School of Communication Assistant Professor, Yin Yang, has been awarded a $20,000 First Year Assistant Professor (FYAP) Grant by the Council on Research and Creativity (CRC). The grant, which runs from May to August 2025, will support her research on how narratives about personal experiences with bullying influence readers’ perceptions and their willingness to provide support.
“The $20,000 will allow me to fully dedicate myself to the research in Summer 2025,” said Yang. “I plan to complete the project by the end of the summer and submit the manuscript for publication in a journal.”
Yang’s research explores how media messages shape individuals’ beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors in health and environmental contexts, emphasizing narrative persuasion and emotional influence. She is especially interested in messaging strategies that raise awareness and encourage engagement with overlooked or stigmatized issues, such as mental health.
With a background in media effects and experimental research, Yang is particularly focused on understanding the impact of different narrative elements on the likelihood of receiving meaningful support from online communities.
Yang’s study is expected to have both theoretical and practical implications. On a practical level, the findings could provide insights into effective messaging strategies for victims seeking support in online spaces. Theoretically, the research will contribute to both narrative and social support literature by examining how specific features of a story, such as trivialization, affect the quality of support received.
Beyond advancing her research, Yang sees the FYAP grant as a valuable steppingstone in her academic career. “This grant gives me the time to focus on research without other responsibilities, and the application process itself was great practice for securing future funding,” said Yang.
She expressed gratitude to the CCI-Research office and her colleagues in the School of Communication for their guidance, “I highly recommend reaching out for support from the experts at the CCI-Research office and seeking advice from peers. Their insights were invaluable in my application process.”
Yang looks forward to completing her research and contributing meaningful knowledge to the fields of communication and social support. Her work aims to not only enhance academic understanding but also provide tangible benefits for individuals seeking support in online communities.