Sustaining knowledge work in student engineering clubs

This essay explores the role of professional writers in one specific student engineering club, an electric vehicle project at Purdue University, and outlines the difficulties that arose in supporting the technical project. The scope of the engineering project is explained, as are the methods of project management that supported the student engineering group that performed much of the work — version control software and monthly reports. Distinctions are made between the material production work and the knowledge work that supported manufacturing and design. After reasons for the club's eventual closing are explored, suggestions are made as to how current and future documentation strategies can sustain the knowledge of the technical project in a sustainable, responsible manner. Finally, after reviewing the specific case, several suggestions for how professional writers can position themselves within student engineering clubs are given.