School of Journalism & Media

From SIS Alumnus to Cichlid Enthusiast

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Scott Wells (’89, ’96, ’13) is a proud alumnus of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where he serves as the chief of staff for the Min H. Kao Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He has earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD from UT. Wells graduated with his master’s degree in information sciences in 1996, which allowed him to merge his two passions: writing and science. In his free time, he enjoys working on his blog, The Cichlid Stage.

Education and Career

Wells earned his bachelor’s degree in English, focusing on business and professional writing, in 1989. After … Read more “From SIS Alumnus to Cichlid Enthusiast”

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”

CCI Makes Impact at NCA Convention; Iannacone Earns Top Paper Honor

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Assistant Professor Jeannette Iannacone, right, receives her Top Faculty Paper award from Laura Lemon (’17), an associate professor at the University of Alabama who graduated from CCI’s doctoral program.

Twenty-nine faculty and graduate students from the College of Communication and Information participated in the 2024 annual convention of the National Communication Association in New Orleans at the end of November, and they were actively engaged as presenters, respondents, panelists, chairs, co-chairs, and more. 

One of the stand-out moments for CCI is Assistant Professor Jeannette Iannacone winning the Top Faculty Paper award in the Public Relations Division at the convention for … Read more “CCI Makes Impact at NCA Convention; Iannacone Earns Top Paper Honor”

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”

Riedl Selected as Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Visiting Fellow

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School of Journalism and Media Assistant Professor Martin Riedl was selected as a Center for Advanced Studies visiting fellow at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich in Germany starting this winter.

Riedl will join a team of international researchers analyzing the role of encrypted messaging services such as WhatsApp in online extreme speech cultures globally.

“I’m excited to join a group of researchers who have been thinking about issues of harassment, violence, and extreme speech on WhatsApp for a long time,” Riedl said. “Our work focuses on analyzing how platforms and their affordances compound harms and power imbalances in society … Read more “Riedl Selected as Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Visiting Fellow”

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”