UPDATE: This colloquium will be held in 338 Carroll Hall, NOT the Freedom Forum Conference Center.
The Junck Colloquium with Grace Ahn will occur on Thursday, Nov. 3, from 4-5 p.m.
Ahn — a professor from the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication — will deliver her keynote: "Virtual Risks that Change Physical Behaviors: Using Immersive Virtual Environments to Promote Risk Perceptions and Preventive Behaviors."
"Virtual Risks that Change Physical Behaviors: Using Immersive Virtual Environments to Promote Risk Perceptions and Preventive Behaviors"
Risk perception stands at the core of many health and environmental behavior theories because of its strong correlation to behavior change. However, individuals are motivated to place psychological distances between themselves and a health or environment threat, considering themselves less susceptible than others. This presentation discusses the efficacy of immersive virtual environments (IVEs), popularly known as "virtual reality" as high impact risk communication channels to influence or change risk perceptions and, in turn, promote the adoption of preventive behaviors. Work-in- progress studies on 1) using IVEs to promote safe sun behavior and 2) applying IVEs to frame different risk-relevant messages as embodied experiences will be presented.
The Mary Junck Research Colloquium series was formally established in 2007 to nurture an intellectually vibrant climate with both interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary shades, by scheduling scholarly presentations on diverse topics.
The speakers represent various disciplines and units on campus as well as other universities and organizations in the Triangle. The series has been particularly successful in attracting scholars and researchers of national and international renown from within the U.S. and abroad. The series attracts a diverse audience comprising faculty, graduate students and researchers from around the Triangle.
2016-17 Junck Colloquium Series:
For more information, please contact Kriste Patrow at patrowk@live.unc.edu.