A curated list of CMCI research and creative work for your reading, watching and listening pleasure. Dig in!

Intervention! How Ethical Speculation Could Prevent Future Tech Trouble

Almost every news cycle delivers headlines alerting readers to yet another tech transgression, and in each case, by the time an issue is reported, damage has already been done. Casey Fiesler, assistant professor of Information Science, is tackling this problem through a new five-year research project on ethical speculation in technology design, supported by a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER grant. Read more »

From Rodney King to George Floyd, how video evidence can be differently interpreted in courts

Throughout Derek Chauvin’s trial for the murder of George Floyd, news media coverage highlighted the role of video as a “star witness” and prosecuting attorney Steve Schleicher told jurors, “Believe your eyes. What you saw, you saw.” But according to Sandra Ristovska, an assistant professor of Media Studies who studies the use of video as evidence, the argument “seeing is believing” is not as intuitive as it sounds. Read her piece for The Conversation »

CMCI Professor Elected President of the American Academy of Advertising

Harsha Gangadharbatla, an associate professor of Advertising, Public Relations and Media Design, is the newest president of the American Academy of Advertising (AAA) and the first University of Colorado Boulder professor to earn the title.  The organization has over 600 advertising scholars and professionals dedicated to advancing advertising knowledge and education globally. Read more »

TEDxCU: The Art of Falling

During her first year of college at the University of Rhode Island, professional rock climber Nina Williams hit a wall and decided it was time to let go––so she dropped out of school to focus full-time on her sport. A few years later, she found herself compelled to traverse a new path through the world of communication. She transferred to her hometown campus of CU Boulder and began taking courses in CMCI, and today, she is the Department of Communication’s William W. White Outstanding Senior. Recently, Williams spoke about her experience at TEDxCU 2021: Bounce. Watch the full TEDxCU event and jump to 1:43 to hear Williams. Plus, read more in our Q&A »

Designing Tech with Mortality in Mind

It’s inevitable that at some point we must all “get our affairs in order,” and when we do, there are checklists, policies and professionals to help create everything from wills and trusts to advance directives. But a key element––guidance surrounding technology and end-of-life planning––is missing. Assistant Professor of Information Science Jed Brubaker will work to close this gap through a five-year research project supported by a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER grant. Read more »

How Systemic Racism Continues To Determine Black Health And Wealth In Chicago

A recent NYU Medical School analysis showed that Black and white Chicagoans can face a 30-year gap in life expectancy, depending on their zip code. In her Fresh Air interview with Terry Gross, journalist Linda Villarosa (Jour’81) shares stories from her own family’s history to demonstrate how government-sanctioned policies led to the discrepancy––both by stripping Black neighborhoods of wealth and, in turn, negatively impacting residents’ health for generations.

Listen to Villarosa’s interview and read her latest New York Times Magazine story on the same topic »

Getting to the bottom of the internet’s carbon footprint

According to the New York Times, the subsea cable network––which connects nations, regions and continents to the global flow of the internet––spanned nearly 750,000 miles as of 2019. Funded by a two-year grant from the Internet Society Foundation, Media Studies Scholar-in-Residence Hunter Vaughan recently joined an international team of researchers for a new project called Decarbonizing the Subsea Cable Network, which is a pioneering attempt to track carbon emissions at an industry-wide scale. Read more »

Did you get enough steps in today? Maybe one day you’ll ask your ‘smart’ shirt.

From Apple to Google to Samsung, several top tech companies are investing in smart textiles––fabrics enabled with digital components that can do anything from changing the color of a shirt to warming up or cooling down in response to a person’s body temperature. Laura Devendorf––an assistant professor of Information Science and affiliate of Intermedia Art, Writing and Performance who collaborated on Google’s Project Jacquard––recently weighed in on the trend for the Washington Post. Read more »

Buffs Bring Civility Through Bateman Competition

In the public relations world, the Bateman Case Study Competition is legendary. Renowned since its inception in the 70s, the year-long project tests students’ abilities to plan, produce and execute a full-scale public relations campaign. This academic year marked CU Boulder’s first foray into the competition––an accomplishment that happens to coincide with the program being named an A-list school by PR News. Read more »

Department of Critical Media Practices Spring Showcase

For their spring 2021 Showcase, the Department of Critical Media Practices compiled all 57 of their students’ capstone projects into an online exhibition celebrating innovative creative work from the past semester. Check out the showcase online »