Texas Tech's College of Media and Communication proudly recognized its students and faculty mentors who participated in one of the nation's largest undergraduate research events during Discoveries to Impact Month.
Now in its 18th year, the Texas Tech University Undergraduate Research Conference has established itself as one of the largest gatherings of its kind in the nation. The conference brought together undergraduate researchers and creative scholars from across the region to present their work in an interdisciplinary setting. This year's conference featured six student researchers and eight faculty mentors, and the College of Media and Communication was well represented.
The conference was held during April, which Texas Tech recognizes as Discoveries to
Impact Month, a time dedicated to highlighting the meaningful contributions of its
students, faculty, and staff to research, scholarship, and the community.
Allyson Etter, a CoMC student, was awarded first place in the creativity category
for her project "Beyond the Table: Conflict and Cooperation in Tabletop Role-Playing
Games," along with a $250 cash prize. The research examined collaboration and conflict
within tabletop role-playing game communities through the analysis of more than 1,000
firsthand accounts shared on Reddit. Common patterns in player experiences were identified,
with a focus on what game designers could do to foster more respectful and cooperative
environments. The project has been submitted to the Generation Analog academic conference,
and a related portion was submitted to the National Communication Association conference
in November, with hopes of eventual publication in a peer-reviewed academic journal.
Etter was mentored by Megan Condis, Ph.D., associate professor in CoMC.
Nusrat Jahan, a Psychological Sciences major, was awarded third place in the learning category for her development of a media literacy fact-checking game. The game was designed for all ages, with the goal of helping families and communities become more discerning media consumers by learning to distinguish credible information from misinformation and disinformation. Jahan was mentored by CoMC Professor of Practice Lucinda Holt, M.A.
The following students were also recognized for their participation, alongside their faculty mentors:
Will Fry (CoMC), mentored by Erik Bucy, Ph.D., Professor; Avren Delozier (TTU), mentored
by Coy Callison, Ph.D., Professor; Cassandra Raucheisen (CoMC), mentored by Narissra
M. Punyanunt-Carter, Ph.D.; James Anaya (TTU), mentored by Sarah Schiffaker, Professor
of Practice; Jordan Reeves (CoMC), mentored by Julie Chang, Ph.D., Professor; Haley
Moore (CoMC), mentored by Harrison Gong, Ph.D., Assistant Professor; and Akshita Srivastava
(CoMC), mentored by Shan Xu, Ph.D., Professor.
All participating students and faculty mentors were congratulated by the college for
their dedication to research and creativity that extended beyond the classroom.
