Conversations about Communication

This podcast focuses on a myriad of communication phenomena through interviews and discussions with leading communication scholars in the field. Join us as we traverse through the world of communication science and explore the many aspects of human interaction.

Helen Wang, Ph.D., is a Professor, researcher, and Director of Graduate Studies within the Department of Communication at UB.

Wang’s research focuses on the use of storytelling and technology for engaging mass audiences, especially vulnerable population groups such as women, youth and refugees, to promote the well-being of individuals, groups and society at large.

She specializes in entertainment-education, especially in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and gender equality. This communication strategy leverages the power of dramatic storytelling through and across channels such as web series, interactive games and social media to share messages about health and social issues. Her projects often take the form of interdisciplinary collaborations to design, implement and evaluate public campaigns and health interventions.

Zach Glowacki is a fourth-year doctoral student in the Department of Communication at UB. His research interests stem from Nonverbal Communication and include facial expressions, emotions, tone of voice, and how social proximity behaviors affect our day to day social interactions- particularly on trait perceptions (e.g., trustworthy, likeability, anxious). More recently, Zach examines the role spontaneous microexpressions have in social interactions and what implications microexpressions have in deception, emotions, and trait perceptions.

Yini Zhang, Ph.D., is an expert on social media and political communication. She uses computational methods and big data to study social media and political communication. Her current research program centers around three questions: 1) within social media, how people express themselves and interact with each other, 2) as an ecosystem, how social media platforms relate to one another in terms of the flow of information, and 3) beyond social media, what can influence and be influenced by communication and interaction on social media. She also collaborates with experts in other disciplines to pose new questions and develop new methods to advance communication research.

Areas of expertise: Social media, political communication, misinformation, online activism, impact of social media on journalism and democracy.

Dr. McKenzie Vorpahl is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Communication Department, where she regularly teaches courses such as Interpersonal Communication, Principles of Persuasion, and Communication Theory. She is an expert in Interpersonal and Health Communication research, focusing on patient-provider communication and social support within sensitive conversations. Within her teaching and research, her objective is to highlight the implications of communication in everyday life through awareness, self-exploration and skill-building exercises.

Thomas Hugh Feeley (PhD, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York) studies compliance-gaining principles in health and organizational settings. He has authored three books and over 125 journal articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia entries in social influence processes. Prof. Feeley is a Professor within the Department of Communication at UB as well as the Director of the Arts Management Program within the College of Arts and Sciences at UB.

Prof. Lindsay Hahn is an expert on the effects of mass media on people’s conscience and actions, especially with regard to the cognitive and behavioral responses of audiences ranging in age from adolescence to adulthood.

Hahn’s research centers around the effects of exposure to entertainment and news media. She looks at how this exposure shapes people’s social behaviors and judgments.

Among other topics, her work focuses on the role of entertainment media as a contributing factor in children’s moral and self-centered behaviors, and, separately, on the extent to which appeals to morality can be an effective tool for radicalizing individuals to join or act on behalf of violent extremist groups.

Prof. Hahn is also the principal investigator for the Media Psychology and Morality Lab at UB.

In our inaugural episode, we welcome Prof. Melanie Green! Prof. Green is the chair of the Department of Communication at UB and is also a prolific researcher in her own right. In this episode we discuss the value of a communication degree (and studying COM in general) along with a glimpse into Prof. Green’s own research interests.