Two faculty in MSU’s College of Communication Arts and Sciences were named Fellows of the International Communication Association, one of the top honors in the field of communication. Dr. James Dearing and Dr. Ronald Tamborini accepted the honor during the 71st Annual ICA Conference, which was held virtually May 27-31, 2021.
ICA grants the status of fellow to faculty who have made distinguished scholarly contributions to the field of communication. To be considered, candidates must have a documented record of outstanding scholarly achievement. Michigan State University is home to the largest network of current and past ICA Fellows.
Dr. James Dearing
A Brandt Endowed Professor in MSU’s Department of Communication, Jim Dearing, Ph.D., studies the diffusion of innovations and the implementation of evidence-based practices, programs, technologies, and policies. His research and teaching include program sustainability, dissemination science, and implementation science. He works with teams in environmental remediation, water conservation, public health, injury and fatality prevention, nursing care, and healthcare to improve their practice and apply best practices discovered through research. Dearing has been a principal investigator on research grants from the National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, National Cancer Institute, and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, as well as several private foundations. Dearing is an affiliate of the Health and Risk Communication Center at ComArtSci.
Dr. Ronald Tamborini
As Professor in MSU’s Department of Communication, Ron Tamborini, Ph.D., studies traditional and new media, with a focus on characteristics of message content and technology that impact social behavior. His research attempts to model processes that govern the selection, valuation, and production of media content. Resulting models have been used to address social issues including outgroup trust, political preferences, and the influence of terrorist media coverage on authoritarian beliefs. Recent work examines how narrative cues activate intuitive mechanisms to prompt altruistic or egoistic response, and the impact of natural mapping in both virtual reality and gaming technology. Tamborini directs the Psychology of Entertaining Media (POEM) Lab at MSU and teaches courses on media process and methods of communication inquiry.
By Melissa Priebe