Hello, I'm Ellen Wartella, and welcome to this episode of the Architects of Communication Scholarship podcast series, a production of the ICA Podcast Network. Today, our architect is Sandra J. Ball-Rokeach. Sandra Ball-Rokeach is Professor Emerita at the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Her 52-year career began as a sociologist receiving her Ph.D. in 1968 from the University of Washington. Sandra’s research on communication phenomena drew her into the communication field in 1986. Sandra is best known for media system dependency theory, communication infrastructure theory, and the 21-year-Metamorphosis project in which more than 150 students were trained in multi-level and multi-method research. She is an ICA Fellow and has served in a number of capacities for the ICA. Today, Sandra is in conversation with Barbara Osborn. When this interview was recorded, Barbara was the Director of Communications for the Office of L.A. County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl. She is a former collaborator with Sandra on a course at the University of Southern California called “Research, Practice & Social Change” for over a decade. Here is Barbara.