Robert Goldbort
164 Bessey Hall
434 Farm Ln
East Lansing, MI 48824
FacultyWriting, Rhetoric, and CulturesFirst Year Writing
Assistant Professor
Biography
Curriculum Vitae
Dr. Goldbort’s teaching and writing interests derive from his education and research in biology and English. His publications include articles in Journal of Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior, English Journal, Teaching English in the Two-Year College, and Journal of Medical Humanities; columns in Journal of Environmental Health and National Forum ; entries in the Encyclopedia of Literature and Science; and the book Writing for Science (Yale, 2006). His current book project is on the scientific ethos in the literary imagination and features creative writing by scientists.
Research Areas
Scientific and Technical Writing, Science and Literature, and Trans-disciplinary Learning
Education
Ph.D., Michigan State University, English
M.A., Michigan State University, English
M.S., Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Biology
B.S., Stony Brook University, Biology
Projects
Selection of Butanediols by Inbred Mouse Strains: Differences in Specific Activity and Central Nervous System Sensitivity
1975. “Selection of Butanediols by Inbred Mouse Strains: Differences in Specific Activity and Central Nervous System Sensitivity.” Federation Proceedings, 34(3), 720. Presented at 59th Annual Meeting Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Atlantic City, NJ. (April).
Butanediols: Selection, Open Field Activity, and NAD Reduction by Liver Extracts in Inbred Mouse Strains
1976. “Butanediols: Selection, Open Field Activity, and NAD Reduction by Liver Extracts in Inbred Mouse Strains.” Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior, 5(3), 263-268. (with second authors C. W. Schneider and R. Hartline)
Human Medicine: The Year I Experience
1982. Human Medicine: The Year I Experience. East Lansing: Office of Student Affairs and Admissions, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University. [Student handbook, 20 pp]
Writing and Science
1983. “Writing and Science.” Presented at Michigan Council of Teachers of English, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI (May).
Science and Technology in Literature
1989. “Science and Technology in Literature.” Invited workshop (3 hrs) for high school teachers. Greenfield Village, MI (July).
Science in Literature: Materials for a Thematic Teaching Approach
1991. “Science in Literature: Materials for a Thematic Teaching Approach.” English Journal, 80(3), 69-73.
Fictions about Science as Case Studies in Ethics
1993. “Fictions about Science as Case Studies in Ethics.” Presented at Society for Literature and Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston and Cambridge, MA (Nov).
Science, Technology, and Popular Literature: (Re)Visionary Symbioses
1994. “Science, Technology, and Popular Literature: (Re)Visionary Symbioses.” National Forum, 74(4), 5-6.
How Dare You Sport Thus with Life?
1995. “‘How Dare You Sport Thus with Life?’: Frankensteinian Fictions as Case Studies in Scientific Ethics.” Journal of Medical Humanities, 16(2), 79-91.
Science, Writing, and Literature: Observations from a Transdisciplinary Journey
1999. “Science, Writing, and Literature: Observations from a Transdisciplinary Journey.” Invited lecture. Division of Languages and Literature, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO (Sept).
Scientific Writing as an Art and as a Science
2001. “Scientific Writing as an Art and as a Science.” Journal of Environmental Health, 63(7), 22-25. [feature article]
“Isaac Asimov,” “Robin Cook,” “Michael Crichton,” “Carl Djerassi,” “Experimental Science,” “Frankenstein,” “Leonard N. Isaacs,” “Nancy Kress,” “Laboratory,” “Scientific Article,” “C. P. Snow,” “Thomas Sprat,” and “Technical Writing”
2002. “Isaac Asimov,” “Robin Cook,” “Michael Crichton,” “Carl Djerassi,” “Experimental Science,” “Frankenstein,” “Leonard N. Isaacs,” “Nancy Kress,” “Laboratory,” “Scientific Article,” “C. P. Snow,” “Thomas Sprat,” and “Technical Writing.” In Encyclopedia of Literature and Science, ed. Pamela Gossin. Westport, CT: Greenwood.
Writing for Science
2006. Writing for Science. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. (Selected as a 2007 AAUP University Press Book for Public and Secondary School Libraries.)
Courses
WRA 101: Writing as Inquiry