Karla Vazquez has been awarded the UCSB Grad Research Mentorship Program Fellowship (formerly called the Grad Opportunity Fellowship). This is a very competitive fellowship that will give her a stipend throughout the 25-26 AY, so she can focus on completing her thesis.
Kylie Falcione and Veronica Wilson’s poster, “Leveraging AI for learning: Insights from a course on media & children” won 2nd place in the poster contest for the UC Santa Barbara AI Community of Practice 2025 AI Symposium. You can view the poster at https://otl.ucsb.edu/ai-cop-spring-symposium-2025, after the program listing.
The UC-wide Constantine Panunzio Distinguished Emeriti Award was established in 1983, and exemplifies the tremendous contributions of Emeriti to the continued excellence of the UC System (see https://emeritiassociation.ucdavis.edu/awards-and-recognition/constantine-panunzio-award). The award letter summarizes his contributions since becoming an Emeritus Professor in 2017:
Howard Giles, UC Santa Barbara, Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of Communication, has retained his influence in the multi-disciplinary fields of social psychology of language and communication; intergenerational communication and aging; and intergroup communication more broadly. He is widely consider the leading scholar in these disciplines and is one of the ICA “Architects of Communication Scholarship.” His research productivity since retirement focuses on three domains: aging, Communication Accommodation Theory, which he founded, and police-community relations. Works include a co-authored book, eight special journal issues, 47 co-authored peer-reviewed articles, and numerous other publications and significant editorial work, in addition to national and international paper presentations.
Recognition has been bestowed upon him with two professional associations naming awards in his honor: the “Inaugural Giles Mentorship Award” From the International Association of Language & Social Psychology, and the “Howard Giles Top Student Paper Award” from the International Communication Association. His contributions include continued service to his campus, teaching, and mentorship. Since 2021 he has been an affiliate of UCSB’s Center for Aging & Longevity Studies. Post retirement he became a fellow in a number of societies, and in 2023 he was invited to become a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. In addition to his dedication to students and UCSB, his commitment to campus-community relationships is reflected in his service as the Director of the Volunteer in Policing Program for the Santa Barbara Police Department, earning him a nomination as the SBPD Civilian Supervisor of the Year Award. His involvement in this area of police-community relations has also results in collaborations with the police department, including a handbook on policing and communication, as well as an intervention program called VOICES that promotes dialog between the police and marginalized members of the community.
Nancy Molina-Rogers has been awarded the UCLA Chancellor's Postdoctoral Fellowship through the UC Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. Her position will start July 1st.
Howie Giles has been appointed Honorary Professor of the Department of English & Communication, at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong. This is a world class institution and highly ranked globally. He will be working with that Department on creating new areas of research and learning in the social psychology of language, sociolinguistics, and communication and related fields in Asia.
We are pleased to announce the 2025 joint Rupe Biennial, and The Office of Teaching and Learning (OTL), Research on Use of Generative AI by University Students and Its Effects Conference (https://www.comm.ucsb.edu/news-events/annual/rupe#2025). Click here to register and obtain the Zoom link to the Conference and the larger AI Symposium: https://otl.ucsb.edu/ai-cop-spring-symposium-2025 .
This year’s Rupe/OTL conference is part of The University of California, Santa Barbara’s AI Community of Practice’s (COP) 2025 2nd Annual AI COP Spring Symposium: AI in Action: Insights from the UCSB Community, co-sponsored by the Office of Teaching and Learning (https://otl.ucsb.edu); the Office of the CIO; the Rupe Chair; and the College of Letters and Science; see https://otl.ucsb.edu/cop/artificial-intelligence-community-practice. The main themes of the Symposium include AI in Teaching and Learning; AI for Research; AI for Workplace Productivity; AI Applications Development; and this joint Rupe/OTL Conference. The COP AI Symposium will occur via Zoom Monday April 28 – Friday May 2, 2025, each day from 9am-5pm, via Zoom, with an on-location reception and awards presentation on the afternoon of May 2. Sessions include keynotes, panels, roundtable discussions, workshops, and digital posters (with awards to the top 5). This event will be an opportunity for all campus members to explore how AI can serve our University’s mission, our students, faculty, researchers and employees, while attending to privacy, security, diversity, equity, inclusivity and accessibility.
The Rupe/OTL Research on Use of Generative AI by University Students and Its Effects Conference will be 1:30-2:30 Monday April 28 – Thursday May 1, with a
Keynote presentation Tuesday April 29 9-10 am and Wednesday April 30 9-10 am, all via Zoom. The Rupe /OTL sessions will present social science research on university students’ use of Generative AI and its effects. Each session will have a brief introduction, presentations, and a short discussion and Q&A segment.
“Drawing in part from their own research, Merolla and collaborator Jeffrey A. Hall, at the University of Kansas, elucidate a new way to think about our relational life in “The Social Biome: How Everyday Communication Connects and Shapes Us” (Yale University Press, 2025). The book, which was featured this week in a New York Times interactive article, is a social science-backed exploration into the complexities of, and opportunities within, day-to-day communication.” Click here for the full story!
On behalf of the UCSB Communication Alumni Council, we invite you to the 18th Annual UCSB Communication Career Day: "From Classroom to Career: Real-World Applications of a Communication Degree." For details, registration, and directions, go to https://www.comm.ucsb.edu/news-events/annual/career-day; for the Online Program, to to https://bit.ly/
UCSB Comm Alumna Steph Harris discusses "Communication in sustainability careers," followed by Q&A. Steph currently works on the Microsoft Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) team, where her primary focus is identifying large-scale carbon removal opportunities through the restoration of degraded landscapes around the world. Before joining Microsoft in 2023, Steph spent over 8 years at 3Degrees as a Director on the Carbon Markets team, where she was responsible for managing the company’s voluntary carbon credit portfolio. Steph completed a dual Bachelor's Degree in Communication and Environmental Science in 2013, and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science and Management at the Bren School in 2015, both at UCSB. During her time at UCSB, Steph was on the Cheerleading team, worked in Marketing for the UCSB Athletic Department, was a Peer Advisor for the Communication Department, and was a Tour Guide through the Gaucho Tour Association. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steph-harris-01b40251/
Click here to register (free) and get your Zoom link for Steph Harris.
Click here for more details about the UCSB Comm Alumni Council Virtual Career Series.
Dr. Young Ji Kim has been awarded the prestigious UCSB Regents’ Junior Faculty Fellowship. The Fellowship will provide Young Ji with a course release in the 2025-26 academic year to support her project entitled, ”Collaborative Neuro-Inclusivity in Action: Exploring Teamwork and Technological Scaffolding in Neurodiverse Groups.”