Centers & Labs
The Manship School of Mass Communication prepares communicators for an ever-changing media landscape through its specialized centers and labs. Below is a selection of our labs currently highlighted.
Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs
The Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs is partnership-driven, action-oriented and dedicated to exploring contemporary issues at the intersection of mass communication and public life. Its interdisciplinary approach draws together experts from diverse fields to advance research and dialogue. The intent is to inspire our communities to think deeply, take action, develop solutions and broaden knowledge. Underlying the Center’s endeavors is the goal to strengthen and advance the Manship School’s national and state leadership in media and politics.
Media Effects Lab
The Media Effects Lab (MEL) is a research and teaching facility dedicated to the exploration of how media consumers emotionally and cognitively process media content and formats. Faculty and student researchers use advanced experimental and survey methodologies and technologies (e.g. reaction time, facial expression analysis, heart rate, eye tracking, etc.) to investigate theoretical and applied problems, explore innovations and uncover trends in mass communication.
Social Media Analysis and Creation Lab
The SMAC lab is a tool focused on the fastest-growing form of mass communication: social media. Featuring moveable t-walls, a touch screen control table, and screen walls, the lab will be used by faculty, mass communication general classes, student media and specialty courses to track and analyze social media content as well as create their own content and conduct academic research.
Public Policy Research Lab
The Manship School’s Public Policy Research Lab (PPRL) is a research center dedicated to high-quality, state-of-the-art data collection and analytics, with a special emphasis on survey research. Since 2001, PPRL has advanced both practical and scholarly research while playing a leadership role in public policy development in the state. PPRL serves government agencies, non-profit organizations, business and industry, as well as academic researchers. One of the lab’s core projects is the Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs’ annual Louisiana Survey, which, since 2003, has tracked public opinion about the policy issues facing the state.