Less than two months after being accepted to the DePauw National Undergraduate Honors Conference for Communication and Theatre, Claire McGlinchey, a senior double-major in communication studies and environmental studies, has been awarded the Livingstone Undergraduate Research Award in the Humanities.

The Livingstone Award grants an undergraduate at Temple University up to $1,000 for the best research project in a variety of categories.

McGlinchey’s research addressed the public response to National Geographic's publication of an image of a starving polar bear. She said that National Geographic used the image to promote efforts to address climate change, despite the fact that the polar bear in the image was not starving because of climate change.

“The image creates some kind of disconnect, as opposed to climate change communications telling the stories of people actually being affected by climate change," McGlinchey said.

Scott Gratson, the director of communication studies at Klein College, is extremely proud of McGlinchey’s academic progress.

“It is a pleasure to see Claire's work recognized,” Gratson said. “It has been an incredible pleasure for me to see her grow as a scholar and I know that her work will make an impact on her field of inquiry and other students.”

Following graduation in December, McGlinchey said she hopes to pursue a career in environmental communication.

The Livingstone Award ceremony was held at the Temple University Student Center on April 23, where McGlinchey presented her research.