Update 5/27/2020: Congratulations to Sarah Sigmon for receiving the Stevick Foundation Excellence in Media Research Award from the Office of Undergraduate Research for her presentation! This award reflects the high quality of her research as well as her effective presentation at the virtual symposium.
Five students from the College of Media participated in the 13th annual University of Illinois Undergraduate Research Symposium, April 26-May 2, sharing their research on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to media perceptions of the British royal family. With regular events being translated online due to the coronavirus pandemic, the coordinators used the internal learning platform Compass, which allowed for participants to comment and ask questions about the presentations.
Carolina Garibay, sophomore in journalism, was one of three students invited to give a lunchtime presentation on her project, titled Why Are You So Emotional? Exploring Anxiety and Depression through the Hearts and Minds of Women. Her research was centered around answering why women have a greater chance of experiencing anxiety and depression than men. Garibay also created a podcast about mental health and women, where she interviewed guests about their experiences. Listen to Garibay’s podcast.
In Research Takes Flight: Illinois Journalism Students Cover the 2019 Punkin Chunkin World Championships, journalism juniors Madelyn Foster and Acacia Hernandez co-presented their class’s coverage of the Punkin Chunkin, an annual competition in Rantoul, Illinois. The journalism students conducted interviews with more than 50 participants in the Punkin Chunkin to capture various aspects of the event, including its tradition, the motivation behind the competitors’ participation, and the science behind creating the contraptions used in the competition. Check out some of their video and audio stories.
Claire O’Brien, sophomore in journalism, presented AI, Journalism and Students, showing her findings on college students’ knowledge of artificial intelligence in the field of journalism, and their capability of differentiating AI from bots. O’Brien surveyed a diverse range of students to measure their understanding and level of comfort with use of AI in journalism and their understanding of what bots are and how they function. Watch O’Brien’s presentation.
In Women of the British Royal Family and the Media, advertising junior Sarah Sigmon examined how the wives of the men in the United Kingdom’s royal family are regarded by media outlets around the world. Sigmon provides a history of the criticisms and overall perceptions towards individuals including Princess Diana, Kate Middleton, and Meghan Markle. Sigmon also compared how these women have been regarded by the media about motherhood and their public image. Watch Sigmon’s presentation.
Those with a University of Illinois NetID can view the archived symposium. See instructions to access the presentations.
—Kimberly Belser, Communications and Marketing Intern