Wesley Mathis is a graduate student of technical communication and rhetoric at Utah State University. As researcher, he studies the rhetoric and ethics of science and technology. Currently he is investigating the ways in which dominant and alternative notions of expertise constrain or afford relational and just communication in natural resource management and environmental policy. Ultimately this research informs his pedagogical practices as he works to empower traditional and non-traditional students who come to the classroom with a wide range of knowledge, experience, and expertise. As an instructor he works to develop more equitable and accessible forms of assessment/evaluation as well as curriculum that stresses the implications of power structures in current academic, professional, and public discourses. His end goal is to help students use their understanding of language to navigate and rectify unjust or exclusive institutions or practices.