Sam Katzoff (died 25 September 2010, age 101) was a NASA scientist who advocated clear technical writing.
Career edit
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Katzoff earned a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1936. Although his degree was in chemistry, Katzoff's mathematical ability helped him get hired out of school as a physicist by NACA (the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, NASA's predecessor). He worked on theoretical aspects of flight. During a 40+ year career, Katzoff rose to become the senior staff scientist at the Langley Research Center: NASA's oldest site and a center of wind tunnel development.
Katzoff earned a reputation at Langley for advising young scientist how to write up their research. "He was the kind of person who could look at a paper and tell whether it was a lot of bull," said George Brooks, former structures and materials head at Langley. "If you were writing a paper and were publishing, he would review it and that would help a lot of people in the field to come up with a better way of saying what they were trying to get across."
Pamphlet on clear technical writing edit
In 1955, Katzoff wrote down some general advice on technical report writing in the form of a Langley working paper. The document became an underground classic at Langley and was carried to other centers by translocated employees. In 1964, his thinking was formally published as a technical report itself, NASA SP7010: Clarity in Technical Reporting. Since then, the report has gone through several printings. (ref Mel Day in pamphlet)
Other writers on good writing have drawn on the Katzoff pamphlet. For instance, Adrian Wallwork's credits liberal copying of the (public domain) Katzoff text in two chapters of English for Writing Research Papers (Google books).
Some other works in the genre, which cite Katzoff (org list by years, forward):
- Better report writing, Willis H. Waldo, 1965 (http://books.google.com/books?id=jXxqAAAAMAAJ&dq=clarity+in+technical+reporting+katzoff&q=Katzoff)
- How to prepare defense-related scientific and technical reports: guidance ... ,Walter W. Rice, X year (http://books.google.com/books?id=myg5Jlyl0vYC&pg=PA311&dq=clarity+in+technical+reporting+katzoff&hl=en#v=onepage&q=clarity%20in%20technical%20reporting%20katzoff&f=false)
- Communiceren en techniek: handleiding communicatieve vaardigheden voor ... , André Mottart and Jordi Casteleyn, x year (http://books.google.com/books?id=BzP5IRJo0VEC&pg=PA287&dq=clarity+in+technical+reporting+katzoff&hl=en#v=onepage&q=clarity%20in%20technical%20reporting%20katzoff&f=false)
- Technical writer's handbook, Harry E. Chandler, x year
- Engineering: an introduction to a creative profession, George C. Beakley and H. W. Leach, x year (http://books.google.com/books?id=uINRAAAAMAAJ&q=clarity+in+technical+reporting+katzoff&dq=clarity+in+technical+reporting+katzoff&hl=en)
"The purpose of the report is to present information. You will hardly disagree with this statement; yet many authors seem to subordinate this purpose and quite forget the poor reader when preparing a report. For example, when a reviewer complains that a certain word seems incorrect, the author may proceed to an unabridged dictionary and triumphantly point out the rare definition that clarifies his sentence. Obviously such an author is more interested in demonstrating his erudition than in presenting information clearly to his harried reader; for if he had his reader in mind, he would try immediately to substitute a more common phraseology.
This example is only one of many that could be given. Apparently the presumed purpose to present information is frequently forgotten in the author’s desire to show his own brilliance, to impress the boss, to impress the secretary, to demolish the rival, or to get a raise. Worthy as these objectives may be, the basic objective should be to make the report clear and informative; furthermore, if this objective is attained, the secondary objectives will automatically be attained."
Clarity in Technical Reporting (add ref)
Retirement edit
In retirement, Katzoff became interested in gifted education. He volunteered teaching sixth graders. He was also supportive of the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, arranging scholarships there. In 19CC, he completed a book aimed at bright youngsters: Twists and turns and tangles in math and physics. He wished that all CTY participants would receive a free copy.
As a centarian, Katzoff maintained mental agility by completing sodoku puzzles from the newspaper. He lived in a retirement community in Pikesville, Maryland. He died at age 101 of (fill in).
Family edit
(need to double check all this) Katzoff's was one of X children. His sister Sarah also had scientific mentoring interests. Her obituary mentions interests in teaching, scholarships, organic chemistry and NMR spectroscopy.(Sarah obit) Another sister, Deborah, was a piano teacher for 80 years. (Deborah obit) Sidney, brother, died 2002.
Bibliography edit
- Clarity in technical reporting,NASA technical report SP-7010, 1964.
References edit
http://www.nasa.gov/topics/people/features/Sam_Katzoff.html
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/news/researchernews/rn_doctorsam_prt.htm
http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/obituaries/bak/683_23_February_1999.html
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?start=0&q=sam+katzoff&hl=en&as_sdt=0,47 (Google scholar, shows papers from chemical phase, flight and hydrodynamics and NASA stuff, and then at least one on gifted education).
Category:2010 deaths
Category:NASA
Category:Jewish American scientists