The Communication Theory and Methodology division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication awarded School of Communication faculty and graduate student with top papers.

MA student Brianna Wilson and Professor Silvia Knoblock-Westerwick received this year’s Top Theory paper for “Picture Yourself Healthy—How Social Media Users Select Images to Shape Health Intentions and Behaviors.”  Wilson is a graduate student entering her second year at Ohio State this fall. Her research interests include digital media selection and its uses and effects that relate to health decision making.

Aysenur Dal was also selected as this year’s Top Student paper for her submission, “Bypass vs. Complying? Predicting circumvention of online censorship in networked authoritarian regimes.” This is the second year in a row that an Ohio State student has won this award. Dal is a PhD student whose research interests focus on political activism through new information and communication technologies.

Dal, Knobloch-Westerwick and Wilson will receive awards for their work at the CT&M members meeting at the AEJMC conference in Chicago Aug. 9-12.