Reprinted from the Fall 2011 edition of InterCom
An emerging collaborative research program at the University of South Carolina is making an impact on how health and science researchers understand public communication and perception, and the College of Mass Communications and Information Studies plays a key role in the collaboration. The Science and Health Communication Research Group combines the efforts of the School of Journalism and Mass Communications (SJMC), the School of Library and Information Science (SLIS) and the Department of Health Promotion, Education and Behavior (HPEB) to develop expertise in health communication and strengthen research and teaching on the college level.
SJMC professors Drs. John Besley, Sei-Hill Kim and Andrea Tanner, along with SLIS professors Drs. Kendra Albright and Feili Tu, are among a group of researchers and professors at USC who have committed to this program and are using their different backgrounds to provide a meaningful research and learning environment for students and researchers alike. All have separate research interests; however, the integration of these has proven to be beneficial not only to their respective schools but to the university as a whole.
The program helps reduce the gap between what experts know and what gets effectively communicated to the public by providing researchers and professionals with a larger body of knowledge in health communication. The contributing researchers' and professors' goal is that the science and health communication program will encourage further collaboration between schools on research grants. "As universities become more dependent on research funding they recognize the value of setting up increasingly more formalized groups to go after grants," said Dr. Besley.
An important part of the collaboration is the Graduate Certificate in Health Communication. Students seeking to earn the certificate must complete a research project along with 18 hours of post bachelor's study. They choose a concentration in journalism and mass communications, library and information science or health promotion, education and behavior; however, their full 18-hour course load comprises classes from each subject area. The certification therefore allows students to be more competitive in any one of the three fields, while providing them with the opportunity to make a contribution to research at the university.
"In order to ask the government for money it is necessary to have a mass of scholars who can contribute to the multiple parts in the research process," Dr. Besley said. He proved this collaborative program to be beneficial in obtaining external research funding when he received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant of $42,936. Using this grant, Dr. Besley conducted a third wave of research on American perceptions of nuclear energy. This research followed two waves of data collection, which took place prior to the BP oil spill and the Fukushima disaster in Japan. The results of this research will allow Dr. Besley to further analyze how preexisting attitudes and environmental awareness shape public opinion, particularly after a disaster.
Dr. Besley's focus is the degree to which government and corporate officials benefit from involving the public in decision making about science and health. Much of his research looks to explain the relationship between media use, citizen engagement and risk perceptions. This program will afford him the opportunity to further explain the impact of media coverage on public decision-making.
The other SLIS and SJMC professors in the research group are contributing to other research areas. |
