School of Liberal Arts

Faculty

Megan Cullinan

Academic Title

Lecturer, Communication and Media

Additional Title

Zampell Family Faculty Fellow

Research Interests

  • Environmental & Climate Change Communication
  • Health & Organizational communication
  • Science & Technology Studies

Research Summary

My research stands at the intersection of science, health and environmental communication. Because all three interest areas are deeply and materially intertwined, my work aims to help scholars and activists better understand and apply pressure to the tension in societal structures that currently lead to power imbalances and further exploitation of knowledge, people and the more-than-human world. I’m currently wrapped in an ongoing project which explores how scientists communicate with both other scientists and with policy makers about emerging technology (using geoengineering as a case study), as well as a qualitative examination of how artwork can serve as a form of environmental communication, which is funded by the National Geographic Society.

Education

  • Ph.D., Communication Studies, University of Utah
  • M.A., Communication Studies, University of Montana
  • B.A., Rhetoric & Media Studies, Willamette University

Recent Publications

  • Cullinan, M. E., Purtell, R., & Canary, H. E. (In press). Professional identity in patient hand-off routines: A performative face theory analysis. Health Communication.
  • Cullinan, M. E. (2020). Articulating Geoengineering: Identifying an Understanding of Geoengineering Technology Through the Crutzen +10 Special Issue Forum. Science Communication, 42(3), 313–339. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547020927034
  • Purtell, R., Cullinan, M. E., & Canary, H. E. (2019). Facilitators and barriers to the use of a structured hand-off: A pediatric hospital exploratory case study. Journal of Applied Communication, 47 (4), 381-400. DOI: 10.1080/00909882.2019.1659991

Honors and Awards

  • Top Paper, Communication Theory Division, Western States Communication Association, 2020.
  • National Geographic Early Career Grant, October 2019.
  • Top Student Paper, International Environmental Communication Association COCE, 2019.