February 2021

Greenlee Graduate Student Association (GSA) expands programming for Spring 2021 By Hugo Bolaños, President Chelsea Davis, Secretary Lexi He, Treasurer As the Spring 2021 semester begins, the Graduate Student Association (GSA) continues to look forward to helping Greenlee graduate students by answering any questions, voicing student concerns and perspectives to faculty -- and most importantly -- making sure that graduate students feel welcomed by organizing monthly socials where students and faculty can find joy. GSA is currently planning our February social, which will be virtual. If you have questions or comments, please email hbolanos@iastate.edu.

February/March Key Dates Feb. 12 - Graduation applications due for prospective Spring 2021 graduates Feb. 25, 6 p.m. - Greenlee Graduate Student Association Game Night (via Zoom) March 5 - GPSS Award Deadline March 15 - Greenlee Spring 2021 Graduates - Awards Deadline

Check out our Greenlee graduate video!

Student Spotlight: Zhe (Mia) Wang By Julian Neely Zhe (Mia) Wang, a first-year Greenlee graduate student from East China, found her way to Iowa State University in the pursuit of her undergraduate degree. She decided to stay at Iowa State for her master’s degree because she loved the energy and support of the Greenlee faculty and staff. In her first semester, Mia has collaborated on research with Dr. Michael Dahlstrom, LAS Dean's Professor and director of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication. She plans to focus her thesis research on media representation of gender stereotypes, blending journalism and sociology.

Dr. Laura Witzling joined Greenlee in 2018. She received her Ph.D. in Mass Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research focuses on using communication to solve problems in environmental, agricultural and food contexts. She enjoys including community partners in both her research and teaching.

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Laura Witzling By Julian Neely Dr. Laura Witzling, assistant professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, came to Iowa State University to blend her passion for the environment, agriculture and communications. Originally Witzling found herself pursuing environmental science and zoology by evaluating social issues on farms and in community gardens. Gradually she began to recognize there was a missing piece. She filled the void through communications. Her most current research surrounds Iowa farm conservations and their access to waterways. To date, Dr. Witzling has published more than 11 peer-reviewed research journal articles to a diverse group of journals including the Journal of Agriculture, Journal of Food Distribution Research and Environmental Communication.

Congratulations!  Graduate Student Chelsea Davis, 2021 ISCORE presenter Prof. Deni Chamberlin and Dr. Novotny Lawrence, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning #CyThx 2020 Graduate Faculty Honorees

Graduate students study relationship between food and media in Greenlee seminar course By Julian Neely Graduate students in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication explored the relationship between food and media through a new seminar class offered in fall 2020. Dr. Laura Witzling led this course, in which graduate students learned how media products can be used to tell stories, share news and unite people for a greater cause around food systems. As part of the course, Witzling challenged her students to create and conduct their own research projects. Witzling’s academic background unifies environment, agriculture and media perspectives. Her wisdom and expertise positions students to conduct exceptional research. Throughout the class, students engaged in research topics spanning from comparing cookbook recipes with Instagram visualizations, studying how news oriented around food is framed during COVID-19 and understanding how food advertisements include members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

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Spread the word: There's still time to apply for Fall 2021... Please spread the word to friends and colleagues that applications remain open for Fall 2021! Find more information on graduate program admissions.