Dr. Alicia Mason joined the PSU Department of Communication in Fall of 2009. She is a former broadcaster, who worked with local media outlets KOAM and KKOW in SE Kansas, prior to receiving a Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Mason's work has been presented at several national and international conferences, and appears in top academic journals including: Communication Quarterly, Communication Monographs, Innovative Abstracts, Health Communication, Journal of Intercultural Communication, and the International Journal of Communication and Health. Mason’s academic interest in risk/crisis communication spans organizational/business, public health, and environmental contexts. Dr. Mason was the 2013 recipient of the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor Award, and the 2014 recipient of the Outstanding Teaching Award in the College of Arts and Sciences. Mason is the director of the Communication Research Lab at Pittsburg State University, co-advisor for the PR/Ad club, and teaches within both the Public Relations and Advertising tracks within the department. Dr. Mason is a contributor to the Joplin Area Advertising Federation, the departmental representative for the Bachelors of Integrated Studies [SSRM] degree program: Society, Sustainability and Resource Management, and currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication.