Ideas@Work 2014 - Moody College of Communication by Moody College of Communication

Letter from the Dean

Contents

Beginning in the Middle Ages, young people seeking to acquire mastery at a trade sought apprenticeships. They studied under master craftsmen for years to learn from their experience in the hope of becoming master craftsmen themselves. Ultimately, they gained a set of skills that prepared them for their desired trade or career.

oday, the tradition of apprenticeships is very much alive at the Moody College of Communication. The faculty members who teach our students are themselves master craftsmen in their respective fields. They come to the university after storied careers as journalists, filmmakers, advertisers, publicists, speech-language pathologists and researchers. As professors, they continue to collaborate with businesses, nonprofits and government and conduct research that helps industry thrive and makes the world a better place. Most importantly, they bring these experiences to the

All inquiries and comments, including requests for faculty contact information, or for permission to reprint articles, should be addressed to:

classroom to benefit our students. Students in the Moody College of Communication have abundant opportunities for practical learning and connecting with professionals, whether it’s studying photography in the Czech Republic, creating a video game under the guidance of industry executives, or helping to discover better ways to treat stuttering. These pages are filled with just a few examples of the many ways in which learning is enriched by the practical application of theory and principle. The opportunities available to students to learn from professionals will only continue to

PUBLISHER / CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Nick Hundley

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Laura Byerley Marc Speir

DESIGN

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Editor, Ideas@Work The Moody College of

Wyatt Brand, Inc. Laura Byerley Erin Geisler Marc Speir

Communication 300 W. Dean Keeton, A0900 Austin, TX 78712-1069 p: 512.471.7209 e: nick.hundley@austin.utexas.edu

PHOTOGRAPHY

Jojo Marion Erika Rich Sarah Millender Briana Purser

grow. The $50 million gift from the Moody Foundation will transform every aspect of the way we teach our students, and we are proud to carry the namesake of the Moody family. The resources afforded by the gift will continue to help our faculty members not only to prepare our students for a trade or career, but to prepare them to transform the world.

RO D E R I C K P. H A RT Dean, Moody College of Communication The University of Texas at Austin

ON THE COVER A DA M Z E I N E R is a senior in the Moody College of Communication, majoring in advertising. He has participated in the Texas Creative and Texas Media sequences. Outside of class, he enjoys collaborating with other creatives, working with the art group COPE Collective and skateboarding.

ARTICLES WHY BOTHER?

UT3D

Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life asks citizens for help solving the civic health crisis in Texas

RTF faculty members partner with industry professionals to launch first comprehensive 3-D program in the nation

TOWARD BETTER CLINICAL TRIALS DIAGNOSIS Researchers work to reduce learning disability misdiagnoses among bilingual children

Reporting Texas develops the next generation of journalists through the teaching clinic model

F E AT U R E S

BROUGHT TO YOU BY... Angeline Close’s research examines the impact of sport-sponsorship events for companies and communities

HEALTH AND COMMUNICATION Moody College faculty members make vital contributions to health care through communication research

THE LEADERSHIP GAME Denius-Sams Gaming Academy creates game development “boot camp” to cultivate leaders for the video game industry in Texas and beyond

SMOOTH TALKERS Courtney Byrd examines the causes of stuttering to improve understanding and treatment of this complex disorder

FAMILIES GONE TO ASH Photographer Dennis Darling embarks on a mission to find and preserve the stories of Holocaust survivors— before it’s too late

BONUS ROUND Countless professionals visit the Moody College each year to lecture and meet with students

I D E A S @ WO R K | 2

Letter from the Dean

Contents

All inquiries and comments, including requests for faculty contact information, or for permission to reprint articles, should be addressed to:

PUBLISHER / CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Nick Hundley

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Laura Byerley Marc Speir

DESIGN

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Editor, Ideas@Work The Moody College of

Wyatt Brand, Inc. Laura Byerley Erin Geisler Marc Speir

Communication 300 W. Dean Keeton, A0900 Austin, TX 78712-1069 p: 512.471.7209 e: nick.hundley@austin.utexas.edu

PHOTOGRAPHY

Jojo Marion Erika Rich Sarah Millender Briana Purser

RO D E R I C K P. H A RT Dean, Moody College of Communication The University of Texas at Austin

ARTICLES WHY BOTHER?

UT3D

Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life asks citizens for help solving the civic health crisis in Texas

RTF faculty members partner with industry professionals to launch first comprehensive 3-D program in the nation

TOWARD BETTER CLINICAL TRIALS DIAGNOSIS Researchers work to reduce learning disability misdiagnoses among bilingual children

Reporting Texas develops the next generation of journalists through the teaching clinic model

F E AT U R E S

BROUGHT TO YOU BY... Angeline Close’s research examines the impact of sport-sponsorship events for companies and communities

HEALTH AND COMMUNICATION Moody College faculty members make vital contributions to health care through communication research

THE LEADERSHIP GAME Denius-Sams Gaming Academy creates game development “boot camp” to cultivate leaders for the video game industry in Texas and beyond

SMOOTH TALKERS Courtney Byrd examines the causes of stuttering to improve understanding and treatment of this complex disorder

FAMILIES GONE TO ASH Photographer Dennis Darling embarks on a mission to find and preserve the stories of Holocaust survivors— before it’s too late

BONUS ROUND Countless professionals visit the Moody College each year to lecture and meet with students

I D E A S @ WO R K | 2

Coming Attraction: NICK HUNDLEY

pictured above: In partnership with KLRU-TV and KUT 90.5, the Annette Strauss Institute has held four “Why Bother?” events for broadcast on television and radio.

Why Bother? L AU R A BY E R L E Y

Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life asks citizens for help solving the civic health crisis in Texas

n 2010, Texas ranked last in the nation among states in voter turnout, 49th in the share of its citizens who contacted public officials and 42nd in voter registration. By nearly all measures, Texas is in the midst of a civic health crisis. The Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life—which issued these findings in a report co-authored with the National Conference on Citizenship—has long been searching for ways to reverse these trends and improve civic involvement in Texas. And their new program, “Why Bother? Engaging Texans in Democracy Today,” is asking community members in Central Texas for their help. A partnership with KLRU-TV and KUT 90.5, “Why Bother?” is a news and public dialogue series that explores the causes of low civic participation and seeks solutions directly from citizens. “The idea wasn’t just to have a news and information program, but to also come up with a series that could engage real people in the conversation—and not just people who are already civically engaged,”

Radio-Television-Film students explore 3-D innovations through the nation’s first comprehensive 3-D production curriculum says Ann Beeson, former senior fellow with the Annette Strauss Institute and creator of the “Why Bother?” series. Beeson, a nationally known attorney and nonprofit executive, joined the Strauss Institute in the summer of 2012 and held the first “Why Bother?” event in October 2012. So far, four “Why Bother?” events have taken place. KLRU and KUT have broadcast most of the events to a wider audience, and KUT has produced a series of news stories on the topics surrounding each dialogue. Topics have included improving civic participation among young people, understanding the shifting demographics of the electorate, engaging state representatives after an election and making sense of changes to the Austin City Council’s governing structure. Participating community members have identified a range of reasons for lack of engagement, from disappointment in political parties to a lack of information about voting locations. But they also offered solutions to counter these trends, such as creating and distributing voter education guides, holding City Council meetings throughout Austin, expanding civic education in schools, involving more local businesses in local issues, and enabling more members of the public to join community boards and commissions. Paulina Sosa served as a panelist in the first “Why Bother?” event, “Voices of a New Generation.” She says that the program succeeded in engaging audience members. “I think that it is crucial to be a part of a program, like ‘Why Bother?’ ” Sosa says. “The opportunity to work with individuals from different kinds of backgrounds and mindsets really gave me a better insight on what running for office one day will be like, and how to encourage others to continue engaging with the community.”

efore the fall of 2013, film students inter- Television-Film, directs the program, which ested in 3-D production had to land a job began offering classes to undergraduates in in the 3-D industry to get first-hand experi- fall 2013. Leading 3-D filmmakers Buzz Hays ence in the medium. However, the creation of and Dave Drzewiecki have been recruited to UT3D has given students at The University of teach UT3D classes. Texas at Austin a one-of-a-kind opportunity. Hays has worked in 3-D for more than 30 Now, Radio-Television-Film students have years on films including “Life of Pi,” “The access to the nation’s first comprehensive 3-D Great Gatsby,” and the “Men in Black” and production curriculum. “Spider-Man” films. Drzewiecki, a 25-year vetThrough a $2.17 million grant from the Moody eran director of photography, cinematograFoundation to create UT3D, students produce a pher and a stereoscopic 3-D expert, has worked range of 3-D content—including plays, sports, on films including “Pirates of the Caribbean: documentaries and narrative pieces—and ex- On Stranger Tides,” “Journey 2: The Mysteriplore recent 3-D innovations, such as “glasses- ous Island” and “Nitro Circus: The Movie 3D.” free” 3-D for television, tablets, cellphones Classes are taught at the Belo Center for New and small display devices. “3-D content and Media and the ACL Live at the Moody Theater technology are headed for a revolution across in downtown Austin—the recording studio for all platforms. It’s imperative to share this new the PBS television show “Austin City Limits”— tool kit with future filmmakers so they have where students will use the studio’s 3-D producthe training and experience for the jobs of the tion and performance facility. “We’re delighted future,” says Radio-Television-Film graduate to support UT3D,” says Ross Moody, trustee of Wayne Miller, B.A. ‘77, executive producer at the Moody Foundation. “The Moody FoundaLos Angeles-based SD Entertainment, who tion’s focus on educating the youth of Texas is helped envision the program. “By providing consistent with funding the establishment of students an understanding of 3-D technology the UT3D curriculum. Students will also gain and hands-on experience with state-of-the-art firsthand experience in 3-D production at the equipment, The University of Texas at Austin is Moody Theater to start their real-world trainbound to become the leader in 3-D education.” ing. And when they graduate, they’ll be ahead Don Howard, associate professor and pro- in the growing medium of 3-D.” duction area head in the Department of Radio-

I D E A S @ WO R K | 4

Coming Attraction: NICK HUNDLEY

pictured above: In partnership with KLRU-TV and KUT 90.5, the Annette Strauss Institute has held four “Why Bother?” events for broadcast on television and radio.

Why Bother? L AU R A BY E R L E Y

Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life asks citizens for help solving the civic health crisis in Texas

I D E A S @ WO R K | 4

Toward Better Diagnosis L AUR A BYERLE Y

Researchers work to reduce learning disability misdiagnoses among bilingual children

Professor ELIZABETH PEÑA researches how bilingual children learn new language skills and works to improve learning disability diagnoses.

s a San Francisco-based speech -language consultant in the mid-1980s, Elizabeth Peña noticed a discouraging trend. At one elementary school, speech-language pathologists had diagnosed every EnglishSpanish bilingual kindergartner with a language learning disability. “I knew there was no way that every bilingual student could have a language learning disability,” says Peña, professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. “Without a standardized assessment that accounts for the unique challenges of learning two languages, speech-language pathologists had overdiagnosed students with language learning disabilities.” Decades later, the problem remains. Research shows culturally and linguistically diverse children are often overrepresented in special education because of poor performance resulting from limited exposure to English language. At the same time, Latinos have become the largest minority group in the U.S., furthering the need for an accurate bilingual language assessment. Motivated by these issues, Peña has made it her mission to reduce the number of EnglishSpanish speakers who are misdiagnosed with learning disabilities. At the Moody College’s Human Abilities in Bilingual Language Acquisition lab, Peña, Professor Lisa Bedore and other researchers have worked to develop the Bilingual English-Spanish Assessment—or “BESA”—to help speech-language pathologists differentiate limited exposure to English from underlying language impairments among children ages 4 to 6.

BESA—Spanish for “kiss”—was published in January of 2014 for use by speech-language pathologists in private practice, schools and clinical settings across the U.S. “Most standardized language assessments are developed for English speakers, and the assessments that are developed for Spanish speakers are focused on students who are monolingual or who mostly speak Spanish,” Peña says. “But if students have a fairly balanced understanding of each language, which assessment do you give? That’s why we developed the BESA.” BESA focuses on the features of Spanish and English that are most associated with language impairment. In Spanish, for example, children with language impairments tend to make more mistakes with articles that mark number and gender. In English, children with language impairments tend to have difficulties learning past tenses. BESA also provides guidance for combining test scores from English and Spanish versions to reach a diagnostic decision. In research presented at the 2013 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, University of Cincinnati doctoral candidate Rochel Lazewnik found BESA to be the most highly discriminating of five standardized tests for predicting language impairment among bilingual children. Kai Greene (Ph.D., Communication Sciences and Disorders ‘12), who has worked for more than 10 years as a bilingual speech-language pathologist, says BESA is a huge step for speechlanguage pathologists, educators, administrators and parents. “Sadly, much work still needs to be done in terms of educating school administrators, teachers and parents about many of the unique factors that revolve around bilingual language learning,” says Greene, now an assistant professor at California State University, East Bay. “The issue of overdiagnosis persists in that bilingual childrens’ language differences are mistaken as disorders.”

Clinical Trials L AU R A BY E R L E Y

Reporting Texas develops the next generation of journalists through the teaching clinic model

ow does a student become a journalist? By doing all the things a professional reporter does to get the story: tracking down sources, asking the tough questions, combing through public records.

Through Reporting Texas, Jounalism Professor Tracy Dahlby and students provide coverage of underreported stories for Central Texas communities.

That’s exactly how journalism Todd, the class gathers in the Belo students at the Moody College of Center’s glass-walled newsroom, Communication are learning the conducting news reviews, pitchtrade. Under the tutelage of vet- ing story ideas and undergoing eran reporters—both School of exacting edits. Journalism faculty and professionThrough Reporting Texas, stuals in the field—students have the dents collaborate with a variety chance to put their skills to the test. of news outlets including The The School of Journalism has Austin American-Statesman and a long history of taking a hands- KUT 90.5 FM. One student recenton approach. In decades past, the ly landed a front-page story in program’s writing and editing The Dallas Morning News about labs shared space with The Daily the Tea Party’s targeting of an inTexan and often worked on sto- state tuition law. ries with Texan writers. In the “We create the same expectations 1990s, students provided articles as a professional newsroom and to small daily and weekly news- help students to produce stories to papers across the state through industry standards,” Dahlby says. the Caplink program. “They can then add clips to their More recently, a grant from the portfolios and it helps them when Carnegie Corporation of New they go looking for jobs.” York’s Initiative on the Future of The next generation of journalJournalism Education allowed ists needs to be prepared. Not only Professor Tracy Dahlby to launch for the rigors of reporting but for the digital media project Reporting the challenges of navigating a Texas in 2009. And Dahlby and Bill shifting journalistic landscape. Minutaglio created an investiga- At a time when traditional media tive journalism course, which also outlets face an uncertain future, follows the teaching clinic model. the new ranks must be able to Housed online at reportingtex- apply the fundamentals on a vaas.com, Reporting Texas provides riety of platforms. coverage of underreported stories Reporting Texas ensures stufor the Central Texas community. dents are up to the task. Co-taught by Dahlby and Rusty I D E A S @ WO R K | 6

Toward Better Diagnosis L AUR A BYERLE Y

Researchers work to reduce learning disability misdiagnoses among bilingual children

Professor ELIZABETH PEÑA researches how bilingual children learn new language skills and works to improve learning disability diagnoses.

Clinical Trials L AU R A BY E R L E Y

Reporting Texas develops the next generation of journalists through the teaching clinic model

ow does a student become a journalist? By doing all the things a professional reporter does to get the story: tracking down sources, asking the tough questions, combing through public records.

Through Reporting Texas, Jounalism Professor Tracy Dahlby and students provide coverage of underreported stories for Central Texas communities.

Though fans may not give it much thought, Angeline Close notices something that makes these experiences possible: sponsorship. “While brand awareness begins with advertising, sponsorship is another great tool for gaining consumer loyalty,” says Close, an assistant professor in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations. “Sponsorship is a bit more subtle, which people like more. Sponsorship takes the ticket price down and doesn’t interrupt. While advertising takes time from us, sponsorship gives us a discount, a nice cup or souvenir—and we don’t have to pay for it.” Sponsorship is big business. In 2012, more than $51 billion was spent worldwide on sponsorship and $19 billion in North America, according to a report from sponsorship consulting firm IEG. Close is interested in how many people notice sponsorship and how it changes consumer attitudes and behavior. Her research gauges the impact of sponsorship for event organizers and participating communities—ultimately helping sports management companies secure sponsors and make events possible. “Angeline is doing some very cutting-edge research in the area of event marketing that encompasses a wide range of activities from sports to experiential event sponsorship from traditional companies,” says Gary Wilcox, professor of advertising. “I am impressed with how she is going about her research agenda. She has incorporated a theoretical perspective that brings a new freshness to the subject.”

BROUGHT TO YOU BY… L AU R A BY E R L E Y

Angeline Close’s research examines the impact of sport-sponsorship events for companies & communities

ach summer, more than one million cycling fans gather along the roads threading Colorado’s Rocky Mountains to watch the top professional cyclists compete in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge. The annual multi-day race is marked by brutal climbs to altitudes higher than 12,000 feet and treacherous descents through winding passes. While cheering for their favorite cyclists, fans from across the globe might sample new sport drinks, attend a street party or enter to win a bicycle.

THE RIGHT FIT When negotiating sponsorship contracts, Close says it’s implicit that event managers will accept most sponsors. But what if an event and sponsor appear to be mismatched? According to a June 2013 Sport Marketing Quarterly study co-authored by Close, a mismatched sponsorship could hurt the sponsor but not the event. “For example, if a greasy spoon restaurant were sponsoring an athletic event, that sponsorship wouldn’t pull down the event,” says Close, whose study is based on the 2008 Tour de Georgia cycling event. “It would happen the other way around.” When they perceive greater fit, attendees report more positive perceptions of the sponsor and greater product knowledge and purchase intentions. They are also more likely to view the sponsor as socially responsible and become committed to its brand. “It’s all about the perception of fit—a logical connection between the sponsor and event, similar images and similar values,” Close says. “If the sponsor is not an obvious fit, the event marketer needs to articulate it through advertising. Consumers are so distracted right now that we really have to explain the obvious links.” At the 2008 Tour de Georgia event, title sponsor AT&T had an obvious event connection as a communication option for the 120 cyclists and half-million spectators who attended the multi-city event. To emphasize the connection, Medalist Sports placed prominent AT&T branding on Tour de Georgia venues and apparel, in pre-event promotions and on the event website. Appearing alongside health-related booths, AT&T appeared to support healthy lifestyles, demonstrating corporate social responsibility.

WINNING CORPORATE AND PUBLIC SUPPORT Before one of their major professional cycling events, the offices of Georgia-based sports management company Medalist Sports bustle with event sponsorship, advertising, marketing and public relations contract negotiations. It’s a common scene at the company, which oversees about 10 major cycling events each year. However, without the help of Close and her consulting firm— COLLABORATING WITH LOCAL COMMUNITIES When the 2012 USA Pro Cycling Challenge kicked off its 12-city Event Sponsorship Measurement LLC—several of Medalist tour of Colorado, regional and out-of-state tourists apSports’ events would not have been as successful, says managing peared to have greater interest and stronger purchase intenpartner Chris Aronhalt. “Angeline has assisted us annually with tions than locals. As expected, Close’s surveys showed that capturing positive event results that provide the supportive data the tourists had higher household incomes, cycled more necessary for gaining corporate and public support,” Aronhalt regularly, knew a lot about cycling and felt a greater consays. “With budgets becoming tighter and tighter every year, the data and reports generated by Angeline help make our job easier. nection to cycling and its athletes. Despite this, Close had a hunch that locals might have a greatTypically, the reports and analyses are music to our ears.” er commitment to the event and its sponsors. Her hypothesis By showing evidence of a positive return on investment for proved true, with a greater percentage of locals—and regional sponsors, Aronhalt said Close’s research has helped secure tourists—reporting that they became involved with their comfuture sponsors for the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah—enabling it to evolve from an amateur cycling race into an internation- munities and that local companies benefitted from the event. She also found that locals and regional tourists were more ally renowned event. likely to do business with one of the event sponsors. Collaborating with St. Louis-based consulting firm IFM North At the end of the day, although advertising is often the priAmerica LLC, Close found that the 2012 event set records for ecomary means of establishing brand awareness, Close said she nomic impact, media coverage and national audience size. hopes people will look closer and see the value of sponsorship. Collecting and processing 879 surveys, Close reported that out-of-state spectators contributed as much as $14 million to “Event sponsorship is one of the most powerful forms of marketing communication, allowing us to engage and connect with the state of Utah. She also found that media coverage increased consumers through their passions,” Close says. “It also happens 49 percent from the previous year, with about 37.2 million media impressions and $8.5 million in earned publicity value. to be the fastest-growing form of marketing communication.” I D E A S @ WO R K | 8

BROUGHT TO YOU BY… L AU R A BY E R L E Y

Angeline Close’s research examines the impact of sport-sponsorship events for companies & communities

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE takes A GREAT VIDEO GAME? Itteams of talented writers, artists, animators and programmers working around the clock in close quarters. But just as important, it takes leadership to steer the creative energy of the team and ensure a game is delivered on budget and on time at the level gamers and publishers expect.

pictured: WO F FO R D D EN I U S , WA R R EN S P EC TO R & PAU L S A M S

DENIUS-SAMS GAMING ACADEMY creates a game development “boot camp” to cultivate leaders for the video game industry in Texas and beyond

NICK HUNDLEY

eadership skills are exactly what students porting the burgeoning Texas video game inwill learn at the Denius-Sams Gaming dustry. “What differentiates the Denius-Sams Academy, the first video game program in Gaming Academy is that it will focus explicitly the United States led and taught by gaming on the bigger leadership aspects of game deexecutives. The Moody College has partnered velopment—on the management and producwith video game veterans Warren Spector and tion side and on the creative leadership side,” Paul Sams to create a gaming boot camp with says Spector (M.A., Radio-Television-Film ’80), the unique goal of training students to become who will also serve as director of the academy. game development team leaders, while sup- “This is a space that’s not being filled by the

WHAT DIFFERENTIATES THE DENIUS-SAMS GAMING ACADEMY IS IT WILL FOCUS EXPLICITLY ON THE BIGGER LEADERSHIP ASPECTS OF GAME DEVELOPMENT—ON THE MANAGEMENT AND PRODUCTION SIDE AND ON THE CREATIVE LEADERSHIP SIDE.

other programs, and it will make the academy unique.” Spector and Sams—both storied veterans of the video game industry—know what it takes to create winning games. Spector has worked on more than 20 production teams as a designer, director or producer, and is known for creating games in the “Ultima,” “System Shock,” “Deus Ex,” and “Disney Epic Mickey” series. Sams is chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment ®, which has produced games including “Warcraft ®, ” “Diablo ®, ” “StarCraft ®,” and “World of Warcraft ®,” as well as the online gaming service Battle.net ®. Spector will serve as an instructor for the academy along with a dedicated staff of industry professionals and university faculty members. Beginning in the fall of 2014, the academy will bring together students for an intense, ninemonth program to create a game of significant scope relative to what most other game development programs offer. They’ll work together as teammates, handling every aspect of game creation from start to finish. The academy will be industry driven—instead of a graduate degree, students will earn a postbaccalaureate certificate, which offers fewer restrictions than a traditional academic degree and will enable the program to quickly respond to industry trends. Sams and his wife Susan Sams

(B.J., Journalism ’92) co-founded the academy with Wofford Denius (B.A., Business Administration ’74). Sams says the video game industry has a distinct need for game developers with leadership skills. “Susan and I believe The University of Texas at Austin has a tremendous opportunity to build a nationally recognized program that generates the leaders and critical thinkers the gaming industry needs,” he says. “The program will build the skills required for students to lead teams and develop games from concept to completion, while growing talent for the gaming industry.” Texas is an epicenter for the computer and video game industry. It has the second-largest concentration of game companies in the U.S., with more than 155 development and publishing companies throughout the state providing about 4,000 full-time jobs, according to the Texas Film Commission in the Office of the Governor. Denius is director of the Cain Foundation and co-founder of the academy. He has a long history of contributing to innovative projects at the university and the Moody College. “By combining the best professors with some of the gaming industry’s top minds and contributors, The University of Texas will immediately establish itself on the cutting edge of gaming design technology and the gaming industry,” Denius says. “But even more importantly, the Denius-Sams Gaming Acad-

emy will help our students by enhancing their marketability and providing them with unique leadership skills to advance as leaders in their employment and in the gaming industry.” Admission to the academy will be highly competitive, with only 20 spots available for 2014. Admission will be open to U.S. and international students. Admitted students will receive a tuition waiver and a $10,000 stipend to assist with fees and housing expenses—the only game design program to offer such benefits. The academy is a joint effort of the Moody College, the College of Fine Arts, and the Department of Computer Science. It also is supported by the Provost’s Office at the university. The Denius-Sams Gaming Academy complements the university’s undergraduate Game Development Program, which offers a capstone project course in video game development. “The Denius-Sams Gaming Academy will create the most intense program of its kind, in which aspiring professionals enlist in an all-in adventure, rather than complete mere credit hours,” says Roderick P. Hart, dean of the Moody College. “The program will prepare students to become creative team leaders who will drive the creation of games in the future and ensure the vitality of the gaming industry.”

I D E A S @ WO R K | 10

pictured: WO F FO R D D EN I U S , WA R R EN S P EC TO R & PAU L S A M S

DENIUS-SAMS GAMING ACADEMY creates a game development “boot camp” to cultivate leaders for the video game industry in Texas and beyond

NICK HUNDLEY

I D E A S @ WO R K | 10

MARC SPEIR

Photographer Dennis Darling embarks on a mission to find and preserve the stories of Holocaust survivors— before it’s too late.

FAMI LIES GONE TO ASH 1

I D E A S @ WO R K | 2

MARC SPEIR

Photographer Dennis Darling embarks on a mission to find and preserve the stories of Holocaust survivors— before it’s too late.

FAMI LIES GONE TO ASH 1

I D E A S @ WO R K | 2

PREVIOUS Terezin survivor Hanus Hron returns after 70 years to the Sudeten Barrack where he was first held. Few people have ever seen the interior of one of these compounds. // TEREZIN, CZECH REPUBLIC 6.2013

lice Herz-Sommer was 40 years old when she arrived in Terezin, an 18th-century fortress town turned into a concentration camp by the Nazis in what is now the Czech Republic. Herz-Sommer, a pianist and music teacher, was brought to the camp with her husband and son in July 1943 along with other Jews from the region. Many of those sent to Terezin were artists from Bohemia—writers, professors, composers, musicians, sculptors, dancers and actors. The Nazis permitted prisoners to organize concerts, and Herz-Sommer gave more than 100 concerts during her imprisonment. But the concerts only hid the atrocities enacted at Terezin. About 140,000 Jews were sent to Terezin during the Holocaust, according to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Of those, 33,000 died from appalling conditions of malnutrition and disease, and 88,000 were sent to other concentration camps and killed, including Herz-Sommer’s husband Leopold Sommer. He was sent from Terezin to Auschwitz, then to Dachau, where he died in 1944. However, Herz-Sommer and her son remained in Terezin and were freed when the Soviet Army liberated the camp on May 9, 1945. Now at 110, Herz-Sommer is the oldest-living Holocaust survivor in the world. School of Journalism Professor Dennis Darling is on a mission to document the stories of Terezin survivors such as Herz-Sommer before it’s too late. Darling has been telling their stories with photographs and interviews in his project “Families Gone to Ash.” “There are lessons to be learned from these people,” Darling says. “Compelling reasons 13

to document as much as possible before the last living memory becomes irretrievable.”

REMEMBERING TEREZIN

arling first encountered Terezin in 2006 while teaching photojournalism in a study abroad program in Prague. After visiting the former camp with his class, he enlisted a local filmmaker to help find survivors and act as a translator. Darling has made nearly a dozen trips to Terezin and visited survivors in England, Canada and the U.S. So far, he has photographed and interviewed more than 50 survivors, and scanned old photos of family members killed by the Nazis. Darling photographs survivors in locations significant to their stories. If they are mobile enough to leave the home, Darling asks to photograph them at the camp. Many agree. “Terezin is basically still in similar condition as it was 70 years ago, which helps me tie the present-day pictures to the experience survivors had then,” Darling says. “I’ll spend hours with someone so I can find their unique story and thread. I might only take six or eight frames, but I try to give them a sense of place.” Glenn Frankel, director of the School of Journalism, says Darling’s work is visual storytelling at its finest and most profound. “He has spent several years researching Terezin and the people who were imprisoned there, winning their trust, getting to know intimately their stories,” Frankel says. “It’s the faces, of course, that make this work so powerful. Some are haunted and mournful, others defiant and triumphant.”

LEFT Herz-Sommer is not only the oldest Terezin survivor—she is also the oldest living Holocaust survivor. She was a concert pianist who performed more than 100 concerts at Terezin. She celebrated her birthday in November 2013, making her 110. // LONDON, ENGLAND 2.2012

RIGHT Terezin Concentration Camp Survivor Andula Lorencova. Darling comments, “I consider this my best and favorite portrait.. I am touched every time I see it. It was a moment that for a photographer comes far too seldom–when you know the subject has given you the wonderful gift of an unguarded, timeless image. I probably will never take a portrait as fine as this one.” // PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC 6.2012

I D E A S @ WO R K | 4

to document as much as possible before the last living memory becomes irretrievable.”

REMEMBERING TEREZIN

I D E A S @ WO R K | 4

AT THE INTERSECTION OF

health communication

Moody College of Communication faculty members make vital contributions to health care through communication research

L AU R A BY ER L E Y

E ABOVE Dr. Toman Brod in an abandoned building on Bubny Rail Station standing from where, as a boy of 13, he was transported to Terezin. Brod was later deported to Auschwitz, where his entire family was gassed. He was one of 84 boys spared from death and sent to a camp where he worked along with adults as a slave laborer. Only 32 of the boys survived to the end of the war. // PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC 6.2012

COMING FULL CIRCLE

hile Darling claims to “just make photographs,” critics describe his work as striking and thought-provoking. Darling has had a life-long interest in World War II. His father was a B17 navigator who was shot down over Europe and spent time as a prisoner of war in a German camp. As a graduate student, Darling’s first documentary photo series featured the American Nazi Party in the 1970s. Forty years later, he is documenting those who survived the horrors of the Holocaust. “I have now come full circle without ever knowing it,” he says. “What I just recently realized was that the camera for me has been a sort of divining rod, pointing and then connecting me with my personal past without me even being aware of the process.” Darling’s work has appeared in numerous publications including Fortune, Texas Monthly, Camera, American Photo, Popular Photography, American Way, Rolling Stone, Discovery Magazine and Modern Photography. He has served on the advisory board and as editor of the Journal of Photographic Society. He has published two books, “Desperate

Pleasures” and “Chameleon with Camera: A Unique Primer on Travel Photography and How to Survive the Trip.” He has exhibited nationally and internationally in more than 100 group shows and nearly 50 solo exhibitions. Perhaps Darling’s greatest legacy is as a teacher. He has taught in the School of Journalism since 1981, and many of his students have won Pulitzer Prizes, including Judy Walgren DeHass, Jean-Marc Bouju, Carolyn Cole and John McConnico. Lauren Gerson, a former student of Darling’s and staff photographer for the LBJ Presidential Library, participated in his 2009 study abroad program in Prague. “I learned how to use the camera to tell a story from an outsider’s point of view,” Gerson says. “I was really shy and he helped me get over that by making us go out in Prague and really discover.” In May 2014, Darling’s portraits of Terezin survivors will be exhibited at the American Center in the U.S. embassy in Prague.

ach year in the United States, medical professionals perform more than one million cardiac catheterizations to diagnose and treat heart problems. Before consenting to the procedure –which involves inserting a thin tube into a chamber or vessel of the heart–patients must sign a medical disclosure and consent form. Often confused by the terms on the form, patients may not realize the risks they are accepting. For instance, the consent form used in Texas for cardiac catheterization mentions “arrhythmias” as a possible side effect. If patients do not know what arrhythmia means, they later may be alarmed to suffer from an irregular heartbeat. It’s a problem that better communication could solve. And it’s something that Erin Donovan, assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies, is working to improve as part of a statewide effort to overhaul medical disclosure and consent forms. Interviewing 278 adults recruited from healthcare clinic lobbies, Donovan had participants read one of two patient consent forms— a form based on a state legislatureapproved template or a simplified I D E A S @ WO R K | 1 6

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health communication

Moody College of Communication faculty members make vital contributions to health care through communication research

L AU R A BY ER L E Y

COMING FULL CIRCLE

talk about it?” Dudo asks. “Will there be a shift over time in the propensity of scientists to communicate the ethical challenges of nanotechnology? We’re already noticing educational changes requiring scientists-in-training to take communication classes.”

PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION + HEALTH version that provided explanations of complex terms. The average patient understood about twice as many terms in her revised form. “Texas legislature-approved forms are very outdated, and they don’t effectively convey the risks involved in medical procedures,” Donovan says. “Most patients don’t understand the forms, and because they may be too embarrassed to ask for clarifications, they’re putting their health at risk.” Acting as a consultant, Donovan has shared recommendations that the Texas Medical Disclosure Panel will present to the Texas legislature. At the Moody College of Communication, Donovan is not the only one working to improve health communication. Faculty members from a range of disciplines are making vital contributions to improve health care through communication research. In addition to the wide range of research conducted in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, breakthroughs are being made in departments across the Moody College. Anticipating partnership opportunities with the Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin— scheduled to accept its first class in 2016—the Moody College is poised to become the leader in health communication research by drawing upon its expertise in a number of theoretical and applied fields.

INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION

+ HEALTH

Not all health outcomes are achieved by providers and patients alone. Many people contribute to a patient’s success —especially patients’ family members. René Dailey, associate professor in the Department of Communication Studies, knows this well. As a researcher of interpersonal communication, she has studied how communication among family members can help foster better health outcomes. In her recent study, “MotherTeen Communication about Weight Management,” set to be published in Health Communication, Dailey and co-researchers found healthy diet and exercise habits are one such example. After studying mother-teen conversations in which at least one person sought to adopt healthier diet or exercise habits, she found that people who succeeded often had family members who expressed acceptance rather than judgment, challenging them to meet their goals. In conversations about diet, expressing acceptance worked well for mothers with low motivation and teens with high motivation. In conversations about exercise, issuing challenges worked well for motivating teens who were more sensitive about weight issues.

Scientists and developers of new technologies sometimes struggle to explain their work to non-scientific audiences. This can be a problem when it comes to communicating potential health risks. LeeAnn Kahlor and Anthony Dudo, researchers in the Department of Advertising and Public Relations, began studying how nanoscientists have addressed increased public concern about the technology’s health implications. Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on an atomic and molecular scale, and “nanomaterial” is found in a variety of commercial products including sunscreens, cosmetics and milkshakes. But recent studies have shown that nanomaterial could be toxic and have effects similar to asbestos. Contributing to a larger scale project funded by the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network, Kahlor and Dudo are examining how nanoscientists identify and evaluate such ethical challenges. Their study also will explore how nanoscientists feel about communicating those challenges to non-scientific audiences. Dudo says that it is vital for scientists to explain the value of their work—and the risks—to members of the public. “What does it take to get high-profile nanoscientists to

Persuasion is one of the fundamental aims of communication. Matthew McGlone, associate professor of communication studies, has focused much of his research on the science of persuading people to make healthy decisions. He has examined how health care providers can promote flu and HPV vaccines and warn people about the dangers of radon gas, as well as how drug manufacturers and public health officials can better communicate prescription drug risks. In studying prescription drug advertisements, McGlone sought to explain why consumers generally understand a drug’s benefits better than its risks. The answer was simple: wording. In a study of 90 direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising websites, McGlone found that the benefits and risks were worded differently, with “agency”—or causality—for risks omitted 47 percent of the time or assigned to patients 38 percent of the time. For example, a drug advertisement might say that “dizziness may occur” or “some people may experience dizziness,” instead of “this drug may cause dizziness.” Conversely, agency was assigned to drug benefits 86 percent of the time. McGlone says that because the drug is not directly implicated in risks, people may underestimate its side effects. “The FDA requires

that direct-to-consumer advertising provide a ‘fair balance’ of information about a drug’s benefits and risks, but this proviso applies only to the amount of information provided,” McGlone says. “Even when the same amount of information is provided about benefits and risks, advertising deliberately and systematically makes benefits easier to understand than risks.”

CAMPAIGN DESIGN + HEALTH In order to make good decisions about health and medical care, individuals need “health literacy”— the ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services. Michael Mackert, associate professor of advertising, studies health literacy and the ways in which health messages can be designed to reach low healthliterate populations. One of his most recent projects focused on improving handwashing rates, as studies have shown that two out of five people do not wash their hands after using the restroom. To encourage hand hygiene, Mackert developed a month-long campaign with his graduate account planning class. Graduate student researchers observed the hand-washing habits of 1,005 people and surveyed 188 students. As a result of the campaign, soap usage increased from 58 to 70 percent. Also, he found that women reported higher social expectations of hand-washing and were more likely to expect others to follow social norms. Because of this, campaigns that appeal to social norms may be more effective for women. The study appears in the March 2013 edition of the American Journal of Infection Control.

Is a Health Communication Center On The Horizon? The Moody College is studying the feasibility of starting a new health communication center that will draw on the strengths in all five of its departments. It’s also conducting a national search for a full professor to provide senior leadership in health communication and increase its grant profile in this area.

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INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION

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TALKERS ERIN GEISLER

COURTNEY BYRD examines the causes of stuttering to improve understanding and treatment of this complex disorder 19

uring an undergraduate class in professional communication, Radio-Television-Film student Alex Murphy was required to deliver an oral presentation. When the day arrived, Murphy felt well prepared. But his four-minute presentation dragged into 15 minutes as he struggled to get the words out. Until that moment, Murphy had hidden his stutter in class. He had assumed a quiet and reserved demeanor and devised coping strategies to mask his problem in class, so that neither his professor nor his classmates were aware. Upon finishing his presentation, Murphy threw down his notecards in frustration and stormed out of the classroom. Days later, his professor suggested he reach out to Courtney Byrd, an associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders. Byrd is an expert on stuttering and runs the Dr. Jennifer and Emanuel Bodner Developmental Stuttering Laboratory, which investigates the nature of stuttering and provides evidence-based treatment for children and adults who stutter. Thanks to Byrd, Murphy spent the summer and the following fall semester participating in speech therapy sessions overseen by clinicians and graduate students in the lab and attending the National Stuttering Association’s monthly meetings. “The therapy and meetings have had a huge impact on my life,” Murphy says. “They made me realize how long I’d been hiding from my stutter and how much better life would be if I opened up and didn’t try to hide my disability. While my stutter still affects my social life, it no longer controls it. I have not let it stop me from doing what I want to do.” SCRATCHING THE SURFACE OF A COMPLEX DISORDER Stuttering is

a communication disorder in which the flow of speech is broken by repetitions, prolongations or abnormal stoppages of sounds and syllables.

Some people who stutter present secondary behaviors such as lack of eye contact, blinking and head movement that are usually an attempt to force out words. Stuttering affects 68 million people worldwide and four times as many men as women. It typically presents itself between the ages of 2½ and 5, and treatments are most effective when administered as early as possible. About 5 percent of children experience a period of stuttering that lasts six months or more. However, the majority recover by late childhood, leaving about 1 percent with a long-term stutter. “My first goal is to understand why people stutter,” Byrd says. “You’ll never hear a stutterer say ‘I don’t know what I’m trying to say.’ It’s not a semantics issue. They have the word there, but they cannot get it out fluently.” Learning how stutterers select and organize the sounds they use to make words helps researchers identify the obstacles that result in stuttering and develop therapies to overcome them. To achieve this, Byrd’s team of graduate and undergraduate students evaluate how preschoolers acquire language and put sounds together. One contributing factor to stuttering is genetics. About 50 percent of people who stutter report a relative in their extended family stuttered. This is the case for Geoff Coalson, a stutterer who worked alongside Byrd while earning his Ph.D. “Like most stutterers, I spend 90 percent of my time and energy thinking about my own stuttering. I decided it might be best to enter a field where I could put that vested energy to good use,” says Coalson, who didn’t learn about his grandfather’s stutter until he was in high school. “Older generations were often less open to discussing perceived flaws, and by the time I was born my grandfather had developed strategies for managing it so that it was more covert.” Coalson says myths about stut-

tering persist. For example, anxiety, low confidence, nervousness and stress do not cause stuttering. Byrd has delivered speech therapy to more than 300 children and adults who stutter—most of whom have participated in the research projects. Currently, she is piloting new treatment programs based on her research that may eventually become part of the standard treatment protocol, including video games for children of all ages, an animated video series for young children and related workbooks for use within clinical settings. She is also developing a virtual reality training program for clinicians. “Stuttering has continued to be the disorder area within our field that speech-language pathologists feel least comfortable assessing and treating,” Byrd says. “Researchers have examined the use of virtual reality as a way to provide alternative practice opportunities for clients, but we have yet to explore the effectiveness of virtual reality as a clinical training tool to enhance clinician effectiveness.” Additionally, Byrd’s stuttering treatment has provided unique clinical research opportunities to both undergraduate and graduate students interested in working with people who stutter. The lab offers continuing education workshops for practicing speech-language pathologists, provides biweekly counseling groups to parents of children who stutter, organizes biannual public forums for individuals who stutter and their families, and collaborates with the National Stuttering Association on its monthly local chapter meetings. “I was attracted to this line of research because stuttering affects every area of someone’s life,” Byrd says. “I have yet to meet a person who stutters who hasn’t taught me something significant. There’s so much left to discover about the nature of the disorder. We’ve just begun to scratch the surface.”

DR. JENNIFER & EMANUEL BODNER DEVELOPMENTAL STUTTERING LABORATORY

MARC SPEIR

Emanuel “Manny” Bodner has witnessed first-hand the benefits of therapy and family support in treating a stutter. Growing up with a stutter, Bodner recounts a particularly painful experience as a child. As he was competing in a spelling bee, the judges asked him to recuse himself from the competition, even though he had become a finalist and had provided all the correct answers. He attributes this to his stutter. Since then, Bodner has been able to overcome his stutter through language therapy and family support. In 1969, he graduated from The University of Texas at Austin and succeeded in business, leading the Bodner Metal & Iron Corporation for several decades. In June of 2013, Bodner made a donation to support the Center, and the lab was named in honor of him and his wife, Dr. Jennifer Bodner. “When we saw firsthand the power of their success and strength of passion, we knew we wanted to encourage their continued work,” Bodner says. “Stuttering research and therapy is essential to empower people’s desire to communicate.”

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TALKERS ERIN GEISLER

COURTNEY BYRD examines the causes of stuttering to improve understanding and treatment of this complex disorder 19

a communication disorder in which the flow of speech is broken by repetitions, prolongations or abnormal stoppages of sounds and syllables.

DR. JENNIFER & EMANUEL BODNER DEVELOPMENTAL STUTTERING LABORATORY

MARC SPEIR

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4.9 | Dan Balz Chief correspondent at The Washington Post

4.11 | Larry Towell

Chris Bell | 12.8

Former U.S. representative and Houston city councilman Experimental filmmaker

Ashish Avikunthak | 11.9 Judith Hall | 11.8

Psychology professor at Northeastern University

Dhavan Shah | 11.7

Professor of journalism and mass communication at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Jim Moroney | 11.1

Publisher of The Dallas Morning News

Michelle Ballif | 10.25

Associate professor of English at University of Georgia

Juliet Macur | 10.23

New York Times columnist and reporter, author of “Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong”

Tricia Rose | 10.22

Professor of Africana Studies at Brown University

Linda Moore Forbes | 10.20

Founder and president of LMF Strategies

Trey Grayson | 10.19

Director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University

Mark McKinnon | 10.18

Political advisor and founder of “No Labels” political advocacy group

Sahara Byrne | 10.4

Assistant professor at Cornell University

Bill McKibben | 10.4

Scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College

Gar Alperovitz | 9.14

Paul Woodruff | 2.7 Dean of undergraduate studies at The University of Texas at Austin

Aaron Bramley | 2.22 Co-founder of “Lights. Camera. Help.” film festival

Natalie Byfield | 2.27 Associate professor of sociology and anthropology at St. John’s University Documentary photographer

4.12 | H. Samy Alim Professor, author, director of the Institute for Diversity in the Arts at Stanford University

4.16 | Bob Bowlsby Commissioner, Big 12 Conference

4.16 | Dan Beebe Former commissioner, Big 12 Conference

4.16 | Tim Weiser Deputy commissioner, Big 12 Conference

4.16 | Bob Burda Associate commissioner for communications, Big 12 Conference

4.16 | Ken Luce Communications consultant for Big 12 Conference

4.22 | Greg LeMond Three-time Tour de France winner

4.23 | Kathy LeMond Author, journalist, and wife of professional cyclist Greg LeMond

4.23 | Bill Bock General counsel to USADA

4.24 | Betsy Andreu Wife of professional cyclist Frankie Andreu

4.24 | Reed Albergotti Wall Street Journal white collar crimes reporter

Professor of political economy at the University of Maryland

Six-time Emmy Awardwinning sportswriter, television reporter and author

2013

Expert on the media and children, professor at Northwestern University

Jeremy Birnholtz | 2.28

2012

JEREMY SCHAAP

Assistant professor of communication studies, electrical engineering and computer science at Northwestern University

Gioia Timpanelli | 3.5 Emmy Award-winner, author, radio producer

Florian Thalhofer | 3.7 Artist, filmmaker and software inventor

Fred Cook, Jacqi Moore Richardson | 3.7 CEO, GolinHarris, Senior manager, GolinHarris

Habib Battah | 3.18 Investigative journalist, filmmaker and media critic

Thomas Frentz | 3.19 Author, researcher and professor of rhetoric, criticism, ethnography and myth

Rich Silverstein | 3. 21 Co-chairman and creative director of advertising agency Goodbye, Silverstein & Partners

Paul D’Angelo | 3.27 Associate professor of communication studies at The College of New Jersey

Dave Zirin | 4.1 Sports journalist, radio host

Joseph Turow | 4.4 Professor of communication, associate dean at Annenberg School for Communication

ELLEN WARTELLA

Retired United States Supreme Court Justice

4.25.13

SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR

10.31.12

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Here are some of the speakers the Moody College hosted during the 2012-2013 academic year— ountless professionals visit the Moody College of Communication each year to lecture and meet with students. They include scholars from other universities, politicians, journalists and filmmakers. This “bonus education” is what great universities do for their students—in a sense, it gives them a fifth year of education, making the Moody College a crossroads for students and bringing the real world to them.

6.14.13

Political campaign scholar, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania

Founder of leading advertising agency The Richards Group

New York Times columnist and reporter, author of “The Night of the Gun”

STAN RICHARDS Expert in bilingual language acquisition, assistant professor at Utrecht University

5.17.13 KATHLEEN HALL JAMIESON DAVID CARR SHARON UNSWORTH

4.15.13 10.24.12 10.19.12