Nearly a third of our faculty are engaged in projects that promote healthy people and a healthy planet. By using new and emerging technologies to promote health behavior change and facilitate decision making, we aim to attain optimal health for people, animals and the environment. Our work includes studying the design and implementations of health and environmental information, ways in which health decision-making happens and how behaviors are adopted.
The Health and Risk Communication Center supports the work of over 50 affiliate faculty members who study the role of communication in health behavior change and risk reduction.
It serves as a hub for interdisciplinary research connections, provides methodological resources (such as surveys, focus groups, message production and statistical analysis), and serves as a go-to for specialized knowledge and expertise on all aspects of the health and environment risk process.
We're working on a global scale to study and promote socially beneficial behaviors in the context of health, risk, science and the environment.
Researchers in MSU's Health and Risk Communication Center are using communication modeling and analysis of social media to examine the dynamic relationships between social norms, emotions and COVID-19 risk reduction behaviors, using social media data and self-report surveys.
Read moreThe Communicative Sciences and Disorders research facilities are located in the ComArtSci and the Oyer Speech & Hearing buildings on the Michigan State University campus. There are eight research laboratories, as well as shared research spaces for faculty and student use. These communication labs have several sound-treated booths, an anechoic chamber, as well as a highly reverberant room. All laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art hardware and software to enable researchers in conducting the highest quality research. The department also provides several opportunities, space and resources for students (undergraduate and graduate) to participate in research.
The Knight Center for Environmental Journalism teaches student and professional journalists how to better report on the issues affecting the environment.
Media and Advertising Psychology Lab is focused on the study of media and advertising using biopsychological approaches, methods and theories.
The Theoretical and Applied Research on Media Affect and Cognition (TARMAC) lab is a state of the art media psychology lab featuring four separate areas including: a welcome room, a room with 12 computers for web-based and reaction-time studies, a “living-room” area for television and video game research, and a virtual reality and gaming area with four computers equipped with eye-tracking and Oculus Rift headgear
Current studies include research on virtual reality and entertainment, games and violence, the social appeal of movies, and the role of motivation in media appeal.
Sandi W. Smith is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Communication at Michigan State University.
Dr. Maria Lapinski is joint-appointed as a Professor in the Department of Communication and Michigan Ag-Bio Research at Michigan State University (MSU).
Dr. Holtz is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Advertising + Public Relations and the Director of the Health and Risk Communication Masters Program
Wei Peng is a Professor in the Department of Media and Information, Michigan State University. She is affiliated with the Games for Entertainment and Learning (GEL) lab and the Health and Risk Communication Center.
J. Scott Yaruss is a speech-language pathologist and board-certified specialist in fluency disorders whose research, teaching, and outreach are focused on helping speech-language pathologists improve their ability to provide meaningful and lasting support for people who live with stuttering.
Anastasia Kononova studies media multitasking behaviors and effects in persuasive communication