Brenda Rourke

Assistant Professor

Education

• Ph.D. University of Connecticut
• M.A. University of Connecticut
• B.A. Rhode Island College

Courses Taught

• Fundamentals of Oral Communication
• Intercultural Communication
• Public Speaking
• Propaganda and Persuasion

Academic Interests

• New Communication Technology, Identification, Person Perception, Persuasion, Autism Spectrum Disorders

Scholarly Activity

• Rourke, Brenda & McGloin, Rory. (2019). A Different Take on the Big Bang Theory: Examining the Influence of Asperger Traits on the Perception and Attributional Confidence of a Fictional TV Character Portraying Characteristics of Asperger Atlantic Journal of Communication.1-12. 10.1080/15456870.2019.1574797.International Communication Association, Top Poster, Popular Communication Division.
• Park, Suji & Xu, Xiaowen & Rourke, Brenda & Bellur, Saraswathi. (2019). Do You Enjoy TV, whileTweeting? Effects of Multitasking on Viewers’ Transportation, Emotions and Enjoyment. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. 231-249.10.1080/08838151.2019.1622340.
• Rourke, B. L., Nowak, K. L., & Bellur, S. (2016, February) The role of Autism and Multitasking on Classroom performance and GPA at the annual meeting of the Western Communication Association in San Diego, California.
• Rourke, B.L., Roy, D., & Golas, E. (2014, November) The Impact of Emoticon Use on Source Evaluation and Message Persuasion in Computer Mediated Communication at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association in Chicago, Illinois.

Student Group Advisement

• Lambda Pi Eta – National Communication Association Honors Society

Other Professional Experiences

• Cox Communications – Network Operations Specialist
• University Seminar, Northwest Missouri State University (2020)
• International Communication Association
• National Communication Association
• Central States Communication Association
• Connecticut Institute for the Brian and Cognitive Sciences
• 2015 - National Communication Association Conference, Panel Chair, Human Communication and Technology Division “New Directions in Applied Human Communication and Technology Research”.
• 2016 - National Communication Association Conference, Reviewer, Human Communication and Technology Division
• 2017 - International Communication Association Conference, Reviewer, Communication and Technology Division
• 2016-2018 - Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences (IBACS), Research Affiliate, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
• 2013-2018 - Human Computer Interaction Lab, Research Affiliate, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
• 2018 - National Communication Association Conference, Reviewer, Human Communication and Technology Division

Grant Writing Experience

• 2014 - Google's Research Awards Program. The Impact of Neurodiversity and Autism on Information Processing Online. Submitted to Human-computer interaction. PI: K. L. Nowak. Submitted April 2015. Amount: $55,000
• 2016 - The Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Science, Summer funding provided for grant writing workshops, and preparation of an NIH grant. Awarded: $5000.00
• 2018 - UConn Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory, Funding provided for dissertation research. $1500.00