School of Journalism & Media

Graduating Master’s Student, Dental Hygiene Educator Teresa O’Daniel Says Communication Courses Made Her a Better Teacher

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When Teresa O’Daniel first became a dental hygienist, she never thought she would be working in public health much less as an educator in the field. But public health eventually became more than just a career option for O’Daniel, who is a dental hygiene instructor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. She’s also graduating this semester with her master’s from the College of Communication and Information with a concentration in strategic and digital communication (SDC). 

“When I was in school, I thought, ‘I’m never going into public health.’ But working in public health, I saw what … Read more “Graduating Master’s Student, Dental Hygiene Educator Teresa O’Daniel Says Communication Courses Made Her a Better Teacher”

From Chile to UT, PR Masters Grad Valentina Gomez is Ready to Help Families Like Hers

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Valentina Gomez (‘23, ‘24) is set to receive her master’s degree in public relations in just three semesters, following her undergraduate studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she majored in journalism.

She will graduate from the College of Communication and Information with a job already secured. During her time at UT, both for her undergraduate and master’s degrees, Gomez took full advantage of the opportunities available to her. She became involved in several student organizations, worked on campus, and completed multiple internships.

Pursuing her Undergraduate in Journalism

Gomez moved from Chile to Knoxville with her family due to … Read more “From Chile to UT, PR Masters Grad Valentina Gomez is Ready to Help Families Like Hers”

Graduating Senior Allison Seaton Found Her Passion After Transferring to Rocky Top

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Graduating senior Allison Seaton showing off her media credentials.

Transferring to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, turned out to be the right move for graduating senior Allison Seaton.

The East Tennessee native and School of Journalism and Media major may have started her collegiate career elsewhere, but Rocky Top is where she found her passion for sports storytelling.

“If I didn’t come back, I never would have found the field I wanted to be in,” Seaton said.

She enrolled to study political science and pre-law at UT with an interest in working in sports law. During her first semester, Seaton … Read more “Graduating Senior Allison Seaton Found Her Passion After Transferring to Rocky Top”

Three CCI PhD Students Receive Graduate Research Awards

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Three College of Communication and Information doctoral students received fall 2024 Graduate Student Research Awards from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s, Graduate School. These awards are intended to not only support the students’ work but also gives them experience in writing grants and enhances their relationships with faculty.

The three PhD students are:

  • Scott Greeves: awarded $2,000 for Integrating cultural theory into ecosystem service research: A case study of the Tennessee River
  • Shreenandan Rajarathnam: awarded $1,500 for Developing a NIST CSF-based usable security community profile
  • Qinran Li: awarded $1,440 for Eating disorder literacy and warning level on mitigating the negative
… Read more “Three CCI PhD Students Receive Graduate Research Awards”

Live Election Day Special Helped Students Hone Skills, Milestone for TVC

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TVC students celebrate after successfully producing “Voting Matters,” a live Election Day special, on Nov. 5, 2024.

Three weeks before Election Day, School of Journalism and Media Assistant Professor of Practice Brittany Tarwater reached out to the student leadership at The Volunteer Channel (TVC) with an idea to produce an Election Day live special.

Inspired by the great work the students have been doing all semester covering the election as part of the Election Project, a collaborative reporting initiative between the School of Journalism and Media and The Media Center, Tarwater viewed the live special as the next … Read more “Live Election Day Special Helped Students Hone Skills, Milestone for TVC”

Land Grant Films’ Howard Baker Documentary Premieres at CCI Board Meeting

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Former U.S. Ambassador and longtime friend of U.S. Sen. Howard H. Baker, Jr., Arthur “A.B.” Culvahouse, Jr., addressing the crowd ahead of the screening of Land Grant Films’ Baker for America documentary.

College of Communication and Information master’s student Seth Reynolds vividly remembers his dad’s reaction when he shared he was selected to work on a documentary about U.S. Sen. Howard H. Baker, Jr.

“My dad’s jaw dropped to the floor,” Reynolds said. “‘That is my hero,’ he said.”

Growing up in East Tennessee, Reynolds’ dad idolized Baker because of his character and willingness to put the American people over … Read more “Land Grant Films’ Howard Baker Documentary Premieres at CCI Board Meeting”

Student-Produced Documentary Batmite Set to Premiere at Film Fest Knox

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The Film Fest Knox poster for Batmite, a student-produced documentary about the Knoxville skating community. The film will premier at the Film Fest Knox Festival on Nov. 17, 2024 in the Regal Riviera movie theater.

After moving to Knoxville, senior Emma Caskill was looking for a way to get plugged into the local skating community.

This led to the discovery of the skateboard store Pluto Sports. There she met its owner Brian Beauchene. Caskill enjoyed learning about the history of skating in Knoxville from Beauchene, who since the 1980s has been at the forefront of advocating for local skaters and … Read more “Student-Produced Documentary Batmite Set to Premiere at Film Fest Knox”

Election Project Endeavor Includes Extensive Coverage and Live TV Special

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The College of Communication and Information established The Media Center this year to create more opportunities for students to get exceptional hands-on opportunities to learn through experience. That goal is already coming to fruition in The Media Center’s first endeavor, in collaboration with the School of Journalism and Media, to produce coordinated coverage on a news topic, in the form of the Election Project. 

“We have all of these amazing outlets housed within the college now and co-located and it’s important to find ways we can increase the power of our reporting,” said Professor Nick Geidner, The Media Center … Read more “Election Project Endeavor Includes Extensive Coverage and Live TV Special”

WUOT Covers Hurricane Helene, Raises Funds For The Region In Partnership With East Tennessee Foundation

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Caption: WUOT Reporter and All Things Considered host Jacqui Sieber (center) and WUOT Reporter Pierce Gentry (right) interview Carter County Public Information Officer Ivan Sanders (left) on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. The reporters traveled to Carter County to report on the city of Elizabethton and nearby towns, which saw some of the worst of the flooding wrought by Tropical Storm Helene. (Justin Hicks/Kentucky Public Radio)

Pierce Gentry never imagined he’d be covering one of the region’s largest natural disasters just weeks after becoming a part-time reporter at WUOT 91.9 FM. A Knoxville native and senior majoring in journalism and media … Read more “WUOT Covers Hurricane Helene, Raises Funds For The Region In Partnership With East Tennessee Foundation”

Students Encourage Voter Participation Through the Election Project 

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With messages such as “Voting is Key” and “Rock the Vote,” students in Professor Rob Heller’s class once again designed billboards in partnership with Lamar Advertising to encourage Tennesseeans to vote this November.

Heller said six billboard designs shared with Lamar Advertising began running on digital billboards throughout Tennessee on October 4 and the company plans to keep sharing them until the day before the election.

Heller’s graphic design class is just one example this election season of students gaining invaluable hands-on experience in the industry while also educating audiences on civic topics. 

That is the purpose of the Election … Read more “Students Encourage Voter Participation Through the Election Project ”