Tim Michaels specializes in argumentation, debate, and political rhetoric, focusing on the public function of argument and the challenges of environmental advocacy. He has worked with several intercollegiate debate and forensics teams and organizations, including the Penn State Speech and Debate Society, and currently serves on the executive council of the National Educational Debate Association. His research interests also focus on qualitative, interpretive, and philosophical approaches to the rhetoric of mental health, especially exploring the relationship between communication and loneliness. He has several publications which probe how various mediums of communication interrelate with suicide and affect mental health and feelings of loneliness. Tim currently teaches effective speech (CAS 100).