Back-to-School 2024
By: Michelle Amazeen
The fall semester is upon us, and I hope CRC fellows are re-engaging with renewed energy and enthusiasm. Over the summer, many of us turned to advancing our research efforts and sharing our work on the academic conference circuit. COM was well represented at the International Communication Association in Gold Coast, Australia and also at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
As of July 1st, the CRC welcomed five new scholars: Dr. Sung-Un Yang, Professor and Chair, Department of Mass Communication, Advertising and Public Relations; Dr. Juwon Hwang, Assistant Professor of Media Science; Dr. Ejae Lee, Assistant Professor of Public Relations; Dr. Ayse Lokmanoglu, Assistant Professor of Emerging Media Studies; and Dr. Cen April Yue, Assistant Professor of Public Relations. I am excited to have them as colleagues and look forward to working with and learning from them.
All COM faculty, staff, and students are welcome to attend the CRC’s inaugural Open House scheduled for Thursday, September 26th from 4:00 – 6:00 pm. Co-hosted with CISS, you can start off on the lower level of Alden Hall, 704 Commonwealth Avenue to enjoy refreshments, demonstrations of our biometric technologies, and opportunities to network with your colleagues in the CRC. And you can also visit our friends from the Center for Innovation in Social Science on the 5th floor to learn about their research and affiliation opportunities. Please RSVP here if you plan on attending.
The CRC’s fall programming is set with an outstanding lineup of presentations. Our Colloquium Series includes the following talks from COM researchers:
- September 24 (Tuesday) @ 3:30 pm: Dr. Denis Wu
- October 23 (Wednesday) @ 3:30 pm: Dr. Betsi Grabe
- November 20 (Wednesday) @ 3:30 pm: Dr. Chris Wells
More details on each presentation coming soon!
As part of our Dr. Melvin L. DeFleur Distinguished Lecture Series, on Wednesday, November 13th @ 3:30 pm we will welcome to our campus Dr. Bart Wojdynski, Jim Kennedy New Media Professor and Director of the Digital Media Attention and Cognition (DMAC) Lab at University of Georgia, Athens. More details on Dr. Wojdynski’s lecture coming soon, as well.
In collaboration with COM’s MarComm department, we will be hosting a COMtalk virtual panel titled, The Campaign to Curb Misinformation Research, @ 3 p.m., ET, Wednesday, October 9, 2024. I will moderate a panel of esteemed misinformation researchers including Dr. Joan Donovan, Assistant Professor of Journalism, Boston University; Dr. Claire Wardle, Associate Professor, Cornell University, and Co-founder, Information Future Lab; and Dr. Rebekah Tromble, Director of the Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics and Associate Professor, George Washington University.
Panel Description: The alarming rise of mis- and disinformation influencing recent elections spurred a flurry of new research to understand the trend. But work among academics, nonprofits and the technology sector made some activists suspicious that a conspiracy was developing to muzzle conservative and right-wing ideas – leading to a campaign to curb research. In these polarized times, is the future of the field threatened?
Our monthly Work-in-Progress (WIP) meetings resumes on September 26th at 12:30 pm in the CRC room B04E. WIP is your opportunity to forge connections within our research community and talk research with other COM faculty members. Attendees are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch.
The CRC will also continue to offer research training opportunities for faculty and students on our technologies including Meltwater and iMotions software. Over the summer, our Lab and Research Manager, Amanda King, received their certification in Human Behavior Research with a focus on biosensor modules from iMotions. Amanda is available for offering workshops for your students this fall to expose them to biometric research. If interested in learning more, you can email Amanda at ajk90@bu.edu.
To further promote the thought leadership of our faculty fellows, the CRC is continuing its Media & Technology Public Opinion Poll with national polling firm, Ipsos. Since its inception in January 2022, CRC fellows have polled the public on information integrity topics ranging from media trust, artificial intelligence, climate change, social media censorship, dating apps, media literacy, and more. Check out the press releases here. Fellows can also access the raw data to past polls here (password protected). Curious about fielding a poll related to your own research? Find more details and submit your interest here.
Finally, stay tuned for a fun initiative the CRC is embarking on to rename the rooms in our center. No more B04E, B02A, or the ill-advised NRA. We’ll be soliciting your input for communication research related suggestions for our rooms (think the Herta Herzog Naturalistic Viewing Room). Share your suggestions here.
I wish you all a wonderful fall semester and hope to see you around campus (if not in the CRC) soon!