Office of Communication Research
The Office of Communication Research offers expertise and resources aimed at helping faculty and graduate students in the College of Media and Entertainment produce scholarship about media. Available expertise includes assistance with data acquisition, especially using python-based tools such as the office’s iterative Twitter scraper and a script for finding and retrieving data from the Global Database of Events, Language and Tone (GDELT). Support for statistical analysis using the open-source R programming language is also available. A Tobii Pro Nano eye tracking unit is available, too, along with software, setup, logistical and data analysis support. Additionally, the competitively awarded OCR Scholar Account grant provides up to $1,000 annually to reimburse college faculty and graduate students for research-related expenses. As a secondary mission, the office promotes the acquisition of various data skills useful to working media professionals, including basic data analysis, visualization, and mapping. The office’s director, Dr. Ken Blake, is a professor in the college’s School of Journalism and Strategic Media.
