Sky Anderson, Associate Professor

Dr. Anderson published a book on how video games can help us imagine what our abilities mean and how they engage us physically, behaviorally, and cognitively to envision our agency beyond limitations.

Anderson, S. L. (2024). Ability machines: What video games mean for disability. Indiana University Press.

April Eichmeier, Assistant Professor 

Dr. Eichmeier published an article about how satirical news influences public engagement with emerging areas of science. 

Eichmeier A.A., Xenos M.A. (2024), CRISPR is easy: Exposure to Last Week Tonight enhances knowledge about gene editing. PLoS ONE 19(10): e0306563. 

Dr. Eichmeier is the recipient of the 2025 Undergraduate Research Award as selected by UST’s Undergraduate Research Board. This honor reflects her commitment to student research and outstanding work as a research mentor to students at St. Thomas. 

During this academic year, Dr. Eichmeier was quoted in the Financial Times about how Gen Z’s quick, authentic online interactions are changing political campaigns in 2024. She also appeared in The Washington Post and several other media outlets about the impact of social media on the most recent U.S. presidential race. 

Yayu Feng, Assistant Professor 

Dr. Feng published a book on the application of Confucian ethics, the moral philosophy originated in China, in media ethics. She also published an article on student journalists’ perceptions of ethics in college newsrooms and how they make decisions when faced with ethical dilemmas. 

Feng, Y. (2025). A Confucian Approach to Media Ethics. Routledge. 

Feng, Y. (2024). Inside the Ivory Tower: How Student Journalists Reason About Ethics. Journal of Media Ethics, 39(3), 149–169.  

Dr. Feng spoke with Minnesota Public Radio about the impact that influencers have had on the news and social media trends. 

Peter Gregg, Associate Professor, Department Head

Dr. Gregg was awarded an “Elevating the Arts” grant from the College of Arts and Science. He will be leading student-produced live studio episodes featuring artistic work starting July 2025. 

Dr. Gregg was interviewed for a story on “Breaking the News” on KARE 11, discussing the possible film tariffs. 

John CS Keston, Senior Clinical Faculty 

Prof. Keston performed his composition Rhodonea at the SEAMUS conference at Purdue University on March 22, 2025. Rhodonea is a series of audiovisual etudes performed as a model of how we might collaborate with near-future synthetic entities. The end result is an impression of how humans might interact with AI in a collaborative and experimental way. 

With funding from the College of Arts and Sciences, Prof. Keston organized and performed in the Tower Project, which involves a multi-disciplinary student and faculty collaboration installation with a notable composer, David Means. 

Prof. Keston was interviewed by KBEM’s Twin Cities Weekend recently about his performance at Berlin (Mpls). 

Greg Song, Assistant Professor 

Dr. Song was featured in Forbes, Adweek, and KARE 11, offering insights on how creators, small businesses, and influencers are navigating the evolving conversation around TikTok. He was also quoted in Quartz, discussing advertising strategies surrounding the Super Bowl and Puppy Bowl events.  

In addition to his media contributions, Dr. Song has published several scholarly articles, including: 

Song, Y. G., Ham, J., Jin, E., & Eastin, M. S. (2024). Advertising Artificial Intelligence (AI) Agents: The Effects of Social Presence, Sincerity, and Social Benefit Appeals. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 24(3), 185–202.  

Song, Y. G., Brown-Devlin, N., & Moon, W. K. (2024). “False advertising, fact-checked” Examining how social identification affects fact-checking of false advertisements. International Journal of Advertising, 44(3), 428–452.  

Greg Vandegrift, Senior Clinical Faculty 

Prof. Vandegrift produced a KARE11 Extra about an aquatic robot designed by the University of Minnesota that might help find and solve water quality problems. 

Prof. Vandegrift also produced a video for the University to promote the “Elevating the Arts” initiative. It showcases how the University connects students with opportunities to engage the arts — including music, visual arts, storytelling, theater, and digital media arts. 

Dr. Greg Song is an Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication in the Department of Emerging Media at the University of St. Thomas. He teaches courses in advertising, public relations, and media literacy, focusing on connecting theoretical foundations to contemporary practice. He earned his Ph.D. in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin.

His research focuses on the influence of emerging technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI), on strategic communication. His recent projects explore how AI-generated content shapes audience trust, message credibility, and engagement across emerging media platforms. With research published in leading academic journals such as Psychology & Marketing, International Journal of Advertising, and Journal of Interactive Advertising, and media commentary featured in various outlets like Forbes, Adweek, and KARE 11, Dr. Song contributes to both scholarly discourse and public conversation on communication trends.

Dr. Song is also passionate about applied learning. His classes incorporate interactive strategy projects, contemporary case studies, and real-world scenarios drawn from modern industry practices and emerging applications of AI in strategic communication. He prepares St. Thomas students to think critically and strategically so they are ready to succeed in today’s media and communication careers.

Dr. Song’s addition supports the department’s ongoing commitment to innovation, applied learning, and creative thinking. His presence brings new energy and expertise to the classroom and the broader academic community.

More than 125 alumni, guests, faculty and students gathered on November 8, 2024, to see old friends and make new ones while celebrating the new facilities at the Schoenecker Center. Guests also heard from the department’s two Pulitzer Prize winners: Art Cullen (’79) and Jeremy Olson (’95). 

 The Department of Emerging Media wants to help local alumni connect with one another. We hope you will find us on LinkedIn, but we also plan on an informal gathering for the fall. If you are interested in hosting that event or hosting and an event of your own, please contact April Eichmeier or Peter Gregg.