UMD COMM department members attended and were recognized at the AEJMC conference

UMD COMM members presented research and were honored at the 2024 AEJMC conference!

Many UMD COMM department members attended the 107th Annual Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference in Philadelphia, PA, in August 2024.

Sun Young Lee (Associate Professor) served as an elected standing committee member on the Publications Committee.

COMM members attended the conference, won awards, and presented research. The department is proud of their achievements!

Awards won by UMD COMM members: 

• Sahar Khamis (Associate Professor) received the 2024 Donna Allen Award for Feminist Advocacy from the Commission on the Status of Women

• Rudy Sunrin Kim (Graduate Student) won first place student paper in the Communicating Science, Health, Environment and Risk Division for "To Be or Not to Be 'Well': A Concept Explication of Well-Being in Communication Research”
• Felicity Dogbatse (Graduate Student) won third place in the Best Teaching Idea competition for "Analyzing Political Campaign Ads"

Scholar-to-Scholar (Poster) Refereed Research Paper Sessions: 

• “Anniversary Journalism in Action,” co-authored by Najwa Albaqami (Graduate Student) 
• “Themes and Tones: A Framing Assessment of Social Media Public Response,” authored by Anani Yao Kuwornu (Graduate Student) 
• “Impression Management Amid Adversity: Political Public Relations Lesson from Four Brexit-related Prime Ministerial Resignation Speeches,” co-authored by Nana Kwame Osei Fordjour (Assistant Professor) 
• “A Social Influence Perspective toward Employee-Organization Relationships: The Role of Relationship Norms in Employee Peer Networks,” co-authored by Yan Qu (Assistant Professor) 
• “Visual Narratives, Social Media and National Image Construction: Strategic Lessons from the President of Ghana on Facebook,” authored by Nana Kwame Osei Fordjour (Assistant Professor)
• “Functional Analysis of Manifesto Launch Speeches of Political Candidates from Ghana,” authored by Anani Yao Kuwornu  (Graduate Student)
• ‘“I Transcend My Hair’: A Critical Examination of Hair Tales Documentary— Navigating the Evolution of Black Hair in the United States from Oppression to Celebration,”  co-authored by Felicity Dogbatse (Graduate Student)
• “Vaccines During Crises: Rohingya Refugees’ COVID-19 Vaccine Attitudes and Behavior,” co-authored by Tania Nachrin (Graduate Student)  

• “We Do Not Trust in Journalism: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Farmers’ Trust in News Media,” co-authored by Kang Namkoong (Associate Professor) 

High Density Refereed Research Paper Session:  

• “Navigating through Post-Truth Information Environment: The Influence of Media Repertoire and Personal Networks on Information Verification,” co-authored by Yan Qu (Assistant Professor) 

Panel Appearances:

• Carina Zelaya (Assistant Professor) panelist for “Teens, Sex and Media Effects: Understanding Media Impact on Adolescent Sexuality, Sexual Health, and Advocacy” 
• James Grunig (Professor Emeritus) panelist for “The Legacy of JMCQ: Centennial Reflections”  
• Sun Young Lee (Associate Professor) panelist for “Strategies for Enhancing Psychological Well-Being and Work-Life Harmony in Academia”  
• Sahar Khamis (Associate Professor) panelist for “Empowering Communication Scholars: Amplifying Academic Voices on Social Media Platforms” and "Sustainable Scholarship and Information for Development of the Global South"

Graduate Student Showcase:  

The showcase had eight presenters (including UMD COMMunity members Miriam Komuhendo and Faith Otchere) who shared their teaching and research interests at the Graduate Student Research Showcase.

The conference also gave past and present COMM members a chance to connect!

Congratulations to all!