Who We Are

There is no known safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Students and faculty at the Pennsylvania State University College of Communications are working to drive this message home in an integrated, statewide Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders awareness campaign.

The College of Communications was approached by the Pennsylvania Department of Health about designing peer-directed media messages focused on educating college women across the commonwealth about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy. The student/faculty team hopes women learn about FASD now, recall the message and refrain from alcohol consumption during pregnancies throughout their childbearing years.

The $92,000 grant for public scholarship was awarded to the College spring 2007. "The funds awarded by the health department not only provide unique academic discovery for students but also serve as a foundation for their future civic engagement," said Cinda Kostyak, director of research administration for the College of Communications and principal investigator on the grant.

The team comprises College of Communications faculty, graduate and undergraduate students who will work to develop a succinct message that urges young woman, ages 17-22, to refrain from drinking during pregnancy. Preliminary research conducted in spring 2007 will provide feedback from the target audience about specific attitudes and public opinion of FASD.

Led by co-principal investigators, student groups used results from preliminary research to develop peer-directed media messages through advertising, FASD awareness videos and on-campus events, including a street team. Co-principal investigators include: Barbara Bird, associate professor, Film-Video & Media Studies and Maria Cabrera-Baukus, senior lecturer, Telecommunications; Robert Baukus, associate professor and head of the department of Advertising & Public Relations, Colleen Connolly-Ahern, assistant professor, Renea Nichols, senior lecturer, Fuyuan Shen, associate professor, and Ken Yednock, senior lecturer, Advertising & Public Relations Department.

The College of Communications

The SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATIONS, approved by the Board of Trustees on May 18, 1985, became the COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATIONS in 1995. The college recognizes its mission to educate students for citizenship in a society in which communication and information are a major commodity and the basis of the democratic process; recognizes the complex mosaic of changing employment possibilities available in the information environment and thus prepares students for an employment climate in which the ability to adapt is a fundamental requisite to success; and facilitates the development of sophisticated abilities in the gathering, analysis, and dissemination of information.

The college offers a strong liberal arts education plus rigorous professional preparation to those planning careers in the mass media. The college also offers courses analyzing the role of the mass media in modern society.

For more information about the College of Communications, please write to Academic Services, College of Communications, The Pennsylvania State University, 204 Carnegie Building, University Park, PA 16802-5101.

Pennsylvania Department of Health

The Department of Health has touched every citizen in all parts of the Commonwealth. The Department's mission is to promote healthy lifestyles, prevent injury and disease, and to assure the safe delivery of quality health care for all Commonwealth citizens.

Through the use of community-based strategies, the Department of Health has successfully reduced the number of serious illnesses, injuries and deaths due to major health threats; tobacco-related diseases; infectious disease; and accidental injuries.

Over the years, the Department's mission has been adapted to meet the needs and demands of the dynamic nature of Public Health, but one thing has not changed � the commitment, dedication and professionalism of Department of Health staff to provide top-quality programs and services that benefit the health, safety and well-being of all Pennsylvanians.

For more information, visit www.health.state.pa.us or 1-877 PA-Health (1-877-724-3258).