Profile | Directory | Utah Valley University

Faculty Member

Dr. Meaghan McKasy

Email: [email protected]
Office: 502 J
Phone: 801-863-8210
Mail Stop: 142
Curriculum Vitae: Meaghan McKasy CV

Biography

Meaghan McKasy (Ph.D. University of Utah) is an Assistant Professor of Public Relations and Strategic Communication at Utah Valley University. She is the Major Coordinator for the Public Relations and Strategic Communication major and she teaches courses such as Communication Research Methods, Science Communication, Environmental Communication, and Media Literacy. Her three-part research program examines (a) how communication theories and methods are tested in, and are affected by, the rapidly changing communication environment; (b) strategic communication and public opinion of science and environmental issues; and (c) how discrete emotions and humor affect information processing and attitude formation. She has published in the journals Science Communication, Public Understanding of Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and more. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Meaghan has called Utah home since 2009. She enjoys being outdoors skiing, mountain biking, swimming, and hiking.

Education

Ph D, University of Utah, 2019

Major: Communication

MS, University of Utah, 2011

Major: Environmental Humanities

BA, Boston College, 2009

Major: Communication

Teaching

COMM 3050

Theories of Communication and Culture WE, Summer 2024

COMM 3020

Communication Research Methods WE, Spring 2024

COMM 4850

Public Relations and Strategic Communication Campaigns, Spring 2024

COMM 350R

Special Topics in Communication, Spring 2024

Presentations

McKasy, Meaghan , 2024 Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), "Recall or perception? Social media engagement metrics, perceived social endorsement, and perceptions of message credibility". ()

Stevens, Michael T. , Blevins, Maria , McKasy, Meaghan , International Association for Society and Natural Resources (IASNR) Annual Conference, "What to do when your national park or UNESCO site becomes a bucket-list destination". ()

McKasy, Meaghan , The 2024 Faculty Summer Seminar - Media Ethics Across the Curriculum, "Media Ethics and Science Communication", Center for the Study of Ethics. ()

McKasy, Meaghan , Yeo, Sara , Freiling, Isabelle , Su, Leona Yi-Fan, Science Talk Annual Conference for the Association of Science Communicators, "Enhanced Language for Emerging Renewable Energy Technologies". (April, 2024)

Yeo, Sara , Cacciatore, Mike , Freiling, Isabelle , McKasy, Meaghan , Su, Leona Yi-Fan, Siskind, Sarah , Craven, J , Annual Conference of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA), "That’s funny_ The role of humor in risk and benefit perceptions and support for geothermal energy". (December, 2023)

McKasy, Meaghan , Interdisciplinary working group, "The Science of Science Communication_ Strategies for Public Engagement with EGS Projects", De-risking Enhanced Geothermal Energy Projects (DEEP) . ()

Scholarly/Creative Works

Yeo, Sara , Cacciatore, Mike , McKasy, Meaghan , "Humor as a Tool for Communicating Climate (Mis)information" . SpringerNature.

Zulli, Diana , Deyoe, Diana , Walker, Christina , McKasy, Meaghan , (2024) "Is it funny or a trend?: Examining the content and form of news humor on TikTok" . The Communication Review.

McKasy, Meaghan , Blevins, Maria , Stevens, Michael T. , Hernández, Leandra , "Perceptions of Crowding and Access to Affordances in Capitol Reef National Park, Utah_ A Mixed Methods Analysis" . Northwest Journal of Communication.

Yeo, Sara , Freiling, Isabelle , Cacciatore, Mike , Su, Leona Yi-Fan, McKasy, Meaghan , Lee, Tae , Allen, Henry , "Recall or perception? Social media engagement metrics, perceived social endorsement, and perceptions of message credibility" . Communication Methods & Measures.

Freiling, Isabelle , Cacciatore, Mike , McKasy, Meaghan , "Religious values and confidence in science_ Perceived tensions and common ground" . Public Understanding of Science.

McKasy, Meaghan , Cacciatore, Michael A, Yeo, Sara K, Zhang, Jennifer S, Cook, John , Olaleye, Rhoda , Su, Leona Y.-F., (2024) "Engaging the Dismissive_ An Assessment of Strategies to Support Global Warming Action" .

Awards

CHSS Scholarship Award Nomination

College of Humanities and Social Science

Recognition for nomination for the 2024 CHSS Dean's Award for Scholarship

MCS Top Paper Award

Annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC)

Top Paper. Mass Communication & Society Division Award for Excellence for Scholarship. Annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).

Service-Learning Superstar Award

Center for Social Impact - September, 2023

September 2023 Service-Learning Superstar Award winner.

COMM 3115

Communicating in Environments, Fall 2023

COMM 3020

Communication Research Methods WE, Fall 2023

COMM 3020

Communication Research Methods WE, Fall 2023

COMM 3020

Communication Research Methods WE, Spring 2023

COMM 3030

Media Literacy, Spring 2023

COMM 3530

Public Relations and Strategic Communication Writing, Spring 2023

COMM 4250

Communication and Leadership, Fall 2022

COMM 1500

Introduction to Mass Communication HH, Fall 2022

COMM 1020

Public Speaking HH, Fall 2022

COMM 3115

Communicating in Environments, Summer 2022

COMM 4850

Public Relations and Strategic Communication Campaigns, Summer 2022

COMM 3030

Media Literacy, Spring 2022

COMM 4850

Public Relations and Strategic Communication Campaigns, Spring 2022

COMM 4850

Public Relations and Strategic Communication Campaigns, Spring 2022

COMM 3020

Communication Research Methods WE, Fall 2021

COMM 3020

Communication Research Methods WE, Fall 2021

COMM 3570

Crisis Communication, Fall 2021

COMM 3115

Communicating in Environments, Summer 2021

COMM 2300

Introduction to Public Relations and Strategic Communication, Summer 2021

COMM 3020

Communication Research Methods WE, Spring 2021

COMM 3020

Communication Research Methods WE, Spring 2021

COMM 497R

Independent Study, Spring 2021

COMM 3030

Media Literacy, Spring 2021

COMM 4250

Communication and Leadership, Fall 2020

COMM 3020

Communication Research Methods WE, Fall 2020

COMM 3570

Crisis Communication, Fall 2020

COMM 3050

Theories of Communication and Culture WE, Fall 2020

COMM 3020

Communication Research Methods WE, Summer 2020

COMM 4930

Communication Capstone, Spring 2020

COMM 3020

Communication Research Methods WE, Spring 2020

COMM 3020

Communication Research Methods WE, Spring 2020

COMM 3570

Crisis Communication, Spring 2020

COMM 3020

Communication Research Methods WE, Fall 2019

COMM 3020

Communication Research Methods WE, Fall 2019

COMM 3050

Theories of Communication and Culture WE, Fall 2019

McKasy, Meaghan , Scientific Interest Group on the Science of Science Communication, "Challenging scientific detachment_ The importance of emotion, humor, and human connection in science communication", , National Institutes of Health (NIH). ()

Yeo, Sara , Cacciatore, Mike , Freiling, Isabelle , Su, Leona Yi-Fan, Zhang, Jennifer , Choi, Sung-In , McKasy, Meaghan , Annual Conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC), "Knowledge gaps_ Media attention and factual, surveillance, and perceived science knowledge among White, Black, and Hispanic audiences", . (August, 2023)

McKasy, Meaghan , Yeo, Sara K, Zhang, Jennifer S, Cacciatore, Michael A, Allen, Henry W, Su, Leona Y.-F., Annual Conference of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA), "Social endorsement, credibility, and support for the regulation of research on enhanced geothermal systems", . (December, 2022)

Blevins, Maria , McKasy, Meaghan , Hernandez, Leandra , Stevens, Michael T. , 1st International Academic Conference on the Sustainable Development Goals, "BeaUtahful Collaboration_ A Case Study of a Collaborative Research Project", . (October, 2022)

Stevens, Michael T. , McKasy, Meaghan , Blevins, Maria , Hernandez, Leandra , Williams, Scott , Hungerford, Hilary , Lindley, Betsy , International Association for Society and Natural Resources (IASNR) Annual Conference, "How Many People are Too Many? A Mixed-Methods Assessment of Visitor Perceptions at Capitol Reef National Park", . (June, 2022)

Yeo, Sara K, Su, Leona Yi-Fan , Cacciatore, Michael , McKasy, Meaghan , Annual Conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, "The differential effects of science humor on three scientific issues_ Global warming, artificial intelligence, and microbiomes", . (August, 2021)

McKasy, Meaghan , Cacciatore, Michael , Yeo, Sara K, Zang, Jennifer , Cook, John , Olaleye, Rhoda , Annual Conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, "The Impact of Emotion and Humor on Support for Global Warming Action", . (August, 2021)

Yeo, Sara K, Su, Leona Yi-Fan, Cacciatore, Michael , McKasy, Meaghan , O'Neill, Liane , Science Talk, "The Science of #SciComm: On Emotion and Humor", , Portland, Oregon. ()

Zulli, Diana (Presenter & Author), McKasy, Meaghan (Author Only), The 106th annual conference of the National Communication Association , "Credibility as a Differentiation and Relational Strategy_ The Case of CNN’s Unprecedented Democratic Climate Crisis Town Hall Forum", , National Communication Association , Indianapolis, IN (virtual). (November, 2020)

O'Neill, Liane (Presenter & Author), McKasy, Meaghan (Author Only), Yi-Fan Su, Leona (Author Only), Yeo, Sara (Author Only), Qian, Sijia (Author Only), Annual Conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication , "That’s Some Positive Energy: How Social Media Users Respond to #Funny Science Content", , Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication , San Francisco, CA. (virtual). (August, 2020)

McKasy, Meaghan (Panelist), iAMResponsible Project, "Communicating Science Using the Science of Communication", , The Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Center, Online. (August, 2020)

McKasy, Meaghan (Presenter & Author), Zulli, Diana (Author Only), The Annual Conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication , "Political Issues Management_ Framing the Climate Crisis on the Campaign Trail", , Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication , San Francisco, CA. (virtual). (August, 2020)

Yi-Fan Su, Leona (Author Only), McKasy, Meaghan , Cacciatore, Michael (Presenter & Author), Yeo, Sara (Author Only), DeGrauw, Allison (Author Only), Zhang, Jennifer (Author Only), 70th annual conference of the International Communication Association, "How attributes of humorous scientific messages predict engagement on Twitter and Instagram", , International Communication Association, Gold Coast, Australia . (May, 2020)

Co, Kevin (Presenter & Author), Kuttner, Paul (Author Only), McKasy, Meaghan (Author Only), Pokharel, Manusheela (Author Only), Park-Ozee, Dakota (Author Only), 70th annual conference of the International Communication Association , "The ‘Discourse of Derision’ in news coverage of education_ A mixed-method analysis of an understudied construct", , International Communication Association, Gold Coast, Australia. (May, 2020)

Cacciatore, Michael A, Yeo, Sara K, Su, Leoan Y.-F., McKasy, Meaghan , O'Neill, Liane , Qian, Sijia , (2024) "“That’s some positive energy”: How social media users respond to #funny science conten" .

Yeo, Sara , Cacciatore, Mike , Freiling, Isabelle , Su, Leona Yi-Fan , Zhang, Jennifer , Sung In, Choi , McKasy, Meaghan , "Knowledge gaps among White, Black, and Hispanic Audiences_ Understanding inequities in factual, perceived, and surveillance knowledge" . Mass Communication and Society.

Yeo, Sara K, Su, Leona Yi-Fan, Cacciatore, Michael , Zhang, Array , McKasy, Meaghan , (2023) "The differential effects of science humor on three scientific issues_ Global warming, artificial intelligence, and microbiomes" . International Journal of Science Education, Part B.

McKasy, Meaghan , Array, Array , (2022) "Credibility as a Differentiation and Relational Strategy_ The Case of CNN’s Unprecedented Democratic Climate Crisis Town Hall Forum" . International Journal of Communication.

Su, Leona Y.-F., McKasy, Meaghan , Cacciatore, Michael A, Yeo, Sara K, DeGrauw, Ali , Zhang, Jennifer S, (2022) "Generating science buzz_ An examination of multidimensional engagement with humorous scientific messages on Twitter and Instagram" . Science Communication.

McKasy, Meaghan , (2022) "Review of book" . New Media and Society.

McKasy, Meaghan , Yeo, Sara K , Zhang, Jennifer S, Cacciatore, Michael A, Allen, Henry W, Su, Leona Y.-F., "Support for Regulation of Enhanced Geothermal Systems Research_ Examining the Role of Familiarity, Credibility, and Social Endorsement" .

McKasy, Meaghan , Yeo, Sara K, (2021) "Carbon neutral pledges_ Public opinions, opportunities, and challenges for energy democracy" .

Yeo, Sara K, McKasy, Meaghan , (2021) "Emotion, humor, and misinformation in science communication" . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Yeo, Sara K, Cacciatore, Michael , Su, Leona Yi-Fan, McKasy, Meaghan , O'Neill, Liane , (2021) "Following science on social media_ The effects of humor and source likability" . Public Understanding of Science.

McKasy, Meaghan , Zulli, Diana , (2021) "Political Issues Management_ Framing the Issue of Climate Change" . International Journal of Communication.

McKasy, Meaghan , Cacciatore, Michael , Yi-Fan Su, Leona , Yeo, Sara , O'Neill, Liane , (2020) "Confidence in science literacy_ An experimental analysis of measurement" . Journal of Science Communication.

Zulli, Diana , McKasy, Meaghan , (2020) "Political Equivocation in a Non-Adversarial Campaign Context_ An Alternative Perspective" . Communication Research Reports.

McKasy, Meaghan , (2020) "A discrete emotion with discrete effects_ The effect of anger on depth of information processing" . Cognitive Processing.

Yeo, Sara , Yi-Fan Su, Leona , Cacciatore, Mike , McKasy, Meaghan , Qian, Sijia , (2020) "Predicting intentions to engage with scientific messages on Twitter_ The interplay of humor and social media metrics" . Science Communication.

Coe, Kevin , Kuttner, Paul , Pokharel, Manusheela , Park-Ozee, Dakota , McKasy, Meaghan , (2020) "The “Discourse of Derision” in news coverage of education_ A mixed methods analysis of an understudied construct" . American Journal of Education.