-
Fellow at Vanier College, York University
-
Adjunct faculty and consultant at George Brown Polytechnic (2017-present)
- Adjunct faculty at Seneca Polytechnic (2014-present)
-
Consultant at Humber Polytechnic (Research, Training, Policy Analysis, Curriculum Review, and Course Development as a preferred vendor, 2023-present)
Edward Fenner, MA
I am a publisher, editor, writer, college faculty member, independent researcher, learning consultant, corporate trainer, communications strategist, project manager, historian, rabologist, playwright, blogger, mature student, and more. How may I help you?
Updates:​
January 2026: I started a new blog called "The Disaffected Humanist". Check it out. You can also check out my old research blog - The Smashing Mr. Van de Graaff - at the bottom of this page.
September 2025-December 2025: I worked with George Brown Polytechnic's Continuing Education unit on a special project, blog, and new website microsite.
August 2024-March 2025: I created 9 micro-credential courses (plus updated 1 other) for Humber Polytechnic's Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) unit.
​
October 2024: I lent my services to Toronto Hydro to help them improve their technical communication skills.
​
September 2024: My plate was full last Fall with 11 courses taught: 5 for Seneca Polytechnic, 5 for George Brown College, and 1 corporate training workshop assignment at Toronto Hydro for Humber Polytechnic CPL.
​
August 2024: I volunteered at Toronto's historic Scadding Cabin (1794) during the CNE in support of the York Pioneer & Historical Society.
August 2024: I deleted my Twitter/X account after 15 years. It's deteriorated into a toxic environment that I want no part of anymore.
April 2024: My article "The Search for the Exact Site of Toronto's Last Duel" is published in The York Pioneer (118), the annual journal of the York Pioneer and Historical Society.
​​
​
Micro-credential Course Creation:
​
Fall 2024 & Winter 2025:
-
Humber Polytechnic, Continuous Professional Learning (CPL). Created 9 new micro-credential courses and updated 1 existing course.
RFP & Proposal Consulting:
​
Summer & Fall 2024:
-
Humber Polytechnic, Continuous Professional Learning (CPL).​​​
​​
​
Major Research Paper for my MA in Science & Technology Studies:
​
College Teaching:
Winter/Spring 2026:
-
As part-time faculty for Seneca Polytechnic, I am teaching CUL 502 - Media & Popular Culture for the first time. This is a dual credit course teaching regional high school students their first college course in person at Newnham Campus.
​
Winter 2026:
-
As partial-load faculty for George Brown Polytechnic, I am teaching LIBA 9309 - Grammar for Editors and Writers for the 2nd time, COMM 2017 - Communicating Across Contexts for the 5th time, and COMM 1162 - Introduction to College Communication for the 2nd time.
​
Fall 2025:
-
As part-time faculty for George Brown Polytechnic, I taught: COMM 2017 - Communicating Across Contexts, COMM 9294 - Copyediting, and LIBA 9367 - Creating Accessible Documents.
​
Summer 2025:
-
As a partial-load faculty, I taught four courses for Seneca Polytechnic's School of English & Liberal Studies (daytime): EAC594 - Business Communication for the Digital Workplace (1 in-person class), TEC400 - Technical Communications (online), and two units of NAT290 - From One Species to Another: Exploring Evolution (online).
-
As a part-time faculty, I taught two online courses for George Brown College's Continuing Education unit: COMM 1162 - Introduction to College Communication and LIBA 9367 - Creating Accessible Documents.
​
​​​​​
Corporate Communications, Training, & Coaching:
​
Fall 2025:
-
Toronto Hydro, as Guest Instructor via Humber College CPL
-
Technical Writing for Engineers
-
​
May 29, 2024:
-
Editors Canada (Toronto Branch), as Guest Speaker
February 28, 2024:
-
Humber College, Human Resources, as Guest Facilitator
-
Communicating With Impact
-
​​
Spring/Summer 2023:
-
Canadian Blood Services via Seneca College Corporate Training
-
Ontario Nurses Association via George Brown College Continuing Education.
-
Kenaidan Contracting Ltd. via Seneca College Corporate Training.
​
​
Certificate Program Review & Analysis:
​
Spring 2024:
-
Humber College, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Continuous Professional Learning (CPL).
​
​​
​
Policy Research & Analysis:
​
Spring & Fall 2023:
-
Humber College, Continuous Professional Learning (CPL).
CURRENT & RECENT COLLEGE TEACHING
(Courses taught: 137 + Currently teaching: 2)
Introduction to College Communication
Winter 2026
Teaching COMM 1162 for the 2nd time online. This is a non-credit prerequisite course for COMM2017 Communicating Across Contexts.
Communicating Across Contexts
Winter 2026
Teaching COMM 2017 for the 5th time online.
Media & Popular
Culture
Winter/Spring 2026
Teaching CUL 502 for the 1st time (in person at Newnham Campus). This is a dual credit course teaching regional high school students their first college course.
RECENT CORPORATE ASSIGNMENTS
Policy Research & Analysis + RFP & Proposal Consulting
March - May 2023 + February - September 2024
Microcredential Course Development
(10 courses)
August 2024 - March 2025
Technical Writing & Documentation Workshop
October 2024
Documentation Training
March 2023
Documentation Training
March - April 2023
Writing & Editing Workshop
November 2023
PAST TEACHING
Business Communication for the Digital Workplace
Summer 2025
Teaching EAC594 for the 14th time (in-person at Newnham Campus). I first taught this in Fall 2023. This is a SELS daytime credit course in all two- and three-year Business programs.
Technical Communications
Summer 2025
Teaching TEC400 for the 3rd time. Last Fall's course was taught online asynchronously for the School of English & Liberal Studies (SELS). This is a compulsory credit course in Aviation, Information and Communication Technology, and Science and Engineering Technology programs.
Technical Editing
Winter 2025
Teaching COMM 9094 for the 3rd time. I was asked to take this course over in Spring 2022 and update the curriculum.
Technical Documentation:
Advanced Concepts
Spring 2025
Teaching COMM9158 for the 10th time since 2017. I have taught all 4 of the 4 required courses in the Technical Communications Certificate Program.
Editing Web
Content
Fall 2023
Taught LIBA 9357 for the 11th time since Winter 2018.
Technical Writing
Strategies*
Winter 2024
Taught PRC625 for the 26th consecutive (and final) time since Spring 2014. This course is sometimes given as a COIL partnership with Florida International University in Miami, Florida, USA.
CONTINUING RESEARCH
My primary research interest for the past decade and the years come regards the pioneering American physicist and entrepreneur Dr. Robert Jemision Van de Graaff. He invented an early particle accelerator that, together with his lab & business partner Dr. John G. Trump, was used to not only split atoms but to treat cancer (among many other practical uses). Their company - High Voltage Engineering Corporation - was a pioneer as well and was the basis of my 2014 major research paper for my graduate studies: Smashing Atoms and Expectations - Entrepreneurial Science and the Dawn of Publicly-Funded High-Tech Venture Capital at Robert J. Van de Graaff's High Voltage Engineering Corporation.
​
Website: edwardfenner.wixsite.com/academic
My primary research sites are at right. Below are sites where I have recently given papers or seminars on this research.
-
A.W. Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
-
The National Academies, STGlobal Conference, Washington, DC, USA.
-
Cornell University, Northeast STS Graduate Student Conference, Ithica, NY, USA.
-
2014 Congress - Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Science: Brock University, ON, Canada.
-
York University, STS Graduate Student Conference, Toronto, ON, Canada.
​​
-
American Institute of Physics (AIP), Center for History of Physics, Emilio Segrè Visual Archives , College Park, MD, USA.
-
American Institute of Physics (AIP), Center for History of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, College Park, MD, USA.
-
A.W. Wright Nuclear Structure Laboratory, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
-
Estate of Robert J. Van de Graaff. Homes of his two sons: John, near Boston, MA and Bill, near Chicago, IL, USA.
-
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Institute Archives & Special Collections Archives Collections, Cambridge, MA, USA
-
MIT Museum, Cambridge, MA, USA.
-
Museum of Science, Boston, MA, USA.
-
National Museum of American History Library, Washington, DC, USA.
-
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, DC, USA.
-
York University, Department of Science & Technology Studies, Toronto, ON, Canada.