UFCJC faculty, graduate students and alumni represented at 2025 National Communication Association Convention

University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) faculty, graduate students and alumni will receive awards and present at the 2025 National Communication Association (NCA) Convention in Denver from Nov. 20-23.

Advertising Professor Bobi Ivanov will be honored with the prestigious 2025 NCA Presidential Citation in recognition of his outstanding contributions, including scholarship, mentorship, service and leadership. He will also present “Inoculation Condensed and Compounded: Terse Messages as Boosters.”

Public Relations Associate Professor Jay Hmielowski, in collaboration with Muhammad Ehab Ehab Rasul from the University of California, Davis, was awarded Top Student Paper for “Red, Blue, and the Ballot: Examining the Influence of Partisan Media Use on Voter Fraud and Foreign Interference Concerns.”

Doctoral student Ruth Emmanuel received the Top Paper Award in the Communication and Future Division with her two collaborators from the University of Cincinnati for “Social Support Dynamics: Minority Group Responses to AI-Based Ingroup and Outgroup Sources of Support.” Emmanuel will also present “Understanding Cervical Cancer Information-Seeking Among Ghanaian Women: A Pathway to Prevention” and “Social Support Dynamics: Minority Group Responses to AI-Based Ingroup and Outgroup Sources of Support.”

The following faculty, graduate students and alumni will present their research papers:

• Olivia Bullock: “Jargon, Fluency, and Judgment: How Legal Jargon Shapes Juror Decision-Making” and “Unfamiliar Storms Feel Riskier: The Influence of Name Familiarity and Gender on Hurricane Risk Perceptions.”
• Doctoral student Kelsy-Ann Adams: “Didn’t Earn It: Decolonizing the Rhetoric of the Letters D.E.I, Elevate Diversity Equity & Inclusion.” She will serve as session chair for “DEI During Disasters: Weaponizing Racial Rhetoric During Crisis” and “Voicing Resistance: Reclaiming Caribbean Histories in Sound and Story.” She is also a panel member of “Voices from the Caucuses: Elevating the State of IDEA Principles in NCA.”
• Chelsea Moss Bruno, Ph.D. 2024, and Journalism Associate Professor Frank Waddell: “The Color of Family: Schema’s Prediction of Perceived Realism Judgements of Transracial Adoption Portrayals.”
• Public Relations Assistant Professor Rebecca Frazer, master’s student Tse-hsi Chien and Xiaotong Yu, M.A.M.C. 2025: “Visual Depictions of Victim Suffering: Testing Implications for Exemplification and Moral Engagement.“ Frazer will also present “Character Profiles: Examining Audience Perceptions of Distinct Character Types Along Person-Perception, Morality, And Evaluative Variables.”
• Public Relations Assistant Professor Austin Hubner: “How Science Populism Impacts Perceptions of Source Credibility across Scientific Professions” and “To Fund or Not to Fund? Examining Relationships Between Support for Scientific Research Across Political Ideologies and Science Populism Beliefs.”
• Doctoral student Qingyuan Yang and Advertising Assistant Professor Yuan Sun: “Personalized Authenticity or Programmed Messaging? The Role of AI Disclosure in Femvertising Personalization.“
• Doctoral students Xiaobei Chen and Shuo Yao: “Beyond Intentions: A Transtheoretical Model Approach to Health Adoption.”
• Doctoral students Cho Li and Francis Akanbi, Public Relations Professor Linjuan Rita Men, Public Relations Assistant Professor Chris Chu and Executive Associate Dean Spiro Kiousis: “Strategic Internal Communication and Employee Issue Alignment: Impacts on Employee Relational and Behavioral Outcomes.“
• Men, April Yue, Ph.D. 2020, Renee Mitson, Ph.D. 2024 and Yufan Sunny Qin, Ph.D. 2022: “A Co-Oriented Approach to Exploring the Role of Strategic Internal Communication in Fostering Employee Passion at Work.“
• Men: “The Fusion Between AI and PR is Examined Here as Challenging for Both Educators and Professionals: A Question of Reaching AI Competency While Meeting Ethical Standards.“
• Doctoral student Yifan Wu:“Framing Police Violence and Black Victimhood: A Comparative Analysis of CNN And Fox News’ Coverage of Sonya Massey.”
• Hmielowski: “Navigating Digital Hate: Responses and Consequences of Experiencing Direct and Indirect Racism on Social Media.”
• Doctoral student Xinlei Wu and Journalism Professor Seungahn Nah: “Switching Words, Shaping Worlds: Code-Switching Strategies In AI Communication.”

The annual convention represents the NCA’s commitment to advancing communication scholarship, teaching and practice, to foster a better world. Members strive to transform lives through communication.

Category: Alumni News, College News, Student News
Tagged: 2025 NCA Convention Austin Hubner Bobi Ivanov Cho Li Chris Chu Frank Waddell Jay Hmielowski Kelsy-Ann Adams Linjuan Rita Men NCA Olivia Bullock Qingyuan Yang Rebecca Fraser Ruth Emmanuel Seungahn Nah Shuo Yao Spiro Kiousis Tse-hsi Chien Xiaobei Chen Xinlei Wu Yifan Wu Yuan Sun
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