Stan Alost has worked in the news industry for more than 20 years as a photojournalist, picture editor, designer, and in management. That experience included newspapers, wire services, and freelance work for numerous clients in and outside of the journalism field. He holds an undergraduate degree in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University, and a Master of Science degree from Ohio University. Beyond newspapers, his work has been published in books and magazines including Life, Ohio 24/7, Newsphotographer, and Stern. Additionally, he co-authored research published in the Newspaper Research Journal as well as papers presented to AEJMC.
Since joining the faculty, Alost has worked with former students to produce their books, including Alysia Burton Steele's "Delta Jewels: In search of my grandmother’s wisdom," Josh Birnbaum’s "Dream Shot: The journey to a wheelchair basketball national championship," Lauren Pond's "Test of Faith: Signs, serpents, and salvation," and Daniel Owen's "The In-Between Land." Beyond the student work, he contributed a chapter in "The Scripps School: Its stories, people, and legacy," and authored "An Introduction to Visual Communication: Understanding the language we see."
Alost helps to steer the award-winning annual student-led multimedia project Soul of Athens , and has done so since 2007. He was also the organizer and moderator of the annual National Press Photography Association Best of Photojournalism still photography, picture editing, and multimedia contests from 2001 until 2018. He also had the privilege of helping facilitate and mentor at both the Lens Collective multimedia conferences at University of Mississippi, created by Alyssa Burton Steele, and the Journalism in the Public Interest and Journalist as Witness workshops held at Allegheny College and Guilford College, created by Cheryl Hatch.
Over the years Alost has helped guide eight students to Fulbright scholarships and two students to recognition by the Duke University Center for Documentary Studies/Honickman First Book Prize in Photography , and several students to Student Enhancement Grants funding their projects. Other students have been awarded significant prizes in international competitions including College Photographer of the Year, as well as awards in the Pictures of the Year competition, the Best of Photojournalism competition, and the Ohio Press Photographers Association contest.
He was awarded the University Professor award in 2010, as well as selected for the Bruning Teaching Academy for outstanding teaching at Ohio University in 2017.
His interest areas include visual communication, photojournalism, communication design, neuropsychology and psychology applied to communication, leadership, and the application of new technologies to mass communication
Courses he has taught include Introduction to Visual Communication for undergraduates: Photojournalism Capstone for program seniors, University Learning Community seminar for incoming freshmen, Photojournalistic Essay for graduate students, Soul of Athens synthesis project for both undergraduate and graduate students, MFA in Communication Media Arts seminar for graduate students. Alost has also taught Introduction to Publication Design for both undergraduate and graduate students, Visual Communication Research Methods for graduate students, Visual Communication Management for graduate students, and Introduction to Photojournalism for undergraduate students.
At ouviscom.wordpress.com , he provides a venue to share visual stories of current and past students.
Instagram: @stanalost