Upcoming Speakers Series Events

Engaging with Social AI: Considering the Construed Mind in Machines

Dr. Jamie Banks, Syracuse University

Our next Speaker Series guest, Dr. Jaime Banks will visit our department on Tue, Oct 29th and present her talk, titled "Engaging with Social AI: Considering the Construed Mind in Machines" at 12:30pm- 1:45pm in Arjona 225 and via WebEx.

Abstract:

Although chatbots have existed since at least the 1960s (i.e., Weizenbaum’s ELIZA), the recent mainstreaming of text- and image-generative AI has fostered a groundswell of applications facilitating humans’ interaction with social AI. Among these are AI companions like Replika, Paradot, and even interactions with ChatGPT. Scholars tend to examine these machines in terms of human-computer interaction or parasocial interaction lenses, but I argue these are not appropriate. Rather, we should take up the lens of human-machine communication that considers how humans and machines make meaning together, each according to their faculties. From this frame and drawing from a collection of recent studies on mind perception, moral judgments, and technical breakdown, I offer two claims and a Big Question about the processes and effects of humans’ engagement with social AI.

Bio 
Jaime Banks (Ph.D., Colorado State University) is the Katchmar-Wilhelm Endowed Professor in the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University and PI of the iSchool’s LinkLab. Her research is animated by questions of human-technology relations, especially those with AI, social robots, and videogame avatars. She focuses on relational construals of mind and morality, and her current work focuses on experiences and effects of AI companionship.

Past Speakers Series Events

Social Media and Online Hate: New Perspectives, Theories, and Findings

Dr. Joe Walther, University of California - Santa Barbara

Our next Speaker Series guest, Dr. Joe Walther, PhD, will visit our department Thursday, October 10 and give a talk, entitled "Social Media and Online Hate: New Perspectives, Theories, and Findings" at 12:30 p.m. in Arjona 225.
Dr. Walter will also conduct a workshop, entitled "Definitions and Measures of Online Hate and What They Don’t Do" on Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Arjona 225 (with lunch provided).

Bio:

Joseph B. Walther holds the Bertelsen Presidential Chair in Technology and Society at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he is a Distinguished Professor of Communication. He is also a faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. A Fulbright Scholar, an ICA Fellow, and an NCA Distinguished Scholar, his research focuses on the impact of interpersonal and intergroup dynamics in the attitudes and behaviors people develop via mediated interaction, in personal relationships, groups, inter-ethnic conflict, and online hate. He received ICA’s Chaffee Award for Career Productivity and has twice been awarded the NCA’s Woolbert Award for articles that changed thinking in the communication discipline.

• Speaker Series Talk: Social Media and Online Hate: New Perspectives, Theories, and Findings 
  • Thu, Oct 10th from 12:30 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. — ARJ 225
• Workshop: Definitions and Measures of Online Hate and What They Don’t Do 
  • Friday, October 11 at 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Arjona 225 (followed by lunch)

Decision Making and Communication about Inherited Cancer Risk

Dr. Marleah Dean Kruzel, University of South Florida

Our next speaker, Dr. Marleah Dean Kruzel, Associate Professor (University of South Florida),
Collaborator Member, Moffitt Cancer Center will present her talk virtually on  Thursday, September 26 at 12:30pm.

Bio:

Marleah Dean Kruzel (PhD, Texas A&M University) is an Associate Professor at the University of South Florida and a Collaborator Member in the Health Outcomes & Behavior Program at the Moffitt Cancer Center. Dr. Dean Kruzel’s research interests are cancer communication and the communication of genetic risk information. She is an expert on the health experiences and decisions of previvors. Her research has been published in numerous journals such as Genetics in Medicine, Health Communication, Patient Education & Counseling, Journal of Applied Communication Research, and Journal of Genetic Counseling. Dr. Dean Kruzel’s research is and has been funded by the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. A BRCA2-positive previvor herself, she is committed to patient engagement and science communication.

Talk Description:

Approximately 10% of all cases of cancer in the United States are hereditary. Genetic testing for cancer predisposition is utilized to identify individuals at significantly increased risk to develop hereditary cancer and to guide prevention and treatment strategies to reduce cancer incidence and mortality.
Previvors are individuals who have increased lifetime risk of hereditary cancer due to a pathogenic genetic variant but who have not been diagnosed with cancer. An inherent aspect of living with a pathogenic variant increasing cancer risk is uncertainty. Previvors unable to manage this uncertainty are at risk for negative outcomes such as heightened psychological distress over time and impeded health decision-making.
Drawing on my decade of cancer communication research and personal experiences with inherited cancer, in this talk, I will present two projects focused how previvors manage cancer-related uncertainty, make health and fertility decisions, and communicate inherited cancer risk information with their family members and clinicians. Implications will highlight how psychosocial interventions and communication tools can aid in decision-making and ultimately enhance emotional well-being and long-term survival.

Title: "How Communication Processes Address Inequity and Disparity: The Importance of Remaking, Resistance, and Resilience"

Our next Speaker Series guest, Dr. Kristina Scharp will present on Thursday, April 18, 12:30pm-1:45pm in person in ARJ 225 and online.

Bio: Kristina M. Scharp (Ph.D, University of Iowa) is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University and a Director of the Family Communication and Relationships Lab. She researches the process of marginalization and the ways people cope with the major disruptions to their lives. She has over 90 publications in outlets such as the Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, Communication Monographs, and Communication Research as well as three co-authored textbooks. In the last few years, she was awarded the International Communication Association’s Early Career Award, NCA Family Communication Division’s Distinguished Article Award, and the Leslie A. Baxter Early Career Award in Family Communication. Her work on family estrangement, in particular, has garnered attention from numerous media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NPR.

Abstract: This talk address the communicative processes of remaking, resistance, and resilience and the ways these processes can help people better disrupt and manage the inequities they experience and resulting marginalization with which they must cope. Based on her research about family estrangement, complicated health diagnoses, and disenfranchised college students, she also illustrates how communication scholarship can inform a new theory, inspire a new research method, and translate to the public. 

Dr. Scharp will also lead a workshop on 4/19 from 10am - 12pm in ARJ 225.

Title: "The Centrality of Media Stereotypes in the 21st Century"

Our next Speaker Series guest, Dr. Travis L. Dixon will present on Tuesday, April 2, 12:30pm-1:45pm online.

Bio: Professor Dixon received his PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara.  Professor Dixon is a media effects scholar specializing in investigating the prevalence of stereotypes in the mass media and the impact of stereotypical imagery on audience members.  In addition to the dozens of articles Dr. Dixon has published in leading Communication journals, he has received multiple top paper awards from the National Communication Association and the International Communication Association. Dr. Dixon also serves on the editorial boards of some of the leading journals in his field, including Communication Monographs, Communication Research, Human Communication Research, Howard Journal of Communications, Media Psychology, and the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. Much of Dr. Dixon's work examines racial stereotyping in television news. His more recent investigations scrutinize the content and effects of stereotypes and counter-stereotypes in major news events, social media, and musical contexts.  He is the David L. Swanson Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Communication, and he has partnered with community groups attempting to address racial inequity.

Abstract: Professor Dixon will discuss the influence of media stereotyping on psychological and social phenomena. His work will focus on the changing news environment that has accelerated many of the adverse effects of these stereotypes. The talk will help illuminate how digital media may blunt and accelerate these effects.

Title: "Social Media: Irony, Context, and Digital Thriving"

Our next Speaker Series guest, Dr. Jeffrey A. Hall will present on Thursday, March 21, 12:30pm-1:45pm in ARJ 225 and online.

Bio: Jeffrey A. Hall (PhD University of Southern California) is a Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas, and is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School. He is the director of the relationships and technology lab at the University of Kansas: https://randtlab.ku.edu.  In 2023, he was the recipient of the University Scholarly Achievement Award for social sciences and professional programs at the University of Kansas. His book, Relating Through Technology (Cambridge University Press), was featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and CNN, and won a two Top Book Awards from the National Communication Association (Gerald R. Miller, Human Communication & Technology). He is the former Chair of the Human Communication and Technology Division of the National Communication Association, and the current Chair of the Interpersonal Communication Division at the International Communication Association. He has written on building friendships, navigating digital media, and forming meaningful connections for the Wall Street Journal. He is the author of over 80 articles and the recipient of several major research awards, including an early-career award from the National Communication Association. His forthcoming book with Dr. Andy Merolla, Moments to Connect, will be published by Yale University Press.

Abstract: Social media is bad for you, right?  Maybe it is bad for some people at some times and good for some people at some times? This presentation will explore the research consensus and the public opinion consensus about the harms of social media. It will advance two concepts – irony and context – to help explain contradictions and confusion in both research and popular opinion. A contemporary approach that embraces these contradictions will be advanced to explain when and why social media can contribute to digital thriving.

Title: "Generative AI for Creative Minds: Thoughts and Considerations for the Future" 

Title: "Spirituality, Meaning and Health" 

Below is the link to Dr. Park's lab:
https://spiritualitymeaningandhealth.uconn.edu/

Title: “Making Friends, Making Coalition: Rhetorical Dynamics of Resilient Coalition Building in Friends of Friendship Park.”

Abstract: This presentation is about how a rhetorical ecological approach can assist scholars in studying the rhetorical dynamics of coalition building. Doing so is based on conducting rhetorical fieldwork with the grassroots community-based Friends of Friendship Park and at Friendship Park, a binational park located on the San Diego/Tijuana border. Through her research (and, her co-author Diane Keeling), Dr. Holling advances a rhetorical ecology understanding of “coalition” that is shaped by a diversity of enclaves, memories, and inventional resources.

Presentation Title: Making Science Communication More Strategic

Abstract:

Dr. John C. Besley will share key ideas from his recently released book Strategic Science Communication (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2022, with Anthony Dudo). This book seeks to help bridge the gap between science communication research and practice. For science and risk communicators, he’ll highlight the strategic value of drawing on research into behavior change and trust to help (a) identify concrete, audience-specific behavioral goals, as well as (b) specific cognitive and affective communication objectives aimed at achieving those goals. He will also discuss the importance of delaying decisions about tactics until after choices about objectives. For communication researchers, he’ll also discuss the potential value of conducting more research that either helps communicators make smarter choices, or helps communication strategists understand how communicators choose goals, objectives, and tactics.

The presentation will draw on Dr. Besley’s extensive research into understanding how scientists think about science communication, as well as efforts to outline how social science theory might be used to help scientists think more strategically about their communication choices. This work involves surveys of more than 30K scientists, interviews with more than 150 scientists and other actors from across the scientific community, and participation in a range of projects aimed at improving science communication training and strategic thinking.

Bio:

Dr. Besley is among the most cited and published science communication/public engagement scholars in the world with more than 100 peer reviewed articles and other reports, as well as funding from a range of governmental (NSF, USDA, etc.) and foundation sources (Kavli, Rita Allen, Chan/Zuckerberg, etc.). He earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University (2006) , is the associate editor for risk communication for the journal Risk Analysis, and is on the editorial boards of Science Communication, Environmental Communication, Public Understanding of Science, the Journal of Science Communication, and the Journal of Risk Research.

Presentation Title: Reducing Stress using Forest Bathing in VR

Abstract:

Forest bathing is practice of sensory immersion in a nature environment for stress relief and mental resource restoration. Forest bathing offers many positive effects that can help people’s mental health; however, many people who are in the most need of stress reduction benefits do not have access to nature, such as people in hospitals, nursing homes, and large cities. Virtual reality (VR) has the potential to increase accessibility to the benefits of nature by delivering immersive nature simulations that provide similar benefits. To create an effective virtual nature environment (VNE), research needs to be conducted on the components of a nature environment that make forest bathing effective. Additionally, a key issue with creating VNE’s is making them deployable on accessible, everyday VR headsets like the Oculus Quest 2. This talk will discuss the results from an initial experiment showing the potential of biomass, or living green nature, as an essential component for restorative effect. The talk will also cover a follow up experiment on the importance of biomass realism, or the fidelity of the plant life, on restorative effects, as less complex assets may be more feasible for deploying on everyday VR devices.

Bio:

Francisco R. Ortega is an Assistant Professor at Colorado State University (CSU) and Director of the Natural User Interaction lab (NUILAB). Dr. Ortega earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science (CS) in the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and 3D User Interfaces (3DUI) from Florida International University (FIU) from Dr. Naphtali Rishe and Dr. Armando Barreto. He also held the position of Post-Doc and Visiting Assistant Professor position at Florida International University between February 2015 and July 2018. Broadly speaking, his research has focused on multimodal and unimodal interaction (gesture-centric), which includes gesture recognition and elicitation (e.g., a form of participatory design). His main research area focuses on improving user interaction by (a) multimodal elicitation, (b) developing interactive techniques, and (c) improving augmented reality visualization techniques. The primary domains for interaction include immersive analytics, assembly, Navy use cases, and collaborative environments using augmented reality headsets. His research has resulted in over 76 peer-reviewed publications, including books, journals, conferences, workshops, and magazine articles, in venues such as IEEE TVCG, ACM PACMHCI, ACM ISS, ACM SUI, and IEEE 3DUI, among others. He is the first author of Interaction Design for 3D User Interfaces: The World of Modern Input Devices for Research, Applications, and Game Development book by CRC Press.  Dr. Ortega has experience with multiple projects awarded by the government. For example, Dr. Ortega was a co-PI for the DARPA Communicating with Computers project. He is currently a PI for a 3-year effort for ONR titled Perceptual/Cognitive Aspects of Augmented Reality: Experimental Research and a Computational Model. He recently was awarded a new ONR grant titled Assessing Cognitive Load and Managing Extraneous Load to Optimize Training. He has also been funded by the National Science Foundation and sub awardee for an ONR project from Virtual Reality Rehab. Since his initial tenure-track appointment at CSU from August 2018 to August 2022, Dr. Ortega has brought over 3.3 million dollars in external funding (2.8 million dollars as principal investigator.) Recently, Dr. Ortega has been recommended for funding of the NSF CAREER starting in 2023. Finally, Dr. Ortega is committed to diversity and inclusion, and his mission is to increase the number of underrepresented minorities in CS. 

Recording link: https://uconn-cmr.webex.com/uconn-cmr/ldr.php?RCID=86235da72255235a96859c1eec2b0774

Presentation Title: Context-sensitive, time-varying, and emergent: Interpersonal communication as a complex dynamical system

Link to recorded presentation (internal access only)

Dr Paxton's work focuses on improving our understanding of communication and interaction with a data-rich and complex-systems approach, particularly in how context changes behavior. Her research interests include: Communication and social interaction as a complex dynamical system (including movement, language, attention, and emotion), data-rich and dynamics-focused research methods and analyses, naturally occurring datasets and “big data” for psychological theory-building, and ethics of human-derived data.

Presentation Title: A Brief Introduction to Citation Managers

Hilary Kraus, MSI is the Research Services Librarian at the University of Connecticut, and the subject specialist for Psychological Sciences and Kinesiology.  She has served as a health science and science librarian at Loyola University Chicago, DePaul University, and most recently as Nursing & Health Librarian at UMass Dartmouth.  Hilary holds a BA in English and Creative Writing from Northwestern University and an MSI from the University of Michigan.  A Chicago native, she relocated to New England in 2008.  In her spare time, she is an avid reader and crafter.

Areas of Expertise

• Information literacy instruction
• Citation management
• Video tutorial creation
• Locating research instruments

Presentation Title: "Human vs. Machine Agency in Human-AI interaction"

The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how we interact and communicate with everyday technologies. Current smart technologies capable of producing information and directly communicating with users are deployed for various communication contexts. Indeed, the rise of machine agency is a notable fundamental change that AI has brought to our experience with communication technology. However, fulfilling autonomy is one of the basic needs for humans, suggesting that the rise of machine agency leads to an essential agency tension among the users; the key sources of such psychological tensions are the loss of agency and privacy. Dr. Kang discusses how users negotiate agency when interacting with AI-based technology, and the impacts of AI vs. human agency on the persuasiveness of the technology and users’ privacy management decisions. The presentation will include research findings and implications from recently completed studies in IoT and algorithm-based social media (i.e., TikTok) contexts using both quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Hyunjin Kang (PhD, Penn State University) is an Assistant Professor in the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. Her research focuses on the psychological effects of interactive communication technologies on communication processes and user behaviors. Her work has been published in many communication and HCI journals, including New Media and Society, Media Psychology, International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, and Computers in Human Behaviors. She is a recipient (PI) of Meta (Facebook) Research award. Her research project on social media users’ expectations and experiences with digital privacy will be funded by Meta Research.

The relationship between communication technologies – or the tools that we use to communicate – and our psychology is inseparable. We come to understand ourselves through the way we communicate. Although these conversations are commonplace with respect to older communication technologies (e.g., written language, printing press), it is often dismissed when discussing more modern technologies, like consumer-market cameras, cable television, and video gaming. This talk will focus on how these technologies have fostered novel ways of communicating, interpersonally and intrapersonal, to better understand – and possible predict – the future of communication and human psychology.

Charisse L’Pree Corsbie-Massay is an Associate Professor of Communications at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She holds BS degrees in Brain and Cognitive Science and Comparative Media Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MA degree from the School of Cinematic Arts and a PhD in Social Psychology from University of Southern California. Charisse investigates how users think about themselves and others via media. Her work includes articles in Psychological Inquiry and AIDS and Behavior, as well as book chapters addressing serious games, race and gender methodology, and media use among marginalized populations. Her most recent book, Twentieth Century Media and the American Psyche (Routledge, 2021), describes how our relationships with media emulate interpersonal relationships through their ability to replicate intimacy, regularity, and reciprocity. At Syracuse University, she teaches classes on communication and diversity to professional media students, specifically how do media affect our understanding of different social categories and how do the social categories of media producers affect the media with which we all engage. Charisse was also awarded Teacher of the Year from the graduating class of 2017. Her upcoming book, Diversity and Satire: Laughing at Processes of Marginalization, is currently in press with Wiley.

Researchers often create multimedia stimuli to examine the behavior of individuals - but the quality, realism, and context of these stimuli can sometimes be lacking.  As a consequence, results hinging on a poor stimulus can lead researchers to make flawed conclusions with little real-world relevance.  In this talk, Dr. Stephen Stifano (Associate Professor in-Residence, Communication) will discuss important considerations when designing multimedia stimuli from both methodological and design perspectives.  Using examples from numerous stimuli he has created for a range of researchers, Dr. Stifano will discuss his process and priorities when designing a multimedia stimulus, and provide some tips for researchers to strengthen the stimuli they use in their own experiments.

Steve Stifano is an Associate Professor in-Residence at the University of Connecticut. He is an academic with a quantitative research background who also works as a designer, event producer, and independent filmmaker. His research considers the role of emotion in the creation and consumption of narrative media. Recently, he has been examining how emotional education can be used to improve the narratives of texting-and-driving and safer sex public service announcements. In addition, Dr. Stifano provides training for the department’s teaching assistants, lectures for and coordinates the introductory communication course, and has led the effort to revive digital media production courses in the department. For more information, see http://stephenstifano.com/.

There continue to be calls for communication researchers to translate their scholarship into practice, yet there are few spaces that discuss the pathways available to scholars seeking to do this with their work. This talk will discuss insights and lessons learned as Dr. Gailliard navigates her career path from researcher to university administrator and entrepreneur. It will highlight critical decision points as well as potential opportunities for faculty and graduate students alike to blend academic pursuits with public practice.

Questions from quarantine and lessons in lockdown: Examining the COVID-19 pandemic from a communication perspective

The panel will feature three projects that received funding from InCHIP last spring.  Please join us for the following:

My president, but not my governor: Understanding perceptions of blame during the COVID-19 outbreak in Connecticut
Christine Gilbert, Kenneth Lachlan, and Stephen Stifano
Presented by: Christine Gilbert

Exploring the effects of social isolation, relational quality, and communication on couples’ relational and physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic
Amanda Denes, Talea Cornelius, Katrina Webber, Chelsea Guest, Julia A. Ellis, and Amy A. Gorin
Presented by: Chelsea Guest

Unmasking racial disparities amidst dual pandemics: Examining social identity threat and emotion within the health belief model to understand mask-wearing intentions among Black, Latinx, and Asian individuals in the U.S.
Katrina Webber, Sara Stifano, Stephen Stifano, and Shardé Davis
Presented by: Katrina Webber

Critical Media Access Studies: Examining the Benefits and Limits of Accessibility in Mediated Spaces

Dr. Meryl Alper
Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Studies, Northeastern University

The benefits of “accessible” media and technology for people with disabilities are rarely questioned, nor considered within broader critical/cultural frameworks. In this talk, based on an article recently published in the International Journal of Communication, I make a contribution to the field of communication by proposing critical media access studies to further define a growing area of inquiry into contested notions of mediated access, drawing on work from disability media studies and critical access studies in architectural design. My proposal for critical media access studies is furthered through a case study of physical spaces designed for media engagement for young people (e.g., gaming arcades, movie theaters) that provide “autism-friendly” programming. Qualitative analysis of interviews and observations with autistic children and their families, as well as participant observation in such sites, reveals ideological assumptions, frictions, and contradictions underpinning cultural accessibility. Critical media access studies can offer communication scholars valuable theoretical and conceptual tools for deconstructing power, visibility, and marginality in mediated space.

Meryl Alper is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Northeastern University, where she researches the social and cultural implications of communication technologies, with a focus on disability and digital media, children and families’ technology use, and mobile communication. Dr. Alper is the author of Digital Youth with Disabilities (MIT Press, 2014) and Giving Voice: Mobile Communication, Disability, and Inequality (MIT Press, 2017), which was awarded a 2018 PROSE Award Honorable Mention from the Association of American Publishers and the 2018 Outstanding Publication in the Sociology of Disability Award from the American Sociological Association. In her research and teaching, Dr. Alper draws on over 15 years of professional experience in educational children’s media as a researcher, strategist, and consultant with Sesame Workshop, PBS KIDS, Nickelodeon, and Disney. Prior to joining the faculty at Northeastern, Dr. Alper earned her doctoral and master’s degrees from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies and History from Northwestern University, as well as a certificate in Early Childhood Education from UCLA.