SMART Lab, Scripps College of Communication

10/22/2026

New from the SMART Lab:

Dr. Laeeq Khan and colleagues show that young adults relied more on institutional channels than social media for COVID-19 information, and that community engagement drives protective behavior through risk communication and risk perception. Now out in the Journal of Health Communication. 50 free copies of the article:

https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/A337CXQJMNYBJUZ9JYKQ/full?target=10.1080/10810730.2026.2750439

Ohio University Scripps College of Communication

Young adults are widely assumed to engage primarily with health information through social media during public health crises, yet this assumption has rarely been tested empirically within instituti...

10/22/2026

📢 Join us in welcoming Yi Li, a first-year doctoral student in the School of Media Arts and Studies at Ohio University and the digital outreach specialist for SMART Lab.

Yi Li’s research interests lie at the intersection of digital media and emerging communication technologies, with a particular focus on food-related content.

At SMART Lab, Yi Li values the opportunity to connect with other researchers and learn new data analysis tools.

We’re excited to have Yi Li as part of the SMART Lab community!🎉

10/20/2026

10/19/2026

Episode 4: Misinformation: How Do We Know What to Trust? | SMART Lab

Before we share, how do we know what to trust?

In Episode 4 of From the Director’s Desk, SMART Lab Director Laeeq Khan introduces the Misinformation Research Cluster at Ohio University.

Our research explores how people recognize misinformation, verify information, interpret online content, and make sense of digital platforms. This episode traces questions about information literacy, audience engagement, and trust—and why stronger information skills matter.

Interested in helping build a better-informed digital world?

Connect with SMART Lab at Ohio University.

Ohio University Scripps College of Communication

10/16/2026

📊 Curious about what social media data can reveal about human behavior, digital communities, and emerging trends?

Turn digital conversations into meaningful research insights!

This Spring 2027, graduate students at Ohio University have the opportunity to explore the exciting world of Social Data Analytics through a hands-on, research-focused course.

Designed for graduate students interested in digital media, communication, social sciences, and data-driven research, this course takes you beyond theory and into practical applications.

🔍 What will you learn?

* Collect and analyze real-world social media data.
* Explore AI-powered analytics and computational research methods.
* Identify patterns in online conversations and social networks.
* Develop skills in data visualization and storytelling.
* Build a research project from data collection to meaningful insights.

Whether you’re working on a thesis or dissertation, expanding your methodological toolkit, or exploring new career opportunities, this course will help you turn data into actionable insights.

📚 Course Details

🧑‍🏫 Instructor: Dr. Laeeq Khan
🗓️ Spring 2027: January 11 – May 1
📅 Class Meetings: Mondays
⏰ Time: 12:55–2:55 PM ET
💻 Format: In-person/Hybrid
📖 Course: Research in Social Data Analytics (MDIA 6130)
🔢 Class Number: 10905

🎓 Graduate students from across disciplines are welcome!

Make data part of your research toolkit this spring!

10/16/2026

AI is changing how we teach, create, and communicate. How do we understand that change rather than simply adopt it?

In Episode 3 of From the Director’s Desk, SMART Lab Director Dr. Laeeq Khan introduces our Artificial Intelligence Research Cluster; exploring AI in education, audience engagement, brand communication, and emerging questions about the energy costs of AI data centers.

🎬 Tracing our research journey at Ohio University.

Interested in these questions? Let’s connect and collaborate.



Ohio University Scripps College of Communication
Ohio University School of Media Arts & Studies

10/15/2026

We had an excellent session! Thank you to Khaja Azizuddin for sharing his study on how mainstream and independent YouTube channels frame the Epstein files release.

We also appreciate everyone who attended and contributed questions on framing theory, research methods, and tool usage. Swipe to view some highlights from the talk. We look forward to the next dialogue!

10/14/2026

Let us hear from Ahmad Wakeel as he talks about how his experience founding a travel company in Pakistan shaped his research!👏

Using YouTube data, Ahmad Wakeel examines how digital stories become real-world decisions by comparing destination image in Hocking Hills, Ohio, and Nagano, Japan.

10/14/2026

Episode 2 from the Director’s Desk: Digital Inequality

The digital divide is about more than internet access, it’s about opportunity.

From Appalachian Ohio to libraries and classrooms, our research explores how access, digital skills, and community support shape participation in everyday life.

Join SMART Lab Director Laeeq Khan as we trace the journey of our Digital Inequality Research Cluster. We also refer to previous research that provided a strong foundation for our research since 2015.

🎬 From the Director’s Desk | Tracing our research journey



Ohio University Scripps College of Communication

10/13/2026

The SMART Dialogue Series continues with our third talk! 👏

Khaja Azizuddin, a second-year PhD student in E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, will present his study, “Framing Institutional Crisis on YouTube: A Four-Channel Analysis of Mainstream and Independent Discourse on the Epstein Files Release.”

The study applies framing theory to analyze YouTube comment sections across four channels, two mainstream (Fox News, CNN) and two independent (Voidzilla, Zeteo), to examine how channel type mediates audience interpretive frameworks in response to a major institutional transparency event.

🗓️ Thursday, October 15 | 1:00–2:00 PM | Microsoft Teams

We look forward to seeing you there! 👁️