Ellen Wartella worries that today’s children will be the first generation in a century to not live as many years as their parents will. The main factor, she said, would be obesity.

"Childhood obesity is a worldwide issue, but it’s a particular issue in the U.S.," said Wartella, professor of communication, human development/sociology and psychology at Northwestern University. "Almost a third of American children are severely overweight or obese."

A board member of Harvard University's Center on Media and Children’s Health, Wartella will discuss the extent of the childhood obesity crisis – whom it affects and its consequences. She will address the nature of the food environment in U.S. society, especially the disconnect between the foods marketed to children and how people define healthy diets. 

Recognizing scholars who have made a significant contribution to the understanding of communication, the Wayne A. Danielson Award was created in 1991. It honors Professor Emeritus Wayne Danielson for his contributions to the College of Communication, The University of Texas at Austin and the field of communication.

Danielson joined The University of Texas at Austin faculty in 1969 and served as dean of the College of Communication (formerly School of Communication). Previously, he taught at Stanford University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He holds a Ph.D. in mass communications from Stanford University.

His research has led to the development of more than 30 operating programs for tools such as readability indexes, automatic news indexes and stylistic advice to authors.

He also served as founding editor of Journalism Abstracts (now Journalism & Mass Communications Abstracts), a publication of the Association for Education and Journalism and Mass Communication.