C&IS Research Facilities
Offices of Research
Office of Politics, Communication, & Media
The Office of Politics, Communication, and Media (OPCaM) at the University of Alabama is an innovative hub for interdisciplinary research and public facing dialogue. Situated at the intersections of politics, communication, and media, and drawing from the expertise of faculty and students in the College of Communication & Information Sciences, other academic units at the university, and scholars, public intellectuals, and journalists around the world, OPCaM works to create civic and community engagement on regional, national, and international levels by connecting high-quality research with public conversations that shape and respond to the growing impacts and rapidly evolving role of politics, communication, and media in democratic and public life.
Current Directors: Dr. Cynthia Peacock, Dr. Jessica Maddox
Visit the Office of Politics, Communication, & Media website here.
Office of Research in Media Integrity
The Office of Research in Media Integrity seeks to be the home for systematic, innovative, and important research into media integrity and ethics. It will reach across media platforms, academic disciplines, methodologies, and ideologies. It will create new understanding of media integrity and communicate it effectively across academic and public platforms.
Current Director: Dr. Chris Roberts
ICIR Lab Spaces
Individual Interview Room (Reese Phifer, 459)
Conduct interviews or other research with a PI and one or two participants. This is a more intimate space and would make participants feel more comfortable than a faculty office and/or a larger research lab. This space can also be reserved by graduate teaching assistants for individual office-hour meetings.
Communication and Applied Theory Lab
Conduct focus groups or other research with multiple participants. This larger space has a larger capacity and flexible seating for more formal or informal lab meetings or research studies. One large screen can be found in this space. This space also includes one camera that is part of UA’s Clinic Observation Room System and is able to video a focus group and be monitored in the Observation Room.
Health Communication and Biometrics Lab
Conduct research utilizing iMotions software and hardware in this space. This larger space has multiple screens for displaying stimuli and can accommodate up to four participants at one time. This space also has flexible seating and will accommodate studies requiring more space, such as exercise gaming or virtual reality studies. This space also includes two cameras that are part of UA’s Clinic Observation Room System, able to video research conducted and monitored in the Observation Room. Additionally, two one-way mirrors are found in this space where researchers can observe activity from the adjoining Observation Room. Available research and teaching capabilities found in this room include eye tracking, facial expression analysis, heart rate measures, galvanic skin response, and EEG.
Observation Room
This space serves as an area to observe both the Health Communication and Biometrics Lab as well as the Child and Family Media Lab via one-way mirrors. It houses the Clinic Observation Room software used to observe the Health Communication and Biometrics Lab, the Child and Family Media Lab, the Communication and Applied Theory Lab, and the Standardized Patient Lab. It also houses computers used to set up iMotions studies that are conducted within the Health Communication and Biometrics Lab.
Child and Family Media Lab
Find yourself in a simulated Living Room in the child and Family Media Lab. Conduct research with children in a child-friendly environment. Parents can observe the study from the adjoining Observation Room via a one-way mirror. This space also includes two cameras that are part of UA’s Clinic Observation Room System, able to video research conducted and monitored in the Observation Room.
Theatre Lab: Coming Soon!
The theater will provide scholars with a space to screen documentaries, debates, other film or tv, and advertisements. Researchers can also utilize this space to conduct focus groups or conduct research that integrates biometrics sensors. This space will have multiple screens that can be used individually or in tandem, will have the infrastructure to conduct video game research, and will have a mixture of flexible and fixed tiered seating.
Public Opinion Lab
Gather and explore social media conversations, analyze engagement, and identify insights in this space. This space can accommodate up to six people with access to the software and additional participants or researchers.
Visit the Public Opinion Lab website here.
Standardized Patient Lab
Find yourself in a simulated doctor’s office in this space. Researchers can study interpersonal communication between healthcare providers and patients. This space also includes two cameras that are part of UA’s Clinic Observation Room System, able to video research conducted and monitored in the Observation Room.
Conference Room
Our conference room seats 14 and has a large screen connected to the internet and available for computer mirroring.
Collaboration Space
Collaborate with your colleagues in this space. This space seats 4-6 individuals and has a screen allowing for ease of sharing your computer screen.
Scan this QR code for facilities scheduling and research space.
