HopCommNet: Springing Ahead

Welcome back! We hope you are well-rested after the winter break and excited to jump back in.

You may notice that this newsletter is coming from HopCommNet rather than the broader AAP Student Government group. With our organization growing, we want to more specifically tailor our content to YOU. That means we need your help! Please forward this to classmates and encourage them to join.

Are you interested in getting involved? We still have openings on the HopCommNet executive board. Find information on the executive board and the application form here.

Last month, we asked what news sources you use to keep up with the media landscape and trends. Responses showed that online news sites are the most common, followed by magazines and social media.  

This month, we are sharing a collection of resources to help you get off to a strong start. We’re also looking inward, examining our organization.

GENERAL MEETING
Join HopCommNet this Wednesday for a brief game of communications trivia, then learn what your Graduate Student Communication Organization is up to this spring! We will be re-introducing who the Hopkins Communication Network is as a club for new students. All AAP students are encouraged to attend!

🗓️ Date: Wednesday, January 21
⏰ Time: 6:30–7 PM ET
📍 Location: Zoom

Watch Hopkins Groups for the link to register and attend.

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE

HopCommNet has gained 85 members since our launch on Hopkins Groups. Did you know that only ~25% of our members are working towards an MA in Communication? Twenty-three different programs (of the 25 total in AAP) are represented within our club! Some of the largest cohorts are MS in Biotechnology, MA in Public Management, MA in Global Security Studies, and Master of Liberal Arts. 
Communication truly does play a role in every aspect of our lives and every professional path. HopCommNet is a richer community because of the diverse perspectives and interests of our members. As you plan your time for this spring, we hope you’ll consider how you can bring your unique views and expertise to the group!

SAVE THE DATE!
Have career questions?
JHU AAP Alumni and PR Society of America National Chapter past president will join us to discuss life, work, and career development. 
🗓️ Date: Wednesday, February 18 
⏰ Time: Evening TBD 
📍Location: Zoom and Washington DC campus (555 Penn), room 258 
Watch for more info in the February newsletter!  
 

Other upcoming events
Get ready for a few fun, skills-building events with us! We are working to bring you the following events this spring:  

• February: A career panel with Johns Hopkins alumni 
• March (following Spring Break): An improv course at the DC 555 building, co-hosted with DC Improv and AAP's StoryLab! 
• April: A workshop to build your crisis communication skills 

Stay tuned!

JANUARY EVENTS AROUND JHU

Come and meet fellow AAP students over a drink! There will be free food and drink tickets available for you to chat with new friends and celebrate the start of the Spring 2026 semester. This event is only for AAP students and their invited guests. 

Washington, DC   

• Friday, January 23
• 5:00-7:00 PM
• Penn Social

Baltimore, MD 

• Friday, January 30
• 6:00-8:00 PM
• Guildford Hall Brewery

Join StoryLab’s General Body Meeting, a space for connection, creativity, and collaboration through storytelling. These meetings are open to all members and anyone curious about StoryLab.  

• Thursday, January 29
• 6:00-7:00 PM
• Online

View upcoming JHU AAP events by logging into Hopkins Groups, clicking on upcoming events, and filtering the event tags for “AAP Students”.  

JHU RESOURCES FOR AUDIENCE RESEARCH 
It is critical to understand the audience you are communicating with when you are pitching a new business or product, advocating for public policy initiatives, seeking to change health behaviors, and more. Luckily, many resources are available to students to facilitate audience research. 

Mintel Database 
Find market reports on a ton of things such as social media trends, age trends, audience preferences, US trends, Global trends.

Statista 
Find statistics, reports, and research insights across tons of different industries. 

PolicyMap
Conduct audience research based on geography, location, occupation, SES/socioeconomic status, and education level. If you can't access the page through this link, search for "PolicyMap" in the Sheridan Library databases.

Qualtrics
Create and send surveys to conduct research.

MRI Simmons
This all-in-one resource for audience research includes a a broad range of information by demographic including media consumption habits, personal attitudes, and product use. The platform also includes an option to create graphs and charts based on the population selected, which can be exported to PowerPoint.

Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS)
The National Cancer Institute regularly collects data on Americans’ knowledge of, attitudes toward, and use of cancer- and health-related information. HINTS data can be used to help develop effective health communication strategies across different populations.

If you need support using any of the available tools or identifying helpful resources, you can also contact a librarian.

BEYOND THE UNIVERSITY
APA Style Blog
The American Psychiatric Association Style Guide is used for academic writing across social science fields, including communication. While nothing beats buying a physical copy of the APA style manual, the APA Style Blog offers short, digestible articles on topics such as avoiding plagiarism, evaluating sources, and how to cite generative AI.

See you at our General Meeting! 

HopCommNet Board

Email submitted by Lisa Kiker
HopCommNet Vice President

Writers: Lisa Kiker, Gillian Henneberry

🤝 Become a HopCommNet Member

The Hopkins Communication Network (HopCommNet) is your graduate student communication organization at JHU AAP. 

Join us to stay in the loop on events, professional development, and more!

Follow us on Instagram to stay up to date with our events!

💡 Have Ideas? We Want to Hear Them!

Got suggestions for events or communication resources you want to see this semester? 

Share your suggestions for future workshops, panels, or topics you'd like us to cover.