RESEARCH STATEMENT
My area of research expertise is on the creative process and its implication for teaching in higher education. I argue that although the creative process still happens in discrete stages as documented in the literature, there are new approaches that benefit the act of balancing conceptual and technical skills in the classroom due to technological developments. I continue to position myself as a creativity researcher and expert, which is explored by only a few scholars in the field of mass communications. I am also an artist and visual communicator, which led me to other paths, discussed below.
The question of how we prepare students for a career in a constant state of flux intrigued me to the point of turning it into a central inquiry of my dissertation. Going even further, how do we prepare them to set trends and innovate? I found that an overused and cliché term held the answer: critical thinking. In my field, critical thinking means creative thinking and problem-solving. Clients, brands, media outlets, and filmmakers will always have problems, developing strategies for problem-solving equips students with the ability to evolve as professionals, using the latest tools and gadgets as leverage for better communication rather than a central or starting point.
A strong emphasis on creative thinking will allow students to go through technological changes throughout their careers without falling behind. However, learning how to use current tools (e.g., social media and Adobe programs) is an important part of the short-term goal of graduating well-rounded emerging professionals. It also establishes the expectation that learning technology will be an ongoing effort as they advance professionally. Balancing technical skills with critical thinking is an important aspect of teaching that is prominent on my research findings.
I am often invited to work with researchers from other fields that need the unique combination of someone who is both a visual artist and a researcher, well versed in both worlds. I view these collaborations as my own creativity in practice as I work to problem-solve unique challenges with other researchers from disparate fields. I make interesting connections and further my understanding of how visual communications can be applied, presented, perceived, and justified. Although they might seem like a divergence from my focus of creativity, in reality they mimic my professional experience outside of academia of learning each client’s branding and identity deeply and going from topic to topic that way. These participations do not take away my expertise in creativity or lessen my status as an expert. On the contrary, they allow me to practice the theories I research. Such collaborations are really interesting to me and enrich my knowledge of the visual communication field as a whole, making me a better teacher to share a broad application of knowledge in the classroom.
Upon moving to Texas in 2013 and living in one of the most drilled urban areas in the USA, I was invited by chemistry faculty to collaborate through the development of visual representations of their research. They wanted videos, website, branding, and help fundraising, as well as participation in their research by writing the qualitative portion of the mixed methods papers. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is an extremely complicated industrial process, and the scientific findings behind it are filled with jargons from the fields of chemistry and engineering. I was only able to work with the chemistry faculty by doing my own research to make sense of it all, which as tenure track faculty that effort should result in peer-reviewed work when possible. I followed the chemistry dept. faculty in field, filmed their data collection, and interviewed the people who potentially had their water wells contaminated. I was then invited to write a chapter for their book and present at the Annual Responsible Shale Energy Extraction Symposium & Exposition as the only social scientist in the room. Results from this collaboration are on my vita and are still ongoing.
Another collaboration rooted in science communication led me to co-author several studies related to self-efficacy and STDs in women who are over 55 years old. My contribution consisted of making the ads for the study and writing the methods section about the visual choices such as font, color, images, etc. One of those papers won best faculty award and will be published without revisions, it’s currently in press.
Qualitative research methodologies are of great interest to me. Although I believe in many instances quantitative methods are more appropriate, qualitative research reveals insights that are profound, between the lines, and can better inform the development of quantitative instruments. In my work, I specifically explore the use of video as data, combining filmmaking with methodologies that are scientifically sound. This approach is a common thread in both research veins that I currently pursue.
In addition to research, I always seek activities that provide me with an outlet to create visual information, which makes me more inspired as a person, and motivated in the classroom. Photography and video are my passion, and will always remain an extension of my thoughts.
The question of how we prepare students for a career in a constant state of flux intrigued me to the point of turning it into a central inquiry of my dissertation. Going even further, how do we prepare them to set trends and innovate? I found that an overused and cliché term held the answer: critical thinking. In my field, critical thinking means creative thinking and problem-solving. Clients, brands, media outlets, and filmmakers will always have problems, developing strategies for problem-solving equips students with the ability to evolve as professionals, using the latest tools and gadgets as leverage for better communication rather than a central or starting point.
A strong emphasis on creative thinking will allow students to go through technological changes throughout their careers without falling behind. However, learning how to use current tools (e.g., social media and Adobe programs) is an important part of the short-term goal of graduating well-rounded emerging professionals. It also establishes the expectation that learning technology will be an ongoing effort as they advance professionally. Balancing technical skills with critical thinking is an important aspect of teaching that is prominent on my research findings.
I am often invited to work with researchers from other fields that need the unique combination of someone who is both a visual artist and a researcher, well versed in both worlds. I view these collaborations as my own creativity in practice as I work to problem-solve unique challenges with other researchers from disparate fields. I make interesting connections and further my understanding of how visual communications can be applied, presented, perceived, and justified. Although they might seem like a divergence from my focus of creativity, in reality they mimic my professional experience outside of academia of learning each client’s branding and identity deeply and going from topic to topic that way. These participations do not take away my expertise in creativity or lessen my status as an expert. On the contrary, they allow me to practice the theories I research. Such collaborations are really interesting to me and enrich my knowledge of the visual communication field as a whole, making me a better teacher to share a broad application of knowledge in the classroom.
Upon moving to Texas in 2013 and living in one of the most drilled urban areas in the USA, I was invited by chemistry faculty to collaborate through the development of visual representations of their research. They wanted videos, website, branding, and help fundraising, as well as participation in their research by writing the qualitative portion of the mixed methods papers. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is an extremely complicated industrial process, and the scientific findings behind it are filled with jargons from the fields of chemistry and engineering. I was only able to work with the chemistry faculty by doing my own research to make sense of it all, which as tenure track faculty that effort should result in peer-reviewed work when possible. I followed the chemistry dept. faculty in field, filmed their data collection, and interviewed the people who potentially had their water wells contaminated. I was then invited to write a chapter for their book and present at the Annual Responsible Shale Energy Extraction Symposium & Exposition as the only social scientist in the room. Results from this collaboration are on my vita and are still ongoing.
Another collaboration rooted in science communication led me to co-author several studies related to self-efficacy and STDs in women who are over 55 years old. My contribution consisted of making the ads for the study and writing the methods section about the visual choices such as font, color, images, etc. One of those papers won best faculty award and will be published without revisions, it’s currently in press.
Qualitative research methodologies are of great interest to me. Although I believe in many instances quantitative methods are more appropriate, qualitative research reveals insights that are profound, between the lines, and can better inform the development of quantitative instruments. In my work, I specifically explore the use of video as data, combining filmmaking with methodologies that are scientifically sound. This approach is a common thread in both research veins that I currently pursue.
In addition to research, I always seek activities that provide me with an outlet to create visual information, which makes me more inspired as a person, and motivated in the classroom. Photography and video are my passion, and will always remain an extension of my thoughts.
REFEREED ARTICLES UNDER REVIEW
Habib, S.; Vogel, T.; Villegas, J. (Under Review). Teaching Creativity: Gaps Between Agency and Educators. Journal of Advertising.
Hildenbrand, Z.; Carlton, D.; Wicker, P.; Habib, S.; and Schug, K. (Under Review). Characterizing anecdotal claims of groundwater contamination in shale energy basins. Journal of Environmental Science and Technology.
Hinojosa, Ramon, Hinojosa Melanie Sberna, Fernandez-Reiss, Jacqueline, Rosenberg, Justen E., Habib Sabrina. “Fracking and Health: Barriers to Greater Action.” Submitted to International Journal of Environmental Health Research March 2019.
Hinojosa, Ramon, Hinojosa Melanie Sberna, Fernandez-Reiss, Jacqueline, Rosenberg, Justen E., Habib Sabrina. “Legislative Barriers to Fracking Protest in the United States.” Submitted to American Journal of Public Health March 2019.
REFEREED ARTICLES AND PUBLICATIONS
Habib, S.; Patwardhan, P. (2019). Training to Lead in an Era of Change: Insights from Ad Agency Leaders. Journal of Advertising Education.
Morton, C. R.; Habib S.; Morris, J. (in press, 2019). The Effects of Nostalgia Cues in Sexual Health Advertising. Health Marketing Quarterly.
Patwardhan, P.; Habib, S.; Patwardhan, H. (2018). Managing Change and Finding Identity: A Grounded Analysis of Advertising Agency Leadership. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising. ISSN: 1064-1734 (Print) 2164-7313
Habib, S.; Hinojosa, M. S.; Hinojosa, R. (2017). Societal Implications of Unconventional Oil and Gas Development. Advances in Chemical Pollution, Environmental Management and Protection: Environmental Issues Concerning Hydraulic Fracturing. Zachariah Hildenbrand & Kevin Schug, Eds. Publisher: Elsevier.
Habib, S., & Hinojosa, M. S. (2016). Representation of Fracking in Mainstream American Newspapers. Environmental Practice, 18(02), 83–93. http://doi.org/10.1017/S1466046616000089
Habib, S., and Hinojosa, R. (2016). Video Data Analysis in Grounded Theory. Journal of Ethnographic and Qualitative Research 10(1), 42-52.
Habib, S., and Hinojosa, R. (2016). Video-Based Research in Grounded Approaches: Practical tips and insights. Handbook of Grounded Theory, Claudia Equit & Christoph Hohage, Eds. Publisher: Beltz Verlag. This chapter was accepted through a peer-review process.
Habib, S. (2015). Teaching Approaches in Advertising: Creativity and Technology. Journal of Advertising Education, 19(1), 17-37. Best Paper Award.
INVITED BOOK CHAPTERS
Habib, S.; Hinojosa, M. S.; Hinojosa, R. (2017). Societal Implications of Unconventional Oil and Gas Development. Advances in Chemical Pollution, Environmental Management and Protection: Environmental Issues Concerning Hydraulic Fracturing. Zachariah Hildenbrand & Kevin Schug, Eds. Publisher: Elsevier.
Habib, S.; (2018). Reaching the Brazilian Audience. Hispanic/Latino Media in the U.S. Kight, E. & Coronado, K. Eds. Publisher: Routledge, of Taylor & Francis.
STUDIES IN PROGRESS
Patwardhan, P.; Patwardhan, H.; Habib, S. Excellence in Advertising Leadership: A Global Study of the Phenomenon in 21st Century Agencies (data collection in progress).
REFEREED PRESENTATIONS AT NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES
2019 Habib, S.; Vogel, T.; Villegas, J.: Creative Thinking.
Creativity Conference, Southern Oregon University, Ashland, OR.
2019 Habib, S.; Vogel, T.; Villegas, J.: Teaching Creativity In The Age of Artificial Intelligence and Data Stream.
AAA – American Academy of Advertising, Dallas, TX
2019 Patwardhan, P.: Advertising's People Problem: A View from Four Continents. Role: Panelist.
AAA – American Academy of Advertising, Dallas, TX
2018 Habib, S.; Vogel, T.; Villegas, J.: Creative Thinking: Insights From Advertising Educators And Practitioners.
AAA – American Academy of Advertising, New York, NY.
2018 Villegas, J.; Vogel, T.; Habib, S.; Williams, J.: Creativity, Data, and Artificial Intelligence: The New Team
AAA – American Academy of Advertising, New York, NY.
2018 Morton, C., Habib, S., and Morris, J.: The Effects of Nostalgia Cues in Sexual Health Advertising.
Association for Marketing and Healthcare Research. Telluride, CO
2017 Habib, S.: Hydraulic Fracturing and Society
Responsible Shale Energy Extraction conference at Earth Day Texas. Dallas, TX
2016 Habib, S., & Patwardhan, P.: Creating Unique Experiential Opportunities: The Case for Student Led Ad Agencies.
AAA – American Academy of Advertising, Seattle, WA.
2016 Habib, S., & Hinojosa, R.: Video-Based Research Design
28th Annual Ethnographic and Qualitative Research Conference (EQRC), Las Vegas, NV
2015 Habib, S.: Storytelling: Creating Immersive Worlds
AAA – American Academy of Advertising, Chicago, IL
2014 Habib, S.: Grounded Theory: Inductive Video Analysis
CAQDAS, Surrey, England (note: unable to attend).
2014 Habib, S.: From Creative Professionals to Educators and Scholars
AAA – American Academy of Advertising, Atlanta, GA
2014 Habib, S.: Accessing The Digital Muse: A Grounded Theory of Advertising Creativity
AAA – American Academy of Advertising, Atlanta, GA
2014 Habib, S., and Duke, L.: Grounded Theory: Why, How, When
The Qualitative Report 5th Annual Conference, Fort Lauderdale, FL
2013 Habib, S.: Grounded Theory Workflow
Second Annual Studiocode Research Conference and Workshop, University of California, Berkeley
2013 Duke, L., and Habib, S.: Looking Forward: Technology and the Birth of Ideas
The Qualitative Report 4th Annual Conference, Fort Lauderdale, FL
2012 Duke, L., and Habib, S.: Keeping Up with The Industry in Academia
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Chicago, IL.
2012 Duke, L., and Habib, S.: How Technology Changed Creativity
American Academy of Advertising - Pre-Conference, Myrtle Beach, SC.
2012 Habib, S., and Duke, L.: Technology and Brainstorming in Advertising
International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Champaign, IL.
2011 Habib, S., and Duke, L.: Different Approaches to Technology in The Creative Classroom
Ubiquitous Learning Conference, University of California, Berkeley.
2011 Braddock, J., and Habib, S.: National Versus International Coverage of the BP Oil Spill: A Content Analysis.
Florida Society of the Social Sciences, Gainesville, FL.