I will be attending Boston University’s #Screentime conference and serving as a moderator for the Applications for Emerging Technologies: Virtual Reality and Generative Art panel. Inaugurated in June 2015, the #Screentime conference provides an opportunity for graduate students to showcase their research in the fields of communications, media, and technology. Researchers from schools across the country gather at Boston University to exchange their ideas with attendees and the other presenters.
Last year, I had the opportunity to present at #Screentime alongside my fellow EMS cohort and graduate students from other communications research programs. The 2015 conference involved discussants who provided feedback on the panelists’ research and offered a networking lunch to get acquainted with industry experts. It was a wonderful event not only to receive feedback on one’s research, but also to network and meet others with similar backgrounds and research interests.
This year, the EMS team has revamped the conference format and is hosting a poster session for additional researchers to display their findings and mingle with the attendees over lunch. While there are no designated discussants at this year’s conference, the extra time will allow for more audience questions and longer, more-detailed panel discussions.
One of my favorite parts of last year’s event was the midday cookie and coffee break which will happen this year as well. There will also be a networking reception following the conference, for attendees and presenters. This year’s lineup includes three distinct panels: Information, Support and Connection in Online and Offline Communities; Applications for Emerging Technologies: Virtual Reality and Generative Art; and Bridging the Delta From Research to Industry. There will also be presentations from BU alum Al Petras; BU Dean Thomas Fielder; director of the EMS program, Dr. James Katz; and Northeastern professor Ryan Ellis.
I am excited to revisit my Alma Mater at the conference this year and look forward to hearing the presenters’ innovative research.
Brittany Andersen (
COM’15) is an alumna of Boston University’s College of Communication. She belonged to the first batch of the innovative Emerging Media Studies program. Starting in the fall of 2016, she will be pursuing her PhD in Emerging Media Studies at Boston University. Her research interests include media psychology, cultural studies, user experience, and visual rhetoric. At the #Screentime conference this year, Andersen will be moderating the panel on Applications for Emerging Technologies: Virtual Reality and Generative Art. Connect with her on LinkedIn