In the Spotlight: Dec. 8-12, 2025

Kudos to these faculty, staff and programs.

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  • School of Communication assistant professor Sun Kim and associate professor Zhan Xu presented their experimental study on VR first-person shooter games at the 2025 National Communication Association Convention in Denver. The duo’s research explored how playing VR shooting games can affect someone’s feelings toward real firearms, ultimately finding that gameplay had a limited influence on participants’ views. The study was recently published in the International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction 
  • Kim was also the first author of the article “Trends in theoretical public relations research in the 21st century: Longitudinal analysis and comparison of leading journals,” published in the online journal PRism. The paper focuses on emerging trends in public relations theory and methodology, highlighting the field’s move toward interdisciplinary, data-driven work.  
  • Caleb Churchill, School of Communication assistant teaching professor and photography program coordinator, was featured in multiple creative projects this fall. He was included in The Red Thread, the fifth chapter of Conveyor Studio’s contemporary artist publication, and a group exhibition with the artist-run STNDRD initiative at Chicago’s Purple Window Gallery. Additionally, Churchill received a 2026 Creative Flagstaff grant to fund an outdoor exhibition space in Flagstaff, designed to present two years of work made by local and nationwide artists.  
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