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From ��ñ���� Today: Researchers (including Sandra Ristovska, assistant professor of media studies), share their expertise, examining four areas in which the U.S. has––and hasn’t––changed this past year, and what it could mean for the future of social and political movements, education, policing and justice in America.

Read our latest digital issue, full of fresh-picked stories to read, watch and explore!⁠

“There is nothing like a big, strong local newsroom to watch out for corruption and hold the government accountable,” says Chuck Plunkett, who joined ��ñ���� in the Fall of 2018, as the director of the capstone program for journalism students in the College of Media Communication and Information. “When newspapers die, so does democracy.”

Featuring Chuck Plunkett (Journalism)

With the award of a $108,000 Mellon/American Council of Learned Societies Scholars and Society Fellowship, Assistant Professor Sandra Ristovska is undertaking the first rigorous publicly engaged research project to address the intricacies of “seeing” in court. Working in partnership with the American Bar Association’s Scientific Evidence Committee, her project will systematically examine the use of video as evidence in state and federal court trials (1990-2020) in criminal, immigration and American Indian law.

Harsha Gangadharbatla, associate professor of advertising at the College of Media, Communication and Information, is the newest president of the American Academy of Advertising (AAA) and the first ��ñ���� professor to earn the title.  Established in 1958, AAA’s mission is to provide a platform for its academic and professional members to exchange ideas that are relevant to the field of advertising. The organization has over 600 advertising scholars and professionals dedicated to advancing advertising knowledge and education globally.

By Lori Emerson (Intermedia Art, Writing and Performance)

Featuring Casey Fiesler (Information Science)

For the next chapter in her career, Assistant Professor Casey Fiesler––who studies technology ethics, internet law and policy, and online communities––will launch a five-year research project on ethical speculation in technology design. Her work will be supported by a $549,513 CAREER grant from the National Science Foundation––one of the most prestigious awards given to faculty in the early phases of their careers.

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 Jed Brubaker will work to close this gap through a five-year research project supported by a prestigious NSF CAREER grant.