Dr. Wenlin Liu Among AEJMC 2020 Emerging Scholars

Valenti professor secures one of four research grants available through this competitive program

By LaRahia Smith 713-743-0366

Pictured: Dr. Wenlin Liu in presenting a poster at a conference.

Assistant professor Wenlin Liu is one of a handful of grantees selected for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) 2020 Emerging Scholars Program.

The Emerging Scholars Program supports early-career academics through research and teaching funding (up to $3,500), veteran mentorship and a stipend to attend the annual AEJMC conference.

This highly competitive program only accepts roughly 10% of proposals each year. This year, four grants were awarded. These awards are given to the top projects that embody what the Emerging Scholars Program strives to promote: new, fresh research.

Liu’s research, which centers on Houston in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, fits that mold.

She says her project “Examining the Role of Community Communication Resources and Disaster Storytelling in Building Community Resilience” will support a community-wide survey of Houston residents affected by Hurricane Harvey

"I'm grateful for receiving this grant. This project will help to better understand how a community as diverse as Houston can recuperate from a natural disaster and how communication plays a role in such a process,” said Liu.