My name is Rebecca and I am a Doctoral Candidate (ABD, May 2011) in the Department of Communication at Purdue University. I study Communication and the intersection of health and social/new media and computer-mediated interaction, where I work with Professor Sorin Matei and Professor James L. Mohler, along with Professor Bart Collins. In my research, I use my professional experience in web and graphic design, combined with theoretical background to examine communication problems of our time. Many of my research projects have been through grant-funded opportunities, with much collaboration with the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering. My research examines how new changes in the way we communicate impact and affect us- particularly through new media. Campaigns, public relations programs, the creation and evaluation of promotional messages are all areas that are at the cornerstone of these new developments and areas that I constantly examine.

I love to teach- I’ve been fortunate to teach undergraduate classes in technical communication, science writing and presentation, small groups and technical problems (i.e., campaigns and message strategies), and basic and advanced presentational speaking curricula. I am a proud research assistant at the Center for Instructional Excellence at Purdue University.

In addition to my scholarly pursuits, I am a graphic artist in the areas of web site design and development, and I am a self-taught artist. I take great pride in creating clean and well-thought designs for web and print that are meticulously developed. I strive to create designs that, at their core, communicate the information they’re meant to convey. I value organization, simplicity and elegance. These concepts aid in my teaching and research programs by providing real-world examples of good -and bad- examples of visual communication design.

I’m from northern Ohio, but I presently spend much of my time in Lafayette, Indiana as I complete my PhD (anticipated graduation, May 2012). I feel very privileged to study at Purdue University, where I am so fortunate to conduct research and teach classes to groups of excellent, hard-working students. I view my scholarly work and design projects as inherently creative processes where I strive to find meaningful and relevant connections. I am excited to connect with you, whether for the opportunity to collaborate, share interesting articles and texts, or to simply network.

Thank you so much for taking a visit!

Photograph by Nathaniel Edmunds Photography.