Written by Dr. Matt Schnackenberg, professor of communication studies, and Dr. Riley Richards, assistant professor of communication studies
The Oregon Tech Communication department attended the 46th Annual Northwest Communication Association Conference in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, April 7-9, 2022. Oregon Tech has attended the conference consistently for over two decades, and Professor Kevin Brown has been attending since 1987. After one year was canceled due to COVID-19 and another hosted completely remote, this is the first year the conference is back to face-to-face.
Communication faculty who attended the conference included: AJ Davila and Drs. Kevin Brown, Vicki Crooks, Andrea McCracken, Riley Richards, and Matt Schnackenberg. Oregon Tech faculty and students presented their research, innovative pedagogy, and facilitated other workshops and presentations at the conference. Students Adam Gerhards and Sarah Handyside presented solo-authored projects they conducted in COM 326: Communication Research, researching reasons for participating in trading card games and exploring turning points in polyamorous relationships, respectively.
The conference was held at the lakeside Coeur d’Alene Resort. Several students who did not present joined in the trip to learn about the conference and to provide support for the registration desk and other conference needs. On the last night of the conference, following a long conference tradition, students and professors shared a sushi feast together and talked into the evening.
Melissa Lee, a Communication Studies student who helped at the conference, said, “It was so fun to meet people so passionate about so many different topics.”
Similarly, Sarah Handyside said the best part was “connecting with people.”
Adam Gerhards said there is a great “payoff” to research and writing when so many peers and professors are “genuinely interested in what you have discovered.”
Dr. Brown presented his first conference paper as an undergraduate. He said it was a great experience for a student to present papers alongside their professors.
“One of the greatest benefits is that students are not only learning and consuming knowledge but creating and ratifying knowledge. It is an experience few undergraduates get!” he said.
