dahlstrom

 

 

Michael F. Dahlstrom

Assistant Professor

Curriculum Vitae
Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication
Iowa State University of Science and Technology
  
         
 

Contact Information:

mfd@iastate.edu
(608) 469-9602
215 Hamilton Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50010

 

Education:

Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison: Journalism and Mass Communications joint with Environmental Resources
M.S., Iowa State University: Biophysics
B.A., Iowa State University: Journalism and Communication
B.S., Iowa State University: Biophysics

 

Teaching:

Jl MC 547. Science Communication. Graduate-level course focused on theories of science, risk and enviornmental communication. Students are expected to either produce a theoretical-based research paper or build an entensive portfolio of science writing for general audiences.
Jl MC 347. Science Communication. Reporting and writing about science and technology topics for general audiences. Outlets for stories include print, broadcast and online media. Story topics include reporting about basic, applied sciences and social sciences, as well as ethical, political and policy issues related to science and technology.
TSC 341. Technology: International, Social and Human Issues. Explores the benefits, problems and other consequences of technological change in the modern world.  The course examines relationships between technology and the culture of its users, and considers the effects of transferring technology in order to assist nations in their development efforts. 
Jl MC 305. Publicity Methods. Communication and publicity fundamentals and the use of media for publicity purposes. Preparing releases for print and broadcast; basics of publicity campaigns.
Jl MC 201. Reporting and Writing for the Mass Media.
Generating story ideas, exercising news judgment and gathering information via interviews, observation and documentary sources to produce news and informational material for the mass media. Emphasis on analyzing and organizing information, as well as accuracy and principles of good writing.

 

Links:

Science Communication @ ISU Research Group
First Amendment Day
 
  

Research Interests:

Michael's research focuses on how message factors, such as framing and narrative structure, influence audience perceptions of science communication. He has explored the communication of science topics including climate change, avian flu and astronomy, as well as the ethical challenges facing scientists who use narrative to contribute to policy contexts.

 

Recent Publications:

Dahlstrom, M.F. & Ho, S.S. (in press) Ethical considerations of using narratives to communicate science. Science Communication.
Dahlstrom, M.F., Dudo, A.D., & Brossard, D. (2012). Precision of information, sensational information, and self-efficacy information as message-level variables affecting risk perceptions. Risk Analysis, 32(1), 155-166.
Dahlstrom, M.F. (2010). The role of causality in information acceptance in narratives: An example from science communication. Communication Research, 37(6), 857-875.
Dahlstrom, M.F., & Scheufele, D. (2010). Diversity of television exposure and its association with the cultivation of concern for environmental risks. Environmental Communication, 4(1), 54-65.
Dudo, A.D., Dahlstrom, M.F., & Brossard, D. (2007). Reporting a potential pandemic: A risk-related assessment of avian flu coverage in U.S. newspapers. Science Communication. 28 (4) 429-454.

Recent Conference Presentations:

Dahlstrom M.F.  & Goodwin J. (2011, Nov.). Using debate to help undergraduate students reflect upon the social and ethical implications of technology. Results presented to the Congress on Teaching Social and Ethical Implications of Research, Tempe, AZ.
Dahlstrom M.F., Bugeja, M., Wang, R. & Issa, M. (2011, Aug.). The Goldilocks zone of science communication: An analysis of how media depicted Gliese 581G. Paper presented to the Communication Theory & Methodology Division, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) convention, St. Louis, MO.
Binder, A. R., Dahlstrom, M. F., & Brossard, D. (2011, Aug.). Eye to (un)biased eye? Effects of visual and source attributes on the perceived credibility of identical information. Paper presented to the Communication Theory and Methodology Division, AEJMC convention, St. Louis, MO.
Dahlstrom, M.F., & Sar, S. (2011, May). The interaction of multiple messages over time on health perceptions: Narrative and non-narrative message styles. Paper presented to the Health Communication Division, International Communication Association (ICA) convention, Boston.
Dahlstrom, M.F. & Ho, S.S. (2011, May.) Frames versus narratives: A framework for ethical articulation in science communication. Paper presented to the Science communication @ ISU: 2011 summer symposium: The ethical challenges of communicating science within political controversies, Ames, IA.
Goodwin, J., & Dahlstrom, M.F. (2011, Jan.). Good reasons for trusting climate science communication. Paper presented to the annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society, Seattle.
Dahlstrom, M.F. & Sar, S. (2010). The influence of mood and information processing on recall: Exploring item-specific, relational and narratice processing. Communication Theory and Methodlogy Division of the 2010 AEJMC Convention, Denver.
Dahlstrom, M.F. (2010). The moderation of perceived realism by narrative causality of information acceptance: An example in science communication. Mass Communication Division of the 2010 ICA Convention, Singapore.
 
Last updated: March, 2012