Gabriel H
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at Michigan State University
Expertise
Media effects, digital media research, social media effects, video game use and outcomes, gender differences in digital media use and outcomes, digital inequalities and social outcomes, communication theory, sociological theory, social statistics, applied statistics and data analysis, filmmaking and video storytelling, video editing, digital photography, graphic design, visual effects (after effects, premiere pro)
Bio
Gabriel (he/him) has a background (BA degree) in the arts, specifically filmmaking, video editing, photography, and graphic design, and more recently (MA [2020-2021] and PhD [2021-2025]) has entered academia with positions and work in teaching, advanced statistical analysis, and research. Gabe's research focuses on the relationships between students' academic achievement/social networks and their access, use, and navigation skills related to digital technologies, and how such relationships may be limited by digital inequalities. Gabe also examines the psychological impacts of the Internet and new digital media. His research work has been accepted at multiple International conferences, and he has numerous published papers, as well as manuscripts in progress and under review, across peer-reviewed journals. If not working on projects related to his degree, he enjoys marathon running, listening to podcasts (mostly while running), and spending time outside with his golden retriever. Likewise, Gabe enjoys working as a freelance photographer and filmmaker/editor, and learning new ways to create and edit visual media. Fun fact: he also has experience in entrepreneurship and advertisement, spending most of his undergraduate degree creating and managing his own photo- and design-based clothing company.Project ideas
Building a research study or review on the impacts of social media
We can read, synthesize, and report on the current research associated with digital media use, such as social media, and create hypotheses that you can test for your own research paper. This would include learning how to conduct a thorough literature review, find relevant publications, cite your sources, and compose concise and focused research questions. From these questions we can create a proposal for what method(s) might be used to explore and test these questions.
Creating a short narrative film with visual effects for TikTok or YouTube
Using a combination of programs and applications from the Adobe Suite (e.g., Premiere Pro and After Effects), we can brainstorm, write, film, and edit a short narrative film to help grow your understanding and knowledge of visual storytelling and editing. This could include creating a short film (one to three minutes) from start to finish, or taking an idea for animation or visual effects and working our way through it. By the end of the project, you'll understand the adobe filmmaking and video editing workflow and will be able to take your ideas to the screen with future projects.
Use a public dataset to test a theory and learn how to analyze social data
Using publicly available datasets like the GSS (General Social Survey), we can learn how to manage, clean, and prepare data for analysis. Once we formulate a research question and theory of interest (e.g., how have relationships and social support changed since before and after the pandemic?), we will use these datasets to analyze and interpret the results. Once complete, students will have an understanding of how to use applied statistical method(s) to test a research question and theory relevant to their interests.
Create a magazine of your photos and writing work
Learn to take photos and compile them in a magazine from start to finish. Whether you have photos ready to be edited or you are picking up a camera for the first time, we can use graphic design and photography to create a magazine or organized creative portfolio showing off your work.