the ISBN is 1-58175-555-4.

 

Writing Personal Statements and Scholarship Application Essays, in use at over 150 schools, guides students through the writing of personal essays for grad school and national scholarship applications. It includes dozens of sample essays, guiding students through such issues as how to write creative anecdotes and the kinds of criteria by which personal essays are judged. The book can be ordered directly from the publisher, Cengage Learning, at 800-355-9983. The cost of the book is around $20 plus shipping, and the ISBN is 1-58175-653-4.

 

 

Joe Schall also regularly writes articles for the magazine Graduating Engineer and Computer Careers and has fiction published in a variety of literary journals, including a short story forthcoming from Confrontation Magazine.

 

Joe Schall’s Other Interests

Part of Joe’s basement pinball parlor.

In addition to writing, Joe Schall also enjoys biking, jogging, cross-country skiing, and—most importantly—pinball. He and a friend with technical skills recently acquired a few pins and they now work together on and restore machines in Joe’s basement. Joe Schall is also a regular participant in the national pinball tournament in Pittsburgh, and you can find out more about the tournament (and check out his past high scores) at http://www.papa.org/index.php.