Excellence in Engineering Communication

Excellence in Engineering Communications is an 8-week certificate program designed to help graduate engineering students prepare for the job market. This course will show you how to take your research and craft it into a compelling presentation to use during poster talks, conferences, and job interviews.

About the Instructor: 

Bri McWhorter is the Founder and CEO of Activate to Captivate. Bri teaches communication techniques from an actor’s point of view. She specializes in public speaking, scientific communications, interview skills, and interpersonal communications. She has taught workshops at Fortune 500 companies, privately coached CEOs at nonprofits, and led certificate programs at top universities. She is the creator of W.A.V.E.®, a program where she teaches speakers how to overcome nerves, use body language, and rely on their voice to tell an engaging story. She has coached speakers for academic symposiums at various institutions including UC Office of the President, UC Irvine, and UC Santa Barbara. She has an MFA in Acting from University of California, Irvine and a BA in Theater and Performance Studies from University of California, Berkeley.

What You’ll Learn

You will learn essential tools to transform your research into a captivating speech. You will practice the performance techniques actors use to overcome nerves, use vocal variety, and connect to an audience. You will leave the class practicing communicating in various environments, including conferences, meetings, interviews and networking events.

By the end of the program, you will feel confident creating a presentation that will grab people’s attention while clearly articulating your research.

Who Should Apply

Graduate students in Engineering fields.

Certificate Requirements

This certificate program includes a total of 8 sessions. You must attend all classes to receive the certificate of completion

Course Schedule

  • 2023 Fall Schedule 
    • TBD

In-person sessions will take place at the GPSRC, located on the 3rd floor of Gateway Study Center. View the location on the campus interactive map.

How to Apply

Complete and submit the Excellence in Engineering Communications Interest Form. The Interest Form will be open until program capacity is reached.

Contact

Questions? Email the Graduate & Postdoctoral Scholars Resource Center at gpsrc@uci.edu or call 949-824-3849.