Its one thing for scientists to do the hard years of research that prove the effects of, say, cigarette smoking on human health.

Its quite another to convey that information to the American public in ways that cause people to change their behaviors.

Between the science and the personal behavior is one crucial step: Communication.

Students in Professor Melanie Booth-Butterfield’s Communications Studies course in WVU s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences have spent much of the semester researching a variety of health and safety issuesthen developing effective ways of communicating with the public about those issues.

The results of their efforts will be presented in a poster session on Tuesday (Dec. 7) from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in 115-117 Armstrong Hall. Refreshments will be served.

Look for the visual representation of a full range of safety topics, Booth-Butterfield said.

Some posters will caution parents about smoking around their children and others will encourage workers to follow safety rules at construction sites. Other posters will offer stress-management tips for college students at exam time, while others will drive home the importance of always wearing a helmet when riding all-terrain vehicles.

The posters,Booth-Butterfield said,will represent various social science approaches to dealing with people who don = t enact healthy behavior.

For more information, contact Booth-Butterfield online at melanie.booth-butterfield@mail.wvu.edu or by calling her direct at 304-293-3905.