March 21

10:00AM EST

Introductions

SoC Dean Karin Wilkins

Associate Dean for Research and Creative Activity, Konstantia Kontaxis

10:15AM EST

Opening Keynote

Meeting the Challenge of Communicative AI: A Human-Machine Communication Framework
Andrea Guzman, Associate Professor, NIU

Dr. Guzman researches Human-Machine Communication, examining AI interactions, voice assistants, and AI integration in journalism. She co-leads NIU’s AI ethics initiative and works with an interdisciplinary team to study student attitudes toward AI. Guzman is the lead editor of The SAGE Handbook of Human-Machine Communication and has published in top journals, including New Media & Society and Digital Journalism. She regularly presents at leading conferences and is co-authoring a book with Dr. Miriam Sweeney on voice assistants (Polity, 2026).

Made possible with the support of the Lynn and Louis II Wolfson Family Foundation Fund for New Media.

11:15AM

Catalyzing Change

Kallia Wright, Hanna Birenbaum Cooper, Kaixu Yuan, Rutendo Chimbaru    

Postpartum depression and Black Women: A theory-based analysis of communicative experiences.·PRA    

Ching-Hua Chuan

Exploring Large Language Models for Chatbots as Eligibility Assistants for Clinical Trials. CTSI award

Regina Ahn

The Digital Beauty Ideal and Female Adolescents: Unpacking the Roles of Self-Esteem and Self-Improvement on Brand Outcomes.

Nick Carcioppolo, Geyi Wang, Kaixu Yuan, Zixiao Yang, Dongya Wang

When humor appeals fail and when they succeed: Using latent profile analysis to identify audience receptivity to humorous messages.

12:00PM

Lunch Break

1:00PM

Future Audiences

Alfred Martin

On the Black Hand Side: Black Fandoms and Cultural Politics. PRA

Barbara Leibell

Abbas Karimi: Paralympic Refugee in the Water.  A&H Fellowship

Yangfang Wu

Enhancing Depression Detection on TikTok: A Multi-model Approach Leveraging ImageBand. ULINK award

Lorena Lopez

Answer Campus: An Interdisciplinary Course in Equity, Inclusion, and Game Development.. ULINK award

2:15PM

Coffee Break

2:30PM

SoC Awards

Margaret Cardillo

Jane the First. SoC

Neri Garcia

Augmented Nature: Exploring Hedonic and Eudaimonic Experiences in AR for Enhanced Mental Health in Healthcare Settings. SoC

Sana Haq

Joe from Overtown. SoC

Christina Lane

Rediscovering Shamley Productions: Another Look at ‘Alfred Hitchcock Presents’. SoC

Thomas Musca

Aguadilla. SoC

Weiting Tao, Geyi Wang, Dongqing Xu

Examining the Antecedents and Outcomes of Perceived Corporate Bravery in Corporate Social Advocacy (CSA). SoC

3:30PM

Graduate Perspectives

Oana Martisca (MFA)

News Without a Newsroom. Knight Foundation

Justin Jacobson (MFA)

Embedded Game Design for Impact: Enhancing Answer Campus through Subtle Mechanics and Engaging Play.

Jiajing Tang (PhD)

Examining the Effects of Message Modality, Social Reaction Cues, and Platform Context on Misinformation Assessments and Engagement on Social Media.

Zixiao Yang (PhD)

Navigating caregiving challenges: An intersectional and mixed-methods analysis of resilience among family cancer caregivers.

Geyi Wang (PhD)

Loneliness and misinformation: The dual epidemics in the digital age.

4:30PM

Closing Remarks