Dr. Sumner attends conference in Istanbul

Dr. Sumner attends conference in Istanbul

Dr. David Sumner, professor of journalism and coordinator of the magazine journalism major, recently traveled to Istanbul, Turkey to attend the International Conference on Communication, Media, Technology and Design, during which he presented “Winners and Losers in the American Magazine Market, 2001 – 2010.”  The conference’s sponsors included Eastern Mediterranean University, Anadolu University and the Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies.  More than 130 professors from 34 different countries participated, with about 25 presenters coming from the U.S., while the rest came from Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Dr. Sumner and his wife

Dr. Sumner and his wife, Elise, during a cruise on the Bosphorus Strait, which divides Europe from Asia.

While the conference only lasted three days, Dr. Sumner and his wife spent seven days traversing Istanbul and its many sites. “The opportunity to visit a city with such a rich and fascinating history attracted my attention,” Dr. Sumner says.  Besides the main sites, the couple took long, leisurely walks through the city, which became one of the main highlights of their trip.  “My wife and I had serendipitous and sometimes humorous encounters with the shopkeepers and other people, including musicians at Istanbul’s Music Row, waiters and cooks, rug salesmen, storekeepers, a rug weaver, a wedding party, fishermen, and even a group of women protesting contaminated milk.”

Next year’s conference will be held May 1-3, 2013, in Famagusta, North Cyprus.  The conference is designed for the purpose of providing an opportunity for all participants to share experiences and cooperation with international colleagues. Its official aim is “to gather academicians who are interested in communication, media studies and design from allover the world. The ultimate aim is to promote different ideas to offer a place for participants to present and discuss their innovative recent and ongoing research and theoretical work and/or their applications or development.”