News

Some majors direct their student into a specific career path, but that isn’t the case for those who pursue a degree in communications. BYU School of Communications alumna Siovhan Johnson is learning this lesson as she makes the transition from broadcast news to strategic communications. Read Johnson's full story on the School of Communications website.

School of Communications Professor Kevin John used eye tracking technology to map how men process body image differently than women. Read more about his research here.

Raymond E. Beckham, one of BYU’s most distinguished former professors, will be honored with a Pillar of the Valley Award. The award honors individuals whose extraordinary contributions have improved the business, civic, social, educational and cultural climate of Utah Valley. During his lifetime, innovative improvements followed Beckham wherever he went. Things like the Young Ambassadors, BYU Education Week and the Aspen Grove Family Camp can all be traced back to him. He also served on the board of numerous charities, such as Boy Scouts of America and the Red Cross. To learn more about Beckham’s legacy and the award, continue reading at The Daily Herald.

Last September, the Eagle Mountain and Pole Creek wildfires raged across Utah Valley in September. While firefighters were fighting to contain the fires, BYU’s YDigital Lab Managing Director Adam Durfee was fighting another dangerous force: misinformation. To read more about how Durfee worked with the public information officers and students to contain the spread of fake news and subsequent fear during the fires, continue reading at The Daily Universe.

BYU advertising alum Brandon Barkdull and his brother Blake, a BYU neuroscience student, started their business, Penguin Brothers, while Blake was still in high school. The business started out in a light pink food truck where the brothers learned the in’s and out’s of the food industry. Eventually, they were able to build up their skills and save up enough to purchase a storefront location on Canyon Road and Bulldog. To learn more about the brothers’ journey to success, read more here.

Scott Church presented on media and politics to the National Communications Association.

Vai Sikahema discusses his journey from rejection to the Alumni Achievement Award in the School of Communications.

The College of Fine Arts and Communications will feature NBC morning news anchor Vai Sikahema on October 11 at 11 a.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall in the Harris Fine Arts Center. His lecture is titled “Denied Admission to Alum of the Year: My BYU Journey”. Vai Sikahema played football at BYU and graduated in Broadcast Journalism before becoming the first Tongan drafted into the NFL. Sikahema, former running back and kick returner, ranks first among the NFL’s all-time career leaders in number of punt returns and second in return yardage after his time with the Cardinals, Packers and Eagles. Sikahema has since worked as a morning news anchor at NBC. He has earned three Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards for his work in local television and is featured in the Philadelphia Broadcast Pioneers’ Hall of Fame. Sikahema’s influence in the Philadelphia area was instrumental in helping The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints get the Philadelphia Temple approved. Date: Thursday, October 11, 2018 Time: 11 a.m. Location: Madsen Recital Hall HFAC Admission: Free, open to the public

BYU students have set up an online information hub, organizing the flood of information on two major wildfires that have chased more than 6,000 Utah residents from their homes in recent days. Less than 24 hours after its creation, the Utah County Fire Relief Website had received more than 15,000 visitors. That’s about one new visitor every second. Y Digital Agency Manager Adam Durfee teamed up with BYU students and local volunteers to build a central hub for real-time updates on the Pole Creek and Bald Mountain fires burning just outside Spanish Fork, Utah. Finish reading 'New Y Digital website streamlines Utah wildfire information' at universe.byu.edu.