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Andrea Elizabeth Ware

  • West Virginia University MA in Professional Writing and Editing 2008ware
  • West Virginia University BA 2006
  • Business Analyst-Editorial
  • KeyLogic Systems, Inc.
  • Morgantown, WV

Growing up in West Virginia, I know the massive role that coal plays economically and politically in our state. I did not, for one second, imagine my education at West Virginia University would enable me to develop such a close, professional understanding of the all-important resource.

Thanks to my professional writing emphasis at the Department of English at WVU, I have been able to help develop and edit technical manuals and other materials for various companies about subjects I never imagined being involved with. Throughout my education, I enjoyed many classes in the English department. The classes offered help develop editing, writing and analytical ability that I rely on daily. The importance of internships cannot be underestimated. The wonderful interning experience I had at the WVU Press led me to continue my education in the Professional Writing and Editing Master’s Program.

Through coursework and internships with the College of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the WVU Research Corporation, I learned how to gather technical information and manipulate the text for the average reader, without taking away from the meaning. I also learned to edit with precision, as the text I completed was not just for a class assignment, but a presentation, a brochure, or a report.

Thanks to contacts made through my internships, I still use these same skills as the Technical Writing & Editing Business Analyst for KeyLogic Systems, Inc. of Morgantown, West Virginia. KeyLogic is a prime contractor assisting in project management for several government entities such as the Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and locally with the Department of Energy at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).

My main focus of work is for NETL’s Strategic Center for Coal, writing and editing fact sheets and reports. I research and create public text for new projects studying clean coal, alternative fuels, and greenhouse gas sequestration. Many projects receiving funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 have been, and are currently, facilitated by my coworkers and myself.

The research, writing, and editing skills I acquired during my time in the English department have and will always be of great use in my career. It is exciting to see new technologies in the coal industry emerge, and know that I have a small part in contributing to public knowledge.