News and Announcements
Recent News and Awards
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U of U Researchers Secure $4 Million CDC Grant to Expand Rural Access to Lifestyle Change Programs
U of U researchers from Communication, Kinesiology, Population Health Sciences, and Nursing have secured a $4M CDC grant to expand access to lifestyle change programs in rural communities.
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Associate Professor Jake Nelson Publishes New Research on How Journalists Imagine Platforms and Audiences
Associate Professor Jake Nelson has published new research examining how journalists understand the evolving role of social media platforms and how they imagine the audiences who use them
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Communication Faculty Awarded Huntsman Cancer Institute Pilot Grant for Innovative Health Communication Study
Associate Professor Tae Lee and Assistant Professor Haoning Xue have been awarded funding through the FY26 Summer Cancer Control and Population Sciences (CCPS) Pilot Grant Award Program at the Huntsman Cancer Institute for their collaborative project, “An Exploratory Study on Tailoring Core Value-Based Narrative Messages to Address Cancer Prevention Behaviors and Policy Support for Rural Residents Using Large Language Models (LLMs
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John R. Park Debate Society Hosts First Annual Great Campus Debate
The John R. Park Debate Society, in partnership with the Provost’s Office and Insight Debate, is expanding debate education across campus through its new Debate Across the Curriculum initiative, culminating in the first annual Great Campus Debate on November 11, 2025, focused on whether generative AI does more harm than good.
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Students Get Behind-the-Scenes Look at ESPN’s College GameDay
Students from the Department of Communication and Athletics received a rare glimpse into the fast-paced world of live sports broadcasting during an educational walkthrough of ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot setup ahead of the Utah vs. Cincinnati matchup at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
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Graduate Student Spotlight: Damon Darling Publishes in the Journal of Homosexuality
The Department of Communication is proud to share that PhD student Damon Darling recently published a new article titled, “H(a)unting Grounds: Exorcising the Queer Ghosts of Metronormativity,” in the Journal of Homosexuality.
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The Cats of Comm—Celebrating National Cat Day!
It’s National Cat Day, and around here, that means one thing: an excuse to celebrate our department’s most purr-suasive personalities (and their humans, too).
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Forensics Forecast: Tradition Meets Innovation at the University of Utah
The University of Utah’s John R. Park Debate Society is entering an especially exciting chapter—one that honors its storied history while creating new opportunities for students, faculty, and the community to participate in civic debate. With new leadership, a return to the tradition of policy debate, and novel initiatives, the 25-26 academic year promises to be a landmark moment for Utah forensics.
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Jacob Nelson on the CBS News Shake-Up: Why a New Editor Might Not Change Public Perception
In an opinion piece for The Conversation, Associate Professor Jacob Nelson offers a deeper look at what leadership changes might mean for CBS News and, perhaps more importantly, what they might not mean for the network’s audience.
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Finding Common Ground: Religion and Public Confidence in Science
While science enjoys higher levels of public trust than many other institutions, many Americans still question whether scientists share their values—including religious ones. A newly published study by Department of Communication professors Dr. Isabelle Freiling and Dr. Meaghan McKasy, together with University of Georgia colleague Dr. Michael Cacciatore, explores how perceptions of conflict and harmony between religion and science shape public confidence in science.
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In Memoriam: Dr. Jeremy J. Chatelain (1974–2025)
Jeremy J. Chatelain, who earned his Ph.D. from the Department of Communication in 2018, died on Sept. 15 in Denver. He was 51.
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Assistant Professor Haoning Xue Awarded 1U4U Grant to Advance Women’s Health Through Conversational AI Research
The University of Utah has awarded Assistant Professor Haoning Xue a 1U4U Collaborative Seed Grant for her project, “Tailoring Conversational AI’s Communication Styles to Promote Colonoscopy Among At-Risk Women: A Patient-Centered Communication Strategy.”
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How an Internship Can Change Your Career Path (and How to Find Yours)
An internship can be the moment everything clicks. For some communication students, it’s the “in” that leads directly to their first full-time job. For others, it’s a safe space to explore, try out a new field, and discover what does and doesn’t fit before graduation. Behind the scenes, U Career Success team helps students navigate these opportunities and make the most of them
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Meet the 2025-26 UAC Graduate Student Cohort
The Department of Communication is excited to announce eight new students joining the University of Utah Communication Department at the Asia Campus to pursue their Master's Degrees. Please extend them a warm welcome!
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New Book Release: Queer, Women of Color, and Critical Approaches to Feminist Mentorship and Pedagogy
Associate Professor Leandra Hernández is celebrating the forthcoming release of a co-edited volume that promises to reshape how we think about mentorship in higher education.
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Assistant Professor Haoning Xue Honored with International Awards for Research on Short Videos
The Department of Communication is celebrating the outstanding achievements of Assistant Professor Haoning Xue, whose research at the intersection of health communication and media technology has earned international recognition.
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Faculty Spotlight: Adjunct Associate Professor Amanda Dickson Wilhelm
Adjunct Associate Professor Amanda Dickson Wilhelm brings her wealth of media experience and enthusiasm for communication into the classroom. Best known to Utah audiences as Amanda Dickson, she co-hosts Utah’s Morning News on KSL NewsRadio and hosts the award-winning program A Woman’s View. Beyond the airwaves, she is a published author, speaker, and dedicated community leader serving on several nonprofit boards, including the National Kidney Foundation of Utah and Hale Centre Theatre’s National Advisory Board.
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The Communication Institute Presents: Tribune Takeover
Reporters and leaders from the award-winning Salt Lake Tribune will share their expertise with the emerging journalists, storytellers, and communication professionals at the U throughout September as part of COMM 4555: Intermediate Journalism. Learn how newsrooms operate, and how journalists cover topics such as education, politics, sports, religion, and more.
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Associate Professor Ben Lyons Recognized as Runner-Up for ICA Best Article Award
An article coauthored by Associate Professor Ben Lyons has been named runner-up for the International Communication Association (ICA) Political Communication Division’s 2025 Kaid-Sanders Best Article of the Year Award. Lyons was recognized for his coauthored article, “Megastudy testing 25 treatments to reduce antidemocratic attitudes and partisan animosity,” published in Science.
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Welcoming New Faculty to the Department of Communication
The Department of Communication is pleased to announce the addition of three outstanding faculty members for the 2025–26 academic year. These new hires bring a wealth of experience, innovative research, and a strong commitment to student success. Their expertise will further strengthen our teaching and scholarship across key areas in the field, and we look forward to the energy and ideas they will contribute to our academic community.