Events

BTU Forum: COVID-19 Responsive Community Engaged Research

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, TU’s community of scholars and practitioners reconsidered community engagement approaches and reallocated resources to focus on COVID-19 responsiveness and student employment. This forum highlights lessons learned and celebrates faculty research projects related to the pandemic and community engagement.

Featured project presentations

COVID messaging on social media
Faculty/staff lead: Sushma Kumble
Student researcher: Mariah Davis-Bullock and Margaret Whitescarver

This study examines Twitter conversations around conspiracy theories and uses social network and content analysis to understand the virality of conspiracy messages and practical implications that health agencies can take to mitigate some of the negative effects.

Empowering Communities Project
Faculty/staff lead: Donn Worgs and Amina Sillah
Student researcher: Jordyn Lewis, Luna Thomas, Kirsten Whiting and Brooklyn Todd

The Empowering Communities Project conducted a survey to understand the impact that the pandemic has had on area organizations. Research outcomes will help guide ECP's work with its current and future cohorts to better address these needs.

Linking COVID-19 Business Operations to State Press Releases: An analysis using Machine Learning
Faculty/staff lead: Stella Tomasi
Student researcher: Allison Rybalnik

This study focused on how various companies around the country reacted to the COVID-19 pandemic to provide details on company operations to employees and customers. In addition, the study reviews how state response to social distancing played a role in these messages.

Hostile Terrain 94
Faculty/staff lead: Joyce Garczynski
Student researcher: Sydney Avelino

This project has involved hiring a student to research how TU could implement a physical exhibition in a virtual environment, which documents over 3,000 migrant deaths through the display of toe tags on a nine-foot map of the Mexican border.