LAKELAND (Oct 24, 2011) – Florida Southern College students and faculty presented research and won awards at the 81st Annual Florida Communication Association convention held October 14 and 15 in Orlando. Public Relations major Mary Renee Beals won awards for Outstanding Undergraduate Poster and Best Poster Session Presentation for her work on reality television.

Under the guidance of Dr. Cara Mackie, eleven communication students presented intercultural and interpersonal papers across two panels.  Students’ research ranged from discussions of mediated depictions of cultural artifacts to analysis of relational communication.

“I was impressed and pleased by the students work,” said Dr. Cara Mackie. “This is such an excellent opportunity for student–faculty collaboration in a professional setting.”

Faculty members Dr. Chris Fenner, Dr. Cara Mackie, Dr. Alex Ortiz and Dr. Patrick Smith also presented on a panel that analyzed the media’s influence on social norms.  Dr. Ortiz also presented a second paper on his findings from a health communication study.

This was the Communication Department’s third year participating in the conference, which is intended to promote the study and research of speech and mass communication. Communication faculty and students from more than 25 Florida colleges and universities showcased their research at the conference.