The Emerging Media Studies program integrates coursework with real-world research experiences. Students emerge well-rounded and prepared not only to describe but explain and predict the world of emerging media using the skills honed during the program.
Working with experts in the field
Students have opportunities to work directly with professors to conduct original research. As research assistants, they help professors develop, research, analyze, and write-up research projects.
Lei Guo
Associate Professor, Division of Emerging Media Studies
“My research focuses on the development of media effects theories, emerging media and democracy, and computational social science methodologies. I have been collaborating with colleagues and students in both communication and computer science to conduct research in areas related to artificial intelligence and emerging media. The Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Media (AIEM) research group I co-lead explores and creates techniques from machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision to interpret emerging media and their impact on the society as well as on individuals’ lives. Our research group has recently been awarded $1 million from the National Science Foundation to develop multiplatform, multilingual, and multimodal tools for analyzing international flow of public communications. I welcome students who are interested in AIEM research to attend our weekly research meetings and get involved.”
![Master's student Chelsea Cutino helped Professor Groshek's research project examining the role of media in public perceptions of zika health risks.]](/com/files/2016/11/zikahealthrisks.jpg)
Student led client-based projects
Each year, students lead client based research projects that identify, propose, and resolve client issues. These projects give students the opportunity to get real world client experiences under the guidance of department professors.
Jim Cummings
Assistant Professor, Division of Emerging Media Studies
“Ranging from education to health to commerce, the 777 client project provides students with an opportunity to take skills cultivated in the Fall semester and apply them towards original research in a client field beyond the classroom. The project not only requires students to put ideas into action, but also provides them with valuable experience in terms of managing professional relationships, working on teams with dynamic leadership roles, setting expectations with external clients, producing research deliverables, and presenting findings to non-specialist audiences. Afterward, our students have been able to highlight project work and results during job interviews, and those with the inclination have been able to continue on projects beyond the course, even producing manuscripts and abstracts for journal and conference submissions. As such, I’ve found this to be a valuable experience for our students, whether their aspirations are to continue with academic training or (re-)enter professional industry.”
#SCREENTIMEBU
All Emerging Media Studies students contribute to the annual #ScreentimeBU conference. This exciting conference provides an opportunity for EMS students to present their research in the field of digital communication and society as well as exchange their views with peers and field leaders concerning important contemporary issues. By showcasing the fruits of their research, EMS students share their ideas with the general public and industry leaders. In addition, the conference provides an opportunity for students to develop their public communication capabilities and get input from industry experts in a professional setting.
