MA in Communication | Highlight on Students

Alum Thesis on Public Relations Accepted for Publication

Communication program alum, Angelica Evans, has had her thesis "Twitter As A Public Relations Tool" accepted for publication in the Public Relations Journal. Read the thesis.

Alum Publishes Health Communication Article

Communication program alum, Lourdes Martinez, has just published an article "Patient-clinician information engagement increases treatment decision satisfaction among cancer patients through feeling of being informed." The article appeared in Public Educaton and Counseling. Read the article.

Recent Alum Presents Thesis at Conference

Mercy Chikowore will present her thesis, entitled "Media Coverage of Barack and Michelle Obama's relationship: African American perceptions of Black love in the media," at the National Association of African American Studies and Affiliates Conference being held in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, February 8-13, 2010. Ms. Chikowore conducted focus groups with African-American males and females to explore if and how media coverage of the Obamas' relationship shaped their perceptions of African American heterosexual relationships. Read the paper.

Student Live Blogs Gov 2.0 Summit

Communication student Katie Roland is live blogging at the Gov 2.0 summit. Her company has sent her there to better understand how leaders are thinking about reshaping government, developing new business models, and impacting our culture and economy through open government and strategic public policy decisions. Katie is a Senior Account Director at Marion, Montgomery, Inc. (MMI), an agency that does strategic marketing programs, advertising, graphic design, public relations, social media, media planning, interactive/web, and event planning. You can follow her at govloop.com.

Student Helps With Award Winning Campaign

Communication student Michael Green helped design and implement a communications strategy that won the Public Relations Society of America’s 2009 Silver Anvil Award for best national public affairs campaign. The campaign, “Stop Oil Speculation Now,” was executed by Xenophon Strategies on behalf of the Air Transport Association. The campaign combined media relations, grassroots advocacy, digital engagement and coalition building to address record-high energy prices in 2008. The Public Relations Society of America is the world’s largest organization of public relations professionals. The Silver Anvil is awarded to organizations which have successfully addressed a contemporary issue with exemplary professional skill, creativity and resourcefulness.

Alum Writes Regular Column forBusinessWeek.com

Alum Maximo Zeledon is writing a regular column for the technology section for the web version of Business Week. His recent piece “Growing Pains for Online Video Chat” is available here. He also has a piece on microblogging and stock trading. Click here to read the article. 

Student Starts Company Wins Award

Student, Jacob Colker, co-founded an organization called "The Extraordinaries" (pronounced "Airies" at the end), an organization that deliver micro-volunteer opportunities to mobile phones.  The company won five grant and fellowship competitions in 2009, including a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Grant, the Echoing Green Fellowship competition, the WeMedia Pitch it! Social Entrepreneurship Competition, and the United Nations World Summit Youth Award. 

Student has Paper Accepted at Poster Session at Conference

Communication student Robert Parker presented his Paper "Are Hybrid Messages Subliminal Advertisements?" at the Eastern Communication Association Annual Convention in Philadelphia, PA. He wrote the paper in Media Theory.

Recent Alum Has Thesis Accepted at Conference

Alum Susana Peinado revised her thesis and presented it at the International Communication Association annual convention in Chicago, IL.

Title: Threat and Efficacy Messages in Newspaper Articles on Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract: The public is regularly exposed to health risk messages through news media, but little is known about whether these messages are presented in such a way as to motivate risk-reducing behaviors. This study used the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), a theoretical framework for designing health risk messages, in a content analysis of newspaper articles about heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The analysis identified the presence of threat and efficacy messages in articles, the framing techniques used to convey these messages, and the differences between articles about heart disease and diabetes. This study revealed that the vast majority of articles about disease prevention may fail to have a positive effect on behavior. Echoing previous research, articles about diabetes tended to emphasize race or ethnic origin in the context of susceptibility to the disease. Read the paper.

Student Named “Budding PR Leader” By PR News

PR News’Annual 15 to Watch program honors 15 budding PR leaders and creative practitioners each year. Jim Billimoria, Johns Hopkins Communication student, and Communications Director, Ways & Means Committee, Republican Staff was named one of these leaders for 2008. See http://www.prnewsonline.com/awards/15_to_watch.html