People

Susanne E. Hall, Campus Writing Coordinator in the Hixon Writing Center

Ph.D., English, UC Irvine, 2008

Dr. Hall began her work at Caltech in Fall 2012. At Caltech, in addition to her work directing the Hixon Writing Center, she regularly teaches Introduction to Academic Writing for Multilingual students (Wr 1), Introduction to Academic Writing (Wr 2), Principles and Practices of Academic Writing (Wr 4), and Writing About Science (En 84).

Dr. Hall's research interests are in the field of writing studies. She is a Co-PI in an NSF-funded study of text recycling in scientific research writing. Her broader interests include learning transfer and how writing centers can promote it, particularly across the boundaries between the humanities, social sciences, and STEM fields. She has recently presented her work at the International Writing Center Association Convention, the Conference on College Composition and Communication, and the Council of Writing Program Administrators Conference. She is an editor of Prompt, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to college writing assignments. You can find links to her published writing via ORCID.

Lilien Voong, STEM Writing Specialist and Lecturer

Ph.D. Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences (Molecular Biology), Northwestern, 2017

Lilien believes great communication opens doors to great opportunities. Before joining Caltech, she served as a scientific strategist for biotech start ups while specializing in content and communications. Through her teaching outreach, she has worked with students from The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Nelson Mandela African Institute of Science and Technology, and Cross-Cultural Solutions Tanzania. 

Lilien was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow at Northwestern University, where she earned her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Biological Sciences (Molecular Biology). In her graduate research with Dr. Xiaozhong Wang, she helped develop new chemical and computational tools to investigate genome structure and organization. Her previous research experience also includes studies in cancer immunology and immunotherapy with Dr. Edus Warren at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Erin Burkett, STEM Writing Specialist and Lecturer

Ph.D. Geophysics, UC Davis, 2010

Erin welcomes opportunities to collaborate with members of the Caltech community wishing to become better writers and communicators, particularly within STEM disciplines.

Erin earned a B.S. in physics and a minor in art from the University of Delaware while also serving as a Writing Fellow tutor for undergraduate peers.  In 2010, Erin completed a Ph.D. in Geophysics at the University of California, Davis, where she conducted computer modeling research of plate tectonic processes.  Erin continued geodynamic modeling during postdoctoral research at Caltech while exploring a growing interest in outreach and communication.  Outreach collaborations led to a Staff Scientist position with the US Geological Survey where she worked to help improve communication of natural hazards science and earthquake early warning technology.

Through her varied background in both research and communication, Erin has acquired insights and skills that are valuable in working with diverse audiences and disciplines.

Emma Burris-Janssen, Generalist Writing Specialist

Ph.D. in progress, English, University of Connecticut
M.A. English, University of New Hampshire

Emma received her M.A. in English literature from the University of New Hampshire in 2013 and is currently writing the dissertation for her Ph.D. in literature from the University of Connecticut. Her dissertation project brings together her interests in the medical humanities and gendered criminality by exploring the ways in which abortion was represented in British fiction from the mid-nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century.

Emma has taught writing at the University of New Hampshire, the University of Connecticut, Manchester Community College, and Northeast Community College. In addition to her work with Caltech, Emma also serves as a Writing Specialist for the Professional and Academic Resource Center (PARC) at Mount St. Mary’s University in Los Angeles.

Charlyne Sarmiento, Generalist Writing Specialist

Ph.D., Education, UC Santa Barbara
M.A. English, University of Chicago, Illinois 

Charlyne received her Ph.D. in Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara with an emphasis on Language, Literacy, and Composition.  While pursuing her M.A. at the University of Chicago, Illinois, Charlyne was an Assistant Director of the Writing Center. She has taught writing at UC Riverside, the University of Illinois, Chicago, and Glendale Community College. 

Her current research interests include genre theory, writing research across the disciplines and communities, and civic engagement in the teaching of writing.

Jonathan Chan, Lloyd

Jonathan is a junior majoring in Chemistry. He tutors at the Hixon Writing Center because he believes that all great scientists must also be great writers. Over his freshman summer, Jonathan worked in the Gharib Group on a SURF project involving the dewetting of superhydrophobic surfaces for solar desalination applications. As Outreach Coordinator for Caltech’s Chemistry Club, Jonathan is passionate about getting kids of all ages excited about science. In his free time, Jonathan enjoys running, making memes, and binging on TV shows like Black Mirror and Law & Order: SVU.

Ishani Ganguly, Page

Ishani is a junior majoring in Computation and Neural Systems with a minor in Computer Science. As a student at Caltech, she sometimes wishes she had the chance to write more outside of her humanities classes. She is excited about peer tutoring because it is a chance for her to sustain her interest in writing while also working with students on writing projects across a variety of fields. In the summer of 2017, she worked in the Shimojo Lab, studying how the brain perceives and organizes audiovisual stimuli.

Evan Gunter, Blacker

Evan Gunter is a senior majoring in computer science, math and (maybe) philosophy. Evan has always enjoyed reading and sees writing as a way to express ideas more clearly and elegantly than is possible in speech. At Caltech, Evan has performed in chamber music groups, completed an internship at JPL, done research in biomolecular computation, and an appreciation for zeugma.

Gideon Leeper, Ricketts

Gideon is a senior majoring in math. He has always liked writing, but became more interested in writing as a means of conveying analytical ideas after taking a class taught by Prof. Eberhardt at Caltech. Although not quite a scientist, Gideon believes that communication is crucial to the advancement of science, and would like to help other writers and scientists to effectively share their knowledge. This year he is a peer tutor for the Dean's Office, and he has also helped coordinate and grade the Caltech Harvey Mudd Math Competition.

Angela Li, Lloyd

Angela is a junior majoring in Computer Science and BEM (Business, Economics and Management). Since starting Caltech, she has vigorously enjoyed being a “scientific sellout” and has worked for Facebook and Latham & Watkins LLP on software engineering and financial legal analysis, respectively. As former President of her high school Speech and Debate team, inventive composition and dynamic argumentation excite her, and she brings that excitement to her approach for tutoring at the Writing Center. In her free time, Angela enjoys working out, talking about working out, being very loud (talking, singing, playing piano), and knowing more about memes than you.

Maitreyi Nair, Avery

Maitreyi is a junior majoring in Computer Science. Thanks to an abiding love of reading and some particularly excellent classes in literature, history, and philosophy both in high school and in college, she developed a deep appreciation for the power of effective expression and communication through writing. Outside of her studies and academic work at Caltech, Maitreyi is involved with the California Tech, SWE, and several music and dance groups on campus.

Alyssa Poletti, Ricketts

Alyssa is a senior majoring in Planetary Science. She completed a SURF in the Mechanical Engineering Department about the temperature dependent properties of ferroelectric materials. She is the undergraduate events coordinator of the Feminist Club and a tour guide whenever she can wake up before 10 a.m. She loves fiction and nonfiction writing as well as horror movies, drawing, and strange reality TV shows.

Anise Rau, Ricketts

Anise is a senior majoring in Astrophysics with a minor in Computer Science. She believes that good writing is essential to communicating effectively in science and looks forward to helping her peers reflect upon their work. She has spent the past two summers interning at Google--generating data visualizations, and optimizing machine learning models, respectively. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, cooking, and travel, and she is a member of the Caltech Pipettes.

Tucker Reese, Ruddock

Tucker is a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering, with a minor in English. A combination of excellent teachers and a lifelong love of reading has inspired in him a love for the written word. As a tutor, he hopes to help other students communicate effectively in their academic pursuits and, in the process, develop an appreciation and intuition for good writing. When not studying or tutoring, Tucker can be found trying to understand racecars with Caltech Racing or working on a project with Engineers Without Borders.

Madelyn Wang, Page

Madelyn is a senior majoring in Computation and Neural Systems. She discovered her appreciation of writing from her high school English teacher and has loved helping others write ever since. As a peer tutor, she hopes to help writers gain confidence and develop effective communication skills. During her time at Caltech, she has interned at Facebook and is involved with the Page House Social Team, Robogals, and Caltech TOTEM. In her spare time, Madelyn enjoys softball, photography, design, and travel.

Leslie Rico, Office Administrator

Leslie is the Office Administrator for the Hixon Writing Center. She brings to our Center over 25 years of Caltech experience. Leslie has worked for the Caltech Libraries, the Earthquake Engineering Research Library, and the Divisions of Geology and Planetary Science and Engineering and Applied Science. In addition to Leslie’s Caltech experience she brings to our office great enthusiasm and a team-building spirit.

Leslie earned a BA from the University of LaVerne in English with a minor in Creative Writing. Leslie enjoys being a part of the Caltech Community and especially being a member of the Hixon Writing Center team.