January-February_CollegeNews25

10 | January & February | College News College of Fine Arts and Communication | 11 JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION Advertising, Digital Media Innovation, Electronic Media , Mass Communication, Journalism, & Public Relations FACULTY ACCOLADES Terry Bertling's story for PublicHealthWatch.org ("Access to Care: From Telehealth to Tools, Pottsboro Library Con- necting Community, Feb. 2, 2024) was cited in a Jan. 15, 2025, amicus brief by the American Library Association for the U.S. Supreme Court. The brief was in support of the Federal Communication Commission's E-Rate program that helps schools and libraries provide affordable broadband ser- vice to communities. The story was about research conducted by the Translational Health Research Center at Texas State University for a pilot project with the Pottsboro Area Library in far North Texas. Dale Blasingame taught a Drones 101 workshop for the LBJ Institute for STEM Education and Research’s FAMA (Future Aerospace-engineers Mathematicians Academy) program on Saturday, February 6. Roughly 20 high school students from San Marcos, Lockhart and Seguin attended, learning about how drones are used in the professional world and some of the basic rules regarding FAA-approved commercial drone operation. Blasingame also flew drones with the students both indoors and outdoors. Six SJMC advertising students—or recent graduates—have had creative work that's been accepted into the 2024 Amer- ican Advertising Awards, San Antonio chapter. Associate Professor of Practice, Gene Brenek encouraged the students to enter and provided revision feedback over the winter break to get students "show ready." The final results— and who won what—will be revealed at an awards ceremony at the Witte Museum on Friday, 2/28. Larry Carlson is judging the television and radio sports en- tries for the Texas Association of Broadcasters' (TAB) annual broadcast news awards. The awards will be announced at the TAB banquet at the Westin Austin at the Domain on April 12. Stories from four of the six students in Eraldo “Dino” Chi- ecchi’s graduate-level feature writing class in Fall 2024 were 1 2 3 Students gather to listen to a panel at PR Day The Planters Nut Mobile outside the Quad Katie Krupinski shared stories, and gave insight on the daily life of a Peanutter published in various newspapers and websites. Stories written by Richard Thomas III appeared in the Houston Landing and the San Marcos Daily Record , and stories by Joshua Collilu- ori , and Charles Adkins were published in the San Marcos Daily Record . Several stories by Elissa Jorgensen were pub- lished previously in the Austin American-Statesman . Chiecchi is working on getting stories by the other two students published. Gilbert D. Martinez was invited by Del Mar College in Corpus Christi on Jan. 30 to give a campus-wide talk about the free speech rights and responsibilities of college students. Martinez also visited with mass communication and digital media students along with The Foghorn student newspaper staff to discuss press freedoms and challenges. Gilbert D. Martinez invited School of Journalism and Mass Communication alumni Remle Herzberg (Class of 2023) and Aaron Peralta (Class of 2022) to a Zoom meeting to talk about their experiences as social media coordinators for Major League Baseball teams. Herzberg, who is the social media coordinator for the Texas Rangers, and Peralta, who worked on the social media team for the Cincinnati Reds and the Seattle Mariners and is now currently the social media coordi- nator for the Houston Dynamo, joined a Zoom meet- ing hosted by the Society for American Baseball Re- search’s Rogers Hornsby Chapter. Both shared insights into their time at Texas State and offered Texas State students who joined the meeting advice about pursuing a career in sports. Jessica L. James served as a guest speaker on the TXST Pod- cast Network "Enlighten Me," sharing research insights on online dating and the gamification of romance. The podcast premiered on Feb. 21. Cindy Royal was named a Regents’ Teacher. She also published the article Prompting, Patience, and Perspective: Applying Transformational Teaching Theory to Using Arti- ficial Intelligence in a Coding Course in Journalism & Mass Communication Educator . This article introduces the methods used in integrating AI into her Mobile Media Development course and presents students' impressions in using AI for coding projects. An annual event designed to connect the community of public relations students, faculty, and alumni in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The second annual PR Day took place on Thursday, February 20, 2025, on the Texas State University campus. The PLANTERS NUTMobile rolled into the TXST Quad and parked for the morning to pass out peanuts, offer information on jobs with the NUTMobile, and introduce selfies with Mr. Peanut, and TXST President Damphousse. Texas State PR alum Katie Krupinski and her team of Peanutters who travel the country with the PLANTERS NUTMobile shared stories from their travels and how they juggle events, social media content and media relations for a major brand. There was also a number of panels including: • Kerri Qunell , Director of Marketing and Commu- nications, The Texas Tribune , and a Texas State alum, along with a Young Alumni Panel shared interview tips for students. • Student Involvement Panel Panelists: Emma Vega , President, PRSSA Leah Gonsalves , Executive Director, Bobcat Promotions Katherine Andrews , Director of Public Relations, The University Star Jasmine Lozoya , Assistant Promotions Director, KTSW Shauné Smith , Modeling Director, Lewk Magazine Ariana Alcantar , Social Media Director, Her Campus Media Maddy Ramon , Participant, Study in America • Playing in the Major Leagues: Insights on the Founding of Austin FC: this panel explained the role that public relations, branding, community relations, and podcasting bring in a Major League Soccer team to Austin, and developing a strong fan base. #TXSTPR DAY