Before arriving at Tech six years ago, she headed her own firm, the Center for Skills Enhancement. She conducted research and curriculum development on basic and communication skills for the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Skill Standards Board, and a number of universities. Since 2000, her research has focused on workforce communication skills needed by practicing engineers. She has also co-taught Senior Design, Technical Communication, and the Introduction to Statistics; coordinated the activities in the Workforce Communication Lab and co-authored the communication instruction for undergraduate engineers. Her research has been sponsored by NSF and other sources. She has authored a textbook chapter and eight articles in Engineering Workforce Communication. Dr. Norback has presented at INFORMS, ASEE, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.