Amelia Hill is a recent graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences. A writing, rhetoric, and technical communication major, she received the IFITS Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Scholarship in Fall 2024. For the scholarship, Amelia was mentored by Jennifer Mallette, associate professor and chair in the Department of Writing Studies. The duo recently presented their work at the 2025 SIGDOC (Special Interest Group on Design of Communication) Conference and received an Honorable Mention for Best Paper.
We reached out to Amelia and Jenn to hear about their experience working together, and what the journey felt like for them.
Amelia Hill
What led you to working on this project?
Amelia: “Throughout my undergrad, I was working at multiple software companies and experiencing the dynamic relationships between technical writers and developers/engineers. It was fascinating to me how both groups interacted in the workplace and how there could be misunderstandings, assumptions, or frustrations working together when they were working towards the same goal—develop a useful product and document it well so users could utilize it and apply it to their businesses. As a technical writer, I wanted to explore ways to better connect with developers and engineers. Thus, the idea for research on code comments as a technical communication genre was born! And, of course, Jenn’s invitation to collaborate with her on a student-led research project. I would not have thought about undergraduate research if it weren’t for her guidance and expertise!”
What challenges or barriers, if any, did you face throughout the process?
Amelia: “I was nervous to talk to folks and perform interviews. I didn’t want to sound uneducated when speaking with developers and engineers, although that was the point of the project: to learn! I tried to use development and coding terminology to sound more in-the-know, but it was a rocky start for me because I wanted to avoid feeling embarrassed. And, yes, I did end up having some folks who found my research unhelpful or were confused because code comments were just a part of their daily jobs and lives. It’s not something they necessarily thought of as unique or needing further research to understand. Ultimately, I gained more confidence and I’m glad I faced the challenge of feeling nervous because it led me to such a fun project and opportunity!”
What is one word of advice you have for undergraduate researchers?
Amelia: “I’m very grateful to have had this opportunity, and it really deepened my knowledge on my field and allowed me to contribute something meaningful for other professionals. I got to meet some super awesome folks at SIGDOC too and make some connections. It added to both my educational experience and my professional network, which was very helpful to me. All around a wonderful experience!”
If there are any undergraduates who are debating doing research, I’d say go for it! It will be challenging to balance with school (and work, if applicable!), but I really do feel it was worth all the time and effort.
Amelia Hill
Jennifer Mallette
What was the experience like for you?
Jenn: “For me, it was the magic of working with a student-driven project – in our case, I asked Amelia to come up with the project idea instead of asking if she wanted to work on something I was working on. She brought in an idea that came out of her experiences as an intern–a curiosity about how software developers worked with each other–and we built the project on that question. I never would have done a project in this area otherwise, and I ended up learning a lot from her as I provided mentorship on designing a study and writing up our findings. It was a fantastic experience!”