Public Scholarship via Media Engagement
I have done more than 300 TV and radio interviews, and I currently speak on US domestic and international affairs related to the lasting effects of Donald Trump, his relationship with the press, and other issues of journalism and media, politics, and culture. Previous media engagement has focused around engaged research, environmental communication, and media culture.
ERSC Festival of Social Science
My session of the virtual 2020 Economic and Social Research Council’s Festival of Social Science, “Is that really true?: Questioning online information and fake news with tech,” worked through the problems and challenges of mis- and dis-information that appear in social media and in the news.
UK Underwater
A research and public-facing project from 2020 to 2023 brought international and local data scientists, science communicators, and journalism educators together to express the science and solutions surrounding increasingly widespread and dangerous flooding in the UK. Built around a workshop funded by Lancaster University’s Data Science Institute.
Digital Media Studio and Digital Media Production Studio
These two digital technology kits and labs were designed and supported between 2018 and 2022 for Lancaster University’s Media and Cultural Studies program and University Academy 92 (UA92), a joint venture in public-private education with Lancaster University. These are built upon previous lab spaces in which I have been involved.
Covering American Muslims Objectively and Creatively: A Guide for Media Professionals
I collaborated in 2017 and 2018 with the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding in Washington, D.C., to create a training for professional, national journalists about covering Muslims and Islam beyond stories of violence and stereotypes. A research-based project, this training led to a web project to guide journalists in storytelling.
Miami, anew
An invited and curated, immersive art exhibit in 2017 and 2018 featuring virtual reality of Miami environments, projected wall-sized data visualizations of sea level rise, and student-produced art. Exhibit included as part of the Art + Hack + Data Miami Media Art Weekend, Audrey Love Gallery, Bakehouse Art Complex, Miami, Florida, September 9. (Postponed due to hurricane)
A Sea Change
Collaborative and interdisciplinary theatre production from 2016 to 2018 within the College of Communication, Architecture + The Arts at Florida International University focused on sea level rise and related to a CARTA seed grant. Gutsche, Jr., R. E. (Producer) & Church, P. M. (Director); invited performance December 2, 2017 at Changing Waters: Science Panel, Theatrical Performances and Art Exhibit, Vizcaya Museum & Gardens Garage, Miami, Florida.
VirtualEYES and Mobile Virtual Reality Lab
Led funded faculty and student science/storytelling website and community project from 2016 to 2018 using virtual reality video, journalism, theatre, art, and community engagement to tell stories of sea level rise in South Florida. Recognized by awards from Images and Voices of Hope (IVOH) and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Committee on Teaching.
Little Haiti Student Photography Exhibit
Curated and exhibited collection from 2016 to 2018 of student photographs, which initially appeared in an exhibit titled, “Focus on Little Haiti,” designed by Patrick Farrell at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex Caribbean Marketplace in Miami.
Whitepaper: What Women Tell Women About Working in Communication
A cross-university, cross-cultural examination of discourse about women working in communication in 2016, which led to a published article by students in Journalism Practice, among other meaningful outcomes, both personal and professional for students involved.
Submerging the Sunshine: Explore Sea Level Rise in South Florida digital curation project
This 2016 student project worked to curate local research and storytelling about rising seas within Florida International University’s Digital Commons.
Student Environmental Advocacy Corps. (SEA Corps.) summer program
A four-week summer curriculum in 2015 engaging Miami youth who attend MAST@FIU BBC, a public STEM magnet high school at Florida International University’s Biscayne Bay Campus, with water, science, and media production related to sea level rise (Co-founder and Co-director)
South Florida’s Rising Seas Impact documentary
Student-produced 2015 documentary in collaboration with Miami’s WPBT2 public television, funded by an Online News Association 2014-2015 Challenge Fund for Innovation in Journalism Education grant. (Script Consultant)
Sea Level Rise Toolbox application
This is an application development project funded by an Online News Association 2014-2015 Challenge Fund for Innovation in Journalism Education grant that allows citizens of South Florida to learn about their vulnerability to sea level rise and flooding (Team Member).
eyesontherise.org
Led a grant-funded project by the Online News Association 2014-2015 Challenge Fund for Innovation in Journalism Education to produce community and student-led journalism about rising seas in Miami. (Video gives an overview of the project as an acceptance for an Images and Voices of Hope award.)
FIU Media Arts Festival, Miami Beach Urban Studios
A 2013 public event for showcasing digital media storytelling specific to Miami and South Florida. (Committee Chair)
305: Stories of Miami & South Florida: Multimedia Storytelling from Florida International University
Student-led multimedia iBook published by Multimedia Production class.
Return to Mayberry
A 2012 public evening of storytelling by university students in an Interpretations of Literature class highlighted tales of marginalized and silenced populations in Iowa City. (Co-organizer)
Mayberry
Free 2012 community performance of a locally produced play about race relations in Iowa City featured a free meal and a talk-back among the play’s director, residents, and community leaders. (Co-organizer)
Was the Word: Crossing the Line
By collaborating with a local theatre troupe, this 2012 spoken word storytelling performance focused on stories of racial and ethnic interactions in Iowa City. (Co-organizer)
Black American Gothic, Landlocked Film Festival
More than 600 people attended locally produced documentary in 2011; 100 participated in small group discussions that followed the screening. (Co-organizer)
Telling Stories of a City
A 2011 UI Upward Bound Program’s News and the Media Course students presented stories about local residents to media and community members. (Co-organizer)
Photo: Discussing journalism, podcasting and power with students at Pazhassiraja College in India, 2021.
Video: Made for receiving an Images and Voices of Hope award, 2017. Video and editing by Carolina Estrada.