A communications scholar will present the Robert M. Pockrass Memorial Lecture, focusing on business trends and communications, at 3:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28 in Foster Auditorium of Paterno Library on the University Park campus.            

Devon Powers, associate professor at Temple University, will present a lecture titled “#Trending: The Business of Trends in Consumer Culture.” The lecture is free and open to the public.

Powers’ research examines historical and contemporary consumer culture and the changes in cultural intermediation, circulation and promotion. She is the author of “Writing the Record: The Village Voice and the Birth of Rock Criticism” and “On Trend: The Business of Forecasting the Future.” She also co-edited “Blowing Up the Brand: Critical Perspectives on Promotional Culture.”

Her work has been featured in several academic journals, including Journal of Consumer Culture, New Media & Society, Critical Studies in Media and Communication, and Popular Communication. A large portion of her research focuses on trends, branding and popular music. Powers earned her doctorate from New York University.

The Pockrass Lecture was named in honor of the late Professor Robert M. Pockrass. He was part of the Penn State journalism faculty from 1948 to 1977. Pockrass served as the graduate officer, taught radio news writing, and specialized in public opinion and popular culture.