Journalism student's independent research invited for presentation at national meeting

By Marshall Swanson - USC Times

A USC student has garnered national recognition for a research project she completed as an undergraduate in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications even before implementation of the University's new Magellan Scholars program that funds undergraduate research.

Staci Jordan, a visual communications major from Andrews who graduated this spring and is completing a Dow Jones summer internship at The Tampa Tribune, examined graphics editing practices in six newsrooms of North and South Carolina.

Her paper was invited for presentation at the 89th annual convention of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications Aug. 2-5 in San Francisco.

"The thing this says to me is that we're doing acceptable peer-reviewed research at all levels--graduate and undergraduate. That's important for a school of journalism at a research university," said Douglas J. Fisher, Jordan's faculty adviser who guided her through the independent study.

Jordan examined the reality of graphics editing in different-sized newsrooms compared with what textbooks and other publications present as the norm.

"Her paper raised important questions for further study. She did a wonderful job," Fisher said.

After two semesters of work on the project, "It was like, yes, finally!" when the AEJMC e-mail came, Jordan said. Her long-range plans include graduate school and possibly a career as a college journalism educator.

It's unusual for an undergraduate to have a paper accepted at the AEJMC, especially in the Newspaper Division, which is one of the most competitive, Fisher said.

Moreover, he said, Jordan did the work with no outside funding or assistance. "It was wonderful to have a student take this kind of work on by herself and I was thrilled to be able to help her."

This spring the Magellan Scholars program provided the first cohort of students up to $3,000 from the Office of Research and Health Sciences and the Office of Undergraduate Research to fund their research projects.

Scholars can explore and discover their interests at a more in-depth level than they could in the classroom alone, according to the Undergraduate Research Office. They also get the opportunity for faculty mentoring that is part of the research process.