Category Archives: Research

Bridging identities and science: SCIP Workshop brings together scientists from diverse backgrounds to transform science communication

Workshop participants discuss and activity

Photo credits: Therese Iacono for SCIP

By Iasmim Amiden dos Santos

The Knight Center for Environmental Journalism and the Metcalf Institute at the University of Rhode Island (URI) organized a workshop on inclusive and culturally responsive science communication for the third and final cohort of fellows in the SciComm Identities Project (SCIP). Held from January 6 to 10 at the University of Rhode Island’s main campus in South Kingstown, the workshop trained 14 fellows from diverse cultural and disciplinary backgrounds who share a strong commitment to science communication and inclusive community engagement.

Continue reading →

Bolivian journalists explore environmental reporting innovations at Knight Center for Environmental Journalism workshop

Leave a reply

By Bruno Takahashi & Iasmim Amiden dos Santos

In a bid to tackle pressing environmental issues in South America, 12 Bolivian journalists gathered at Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism from October 28 to November 1. The workshop, “Innovations in Environmental Journalism for a Complex World,” aimed to equip reporters with new skills and insights to enhance environmental coverage in Bolivia and across the region.

Erika Bayá Santos, Red Ambiental de Información during the workshop

Continue reading →

Knight Center to host speaker on energy and politics

Leave a reply

David Spence

David Spence, a professor of energy regulation at the University of Texas Austin, will speak on “The Misunderstood Politics of the U.S. Energy Transition” on Thursday, Sept. 5, from noon until 1.p.m.

Spence’s free public presentation will take place in Room 191 of the Communication Arts & Sciences Building.

He will discuss his new book, Climate of Contempt: How to Rescue the U.S. Energy Transition from Voter Partisanship (Columbia University Press).

“The problem is not that elected politicians are unresponsive to voters, but that changes in electoral competition and the information environment have made politicians more responsive to the most negatively partisan voters, who in turn drive public (mis)understanding of the clean energy transition as a political challenge,” Spence says.

Earlier in the day he will talk with students in the Environmental Reporting class.

Knight Center researchers win paper award for study on Latin America at 2024 AEJMC Conference

Leave a reply

Knight Center’s Research Director Bruno Takahashi and doctoral researcher Iasmim Amiden dos Santos won first place in the Latin American Communication Research and Researchers Award at the 2024 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) conference.

Their paper titled “Building Bridges: A Narrative Literature Review of Spanish and Portuguese Language Climate Change Communication Scholarship from Latin America,” won the award offered by the International Communication Division of AEJMC. The paper was co-authored with María Fernanda Salas from the Universidad de Costa Rica.

In this study, they present the main trends in climate change communication research in the region, highlighting the significant contributions of Latin American scholars to the field. Their goal is to build bridges between academics from the Global North and South.

Iasmim Amiden dos Santos and Bruno Takahashi receiving the award

From right to left: Bruno Takahashi, Iasmim Amiden dos Santos and Maria Fernanda Salas