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Professors’ HIV Series Recognized In International Competition
Sept. 24, 2014
SHSU Media Contact: Emily Binetti
Sam Houston State University mass communication professors Ruth Massingill and Mel Strait have received CINDY awards for their work in a video series “Knowledge is Power! HIV/AIDS Perceptions and Choices.”
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Ruth Massingill |
Massingill received a silver CINDY award as producer, and Strait received a special achievement CINDY award as the composer of the video series' original soundtrack.
Developed as a three-part series of informational videos about HIV/AIDS, the programming is now available for free for clinics and other groups that seek to educate, prevent or treat the disease.
Presented by the International Association of Audio Communicators, the CINDY awards recognize individuals and groups who have produced programming that achieves the highest levels of excellence in production value and message effectiveness.
For this year’s regional and international events, more than 8,200 entries from around the world were judged covering more than 160 subject-matter categories of media. Programs included websites, videos, mobile apps, podcasts, webinars, films, commercials, documentaries, music videos, and more.
The video series “Knowledge is Power! HIV/AIDS Perceptions and Choices,” features Houston HIV doctors providing medical facts on prevention and treatment, while HIV advocates explore issues such as stigma and financial assistance.
Patients also talk candidly about coping with being HIV-positive and offer advice to those at risk for infection.
The overall goal of the series is to provide straightforward, credible information about HIV/AIDS. Viewers learn how to prevent infection, what to do if infection occurs and why there is hope for the future, according to Massingill.
“Since Houston has the fourth largest AIDS population in the United States, this video was created as a model for other cities with increasing prevalence rates,” Massingill said.
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| Stills from the three-part informational video series about HIV/AIDS. |
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The video series was produced by Massingill, with production support from SHSU mass communication students, Strait and faculty member Jerry Westergaard. The project was also made possible through a $15,000 research grant from SHSU.
Massingill, an associate professor at SHSU, has more than 25 years of experience in public relations, marketing and publications, as a professional communicator, university administrator and faculty member.
She has received numerous awards for her teaching and research. She teaches writing, public relations, advertising and computer-aided design.
Strait has been a broadcast educator for almost three decades and was the station manager of radio station KTAI in Kingsville.
He teaches courses on visual communication, broadcast journalism writing, audio production and performance, and broadcast production. He is also the adviser to the Channel 7 Student News program.
Free DVD copies of the video series are available by request by emailing hivfacts@shsu.edu.
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