David J. Gunkel
I am a frequent commentator on the ethical, social/political, and cultural aspects of the Internet, emerging technology, and artificial intelligence/robotics for professional organizations, popular media, and public policy debate. My comments have appeared in interviews, stories, and editorials published by The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, Adbusters, DJ Times, and Time Higher Education. I also write op eds for print publications, blogs, and radio broadcast. And my third book, The Machine Question, served as the basis for a PBS Ideas Channel episode on the "rights of robots."
I have been actively involved in web design and programming since the beginning of the web and have created numerous applications for industry and education. I have written and produced documentary videos for post-secondary school instruction and corporate training. I am the founding co-editor of the International Journal of Žižek Studies, the Associate Editor for Continental Philosophy at Philosophy & Technology, and the founding co-editor of the Digital Games book series at Indiana University Press. I serve on the editorial board of numerous academic journals and have reviewed materials for publishers and government sponsored research grants.
Among my awards and honors are the following: Presidential Teaching Professor (PTP) award, NIU's highest honor for excellence in teaching; NIU's Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award (EUTA); the Harmonia Grant from the Polish National Science Center (Narodowe Centrum Nauki), which funded a multi-year study of the impact of social media on the experience of international students; a DAAD fellowship at the Albert-Ludwigs Universitaet in Freiburg, Germany; an Invision New Media Gold Medal for an expert system; professional association awards for scholarly papers; University Research Grants, etc.
Rights of Robots Examined in Lero Public Talk. Irish Tech News. 1 November 2019.
Science fiction or fact? Rights of robots to be debated in Limerick. Limerick Leader. 1 November 2019.
Morals and Ethics of Emerging Technology: An Interview with David Gunkel. Radio Orbit KOPN 89.5 FM - Columbia, Missouri, USA.
Worth it? WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 16 August 2019.
Perspective: Protect The Piping Plovers. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 17 July 2019.
Take Pride In Alan Turing. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 12 June 2019.
Exclusive Interview with David Gunkel. Malta AIBC Summit. May 2019.
How Do You Teach a Machine Right from Wrong? Addressing the Morality within Artificial Intelligence. National Post. 30 May 2019.
Decision Day. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 3 May 2019.
The Real Admissions Scandal. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 29 March 2019.
Do you swear at Alexa? What our treatment of AI assistants says about humans. CBC Radio. The Current. 22 January 2019.
When Robots Think—Conference Video. 18 January 2019.
Les robots seront-ils un jour des humains comme les autres? Slate. 17 January 2019.
A New Year's Resolution For Higher Ed. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 11 January 2019.
Requiem For A Robot. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 7 December 2018.
Autonomous Vehicles: Ethics Regulation And Programming Converge. WGLT / NPR from Illinois State University. 26 November 2018.
Vote for Tech. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 2 November 2018.
Gunkel on Robot Rights. Philosophical Disquisitions #48. 31 October 2018.
Amazing Grace. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 28 September 2018.
STEM Needs Some LEGS. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 24 August 2018.
Could Robots Have Similar Rights to Animals or Humans? WGN Radio. 31 July 2018.
There's A Lot To Learn From Old-School AI. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 20 July 2018.
David J. Gunkel – Author of
Think About What She Can Do. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 15 June 2018.
Ethics, Social Responsibility & AI: Interview with David Gunkel. RE•WORK Blog. 12 June 2018.
White House AI Summit. Interview on WGN News. 10 May 2018.
Job Success For The Future. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 4 May 2018.
Who's Watching Who These Days? WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 30 March 2018.
Wearable Technology and Employee Surveillance. Interview on FOX 32, Chicago. 24 March 2018.
It's Time To Change The Discussion. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 23 February 2018.
Robots, AI and Political Economy. Panel discussion on Reality Check, Radio 4. Vienna, Austria. 18 February 2018.
Digital Assistants. Fox 23 Chicago. Sunday Morning. 21 January 2018.
Do You Know Who is Listening? WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 19 January 2018.
Pros and Cons of "Screenless Internet" Smart Devices. WGN. Midday News. 19 January 2018.
Amazon Echo and Other Digital Assistants. WGN Wintrust Business Lunch (12:50pm). 15 January 2018.
Dark Future: Here’s When We’ll Have the Sentient Digital Avatars from Black Mirror. Futurism. 29 December 2017.
Midday Fix: Bitcoin Explainer. WGN. Midday News. 27 December 2017.
Expert: Cryptocurrency Might Not be Get-Rich-Quick Scheme for Average Citizen. Northwest Herald. 24 December 2017.
Futures Debut on CME, Taking Bigger Wall Street Stage. Chicago Tribune. 18 December 2017.
Another Effect Of The GOP Tax Plan. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 15 December 2017.
Breaking Down Bitcoin. Fox 23 Chicago. Morning News. 14 December 2017.
Dr. David Gunkel on Robot Ethics. RoboPsych Podcast, Episode #52. 19 November 2017.
It Takes More Than Regulation. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 11 November 2017.
Who's Doing The Talking Here? WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 6 October 2017.
We Can Learn From European Actions. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 1 September 2017.
It's New Territory For Twitter. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 28 July 2017.
Is This Dr. Baker's Final Lesson? WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 23 June 2017.
A Beer By Any Other Name… WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 19 May 2017.
Is The Internet About Things Now? WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 12 April 2017.
The Machine Question: An Interview with David J. Gunkel. The Jake Lawrence Podcast, Episode #5. 30 March 2017.
What WikiLeaks Is Telling Us. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 15 March 2017.
Illinois Sets An Example In Ethics. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 17 January 2017.
The Next Target of Job-Lose Rage. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 21 December 2016.
Is The Fault With Social Media? WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 23 November 2016.
A Curious Model For Online Sites. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 26 October 2016.
Are Our Days Really Numbered? WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 28 September 2016.
Robots Are Part Of Our Present. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 7 September 2016.
Episode #10 – David Gunkel on Robots and Cyborgs. Algocracy and the Transhumanist Project. Podcast with John Danaher.
Get Ready to be Augmented. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 17 August 2016.
What Pokemon Go Means for Our Augmented Reality Future. ChicagoInno. 18 July 2016.
An Academic & a DJ/Artist Offer New Views on Existing Copyright Law. DJ Times. 12 July 2016.
Student Innovation Needs Support. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 6 June 2016.
College Value Needs Re-evaluation. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 25 May 2016.
The Digital Aspects Of Dying. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 4 May 2016.
Who's To Blame For Errant Algorithm? WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 13 April 2016.
Can We Teach Robots to be Moral? ChicagoInno. 12 April 2016.
Start Thinking About AI Now. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 23 March 2016.
FBiOS: Apple vs. FBI. WBBM Radio (CBS). Chicago, Illinois. 5 March 2016.
Implications of the Apple Case. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 2 March 2016.
Speak Your Mind: Should Apple keep the “backdoors” of iPhones locked? 26 February 2016
What’s Missing in the Presidential Race. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 10 February 2016.
Co filozofia mówi na temat remiksu. Rozmowa z prof. David Gunkelem o jego najnowszej książce (wersja angielska). Radio Filozoficzne, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University. 30 January 2016.
Czy zwierzę może być własnością człowieka? Wywiad z prof. Davidem Gunkelem (wersja angielska). Radio Filozoficzne, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University. 20 January 2016.
A Step Forward....But Keep Going. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 9 December 2015.
About That Droid Invasion. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 9 December 2015.
The Rise of AI Ethics. Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technology. 15 November 2015.
About Those Philosophers. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 18 November 2015.
What’s Missing in STEM Education? WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 7 October 2015.
Another Lesson from Ashley Madison. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 16 September 2015.
Do Unto Your SmartPhone as You Would Do Unto Others. TechEmergence. 13 September 2015.
Replaced by a Robot? NIUToday. 3 September 2015.
Man vs. Machine. NIUToday. 19 June 2015.
Latest Writing Machines Just Good Enough. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 17 June 2015.
Killer App: Communications Professor Discusses the Dilemma with Drones. NIU Newsroom. 14 April 2015.
It’s Time to Talk about Drones. WNIJ / Northern Public Radio. 9 April 2015.
Social Media: Changing the Rules of Business Ethics. NIU Newsroom. 17 March 2015.
Apocalyptic Rhetoric About AI Distracts from more Immediate, Pressing Concerns. NIU Newsroom, 9 December 2014.
The E-Body. First Business News. 14 October 2014.
Interfacing eyewear? Smart sneakers? Robo-gloves? Brain 2.0? NIU Today. 17 September 2014.
Wearable devices & human cyborgs; Rockford area expert weighs in on future of technology. WREX-TV. Rockford, Illinois. 26 September 2014.
Professor americano David Gunkel debate tecnologia, comunicação e ética na UFRN. Interview with Sílvia Ribeiro Dantas in Portal Noar. 14 September 2014.
Knyttet til en robot (Bonding with a Robot). Ideer #36. Aarhus, Denmark. 5 September 2014.
When Will We Worry About the Well-Being of Robots? Idea Channel. PBS Digital Studios. 2 July 2014.
Entreviste com o prof. David J. Gunkel. / An Interview with Prof. David J. Gunkel Revista Inter-Legere, no. 14. January-June 2014.
Do Machines Have Rights? Ethics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Aurora Online. 2014
Amazon.com Drones. Radio interview on KCBS San Francisco. 2 December 2013
When Robots Attack: Who's Responsible. Radio interview on WNIJ as part of NPR's Morning Edition. 27 December 2012.
The Machine Question. Radio Interview. 22 November 2012. Universidade Federal do Piaui, Teresina, Brazil.
Faudra-t-il considérer les robots comme des personnes? Slate.fr 7 September 2012.
Apocalypse Now: Professor David Gunkel mulls GE commercial, Mayan calendar, robot ethics. NIU Today. 6 December 2012.
Should We Fear Automation? Business First. 5 September 2012.
Morality for Robots. Kurzweil News. 5 September 2012.
Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Update: Machine Ethics and the Laws of Robotics. 21st Century Tech.
Ethical Guidelines When Using Social Media: An Interview with Northern Illinois University’s Dr. David Gunkel. MyWebWriters.com. 18 April 2012
Guest Microblogger. remixthebook. 25-31 September 2011. http://remixthebook.com
The Binary. Adbusters 6(17). November/December 2009.
Pintsized Blogger—Interview with Stanislaw Gunkel and Family. NBC, Channel 5 Evening News, Chicago, Illinois. 11 November 2008.
Love Your Robot as Yourself? Northern Today. 4 June 2007.
Rock and Roll is Now Spelt with Double Z. The Times Higher Education Supplement. 3 December 2006.
Q and A: Fiber Optic Networks and the Future. NIU Office of Public Affairs (2004).
NIUNet to Link Region. The Business Ledger. 4 October 2004.
NIUNet. Press conference held at the NIU Naperville campus. 8 September 2004. Reported and quoted in Becon News, Daily Chronicle, Midweek News, Courier News, Naperville Sun, and Chicago Tribune.
The Trouble with Blogs. Northwest Herald. 1 April 2004.
Your Chicago Kitchen. WTTW television. 1 March 2003. 15 minute appearance in a cooking show.
Sims Online: Whatever Happened to Visiting the Real Neighbors? Chicago Sun-Times/Red Streak. 4 December 2002, p. 34.
B-52. Inverview in a 35mm, feature-length documentary by Hartmut Bitomsky. (2001)
NIU: Postcards from the Cutting Edge. The Courier News. 28 November 2001.
The Questions of 'A.I.'. The Courier News. 22 July 2001. Section D, p. 1.
10½ Thesen zum World Wide Web. Orf on Science. July 2001. http://science.orf.at/science/wagnleitner/10983
Join the fun: Publish your own news. Rockford Register Star. 8 August 2001.
UCLA Study Says Net Users Not Isolated. Rockford Register Star. 26 October 2000.
CyberPatrol. Courier News (Elgin, Illinois). 28 November 1999.
As Always, The Internet Angle. Washington Post. 22 April 1999.
Gender Difference in Cyberspace. Office.com. January 1999.
Human or Hard Drive: Bit by byte, a cyborg future is looming on the horizon. Tulsa World. 7 June 1998.
NIU Center for Telematics. Media appearance on WREX-TV, WIFR-TV, WNIU, WLBK, & WSQR. 14 November 1997. Coverage of $100,000 GTE gift, initiating the NIU Center for Telematics.
The Challenge of Constructing the Global Net. High-Technology Careers Magazine.
Plane English: Flight Crews Leave Their Mark on B-52's. Chicago Tribune. 19 June 1997.
Professor says Internet 'Out of Control'. Kenosha News. 27 October 1995.
Internet 101: History and Introduction. Interview on Wisconsin Public Radio, WGTD. 23 October 1995.
Professors Zip Through Cyberspace: Newest Frontier Gives Educators New Challenges. Kenosha News 24 May 1995.
Of Remixology - Book Website
Website for the book Of Remixology: Ethics and Aesthetics After Remix (MIT Press, 2016)
Friends of Northside
Website for the Parent Network at Northside College Preparatory High School, Chicago, Illinois
The Machine Question - Book Website
Website for the book The Machine Question: Critical Perspectives on AI, Robots and Ethics (MIT Press, 2012)
The Machine Question - Symposium
Website for the AISB/IACAP World Congress 2012 Symposium The Machine Question: AI, Ethics and Moral Responsibility
Digital Game Studies
Website for the Indiana University Press series in Digital Game Studies, edited by David Gunkel and Robert Brookey.
International Journal of Žižek Studies
Open access academic journal devoted to the work of Slavoj Žižek, a Slovenian philosopher and cultural theorist.
AI, Robots & Ethics
Interactive course syllabus and online instructional materials to support a flipped-classroom graduate seminar taught at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University.
Environmental Ethics
Interactive course syllabus and online instructional materials to support a flipped-classroom graduate seminar taught at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University.
COMS 647: Communication Technology
Interactive course syllabus and text materials for a graduate seminar in communication technology.
COMS 493: AI, Robots & Communication
Interactive course syllabus and text materials for an undergraduate seminar in communication and artificial intelligence/robotics.
COMS 469: Interactive Media Production II
Interactive course syllabus and text materials for an undergraduate/graduate seminar addressing advanced web design and programming.
COMS 465: Computer-Mediated Communication
Interactive course syllabus and text materials for an undergraduate seminar in CMC.
COMS 359: Interactive Media Production
Interactive course syllabus for an entry-level web design and programming course.
Gunkelweb
Interactive curriculum vitae providing access to employment data, publications, courses, and professional and community service activities.
COMS 496: Communication Technology
Interactive course syllabus and text materials for an undergraduate seminar in telematic technology and cyberculture.
COMS 550: Communication Technology
Interteractive course syllabus and text materials for a graduate seminar in telematic technology and cyberculture.
Cyborgs & Cyberspace
Project Director for a collaborative, graduate-level research project in networked computer systems and identity politics.
What's the Matter with Architecture? In Ben Nicholson's Thinking the Unthinkable House CD-ROM. Chicago: Renaissance Society of the University of Chicago, 1997.
State-of-the-Art Power Plant (SOAPP). Videographer and video editor for a CD-ROM based multimedia reference guide for power engineering technology. Electric Power Research Institute, 1993.
Of Remixology: Book Trailer. Writer and director for a short video book trailer, 2016.
The Machine Question: Book Trailer #2. Writer and director for a short video book trailer, 2014.
The Machine Question: Book Trailer #1. Writer and director for a short video book trailer, 2012.
New Media: A Remix of Mark Amerika's remixthebook. Writer and producer for a short video remix, 2011
Transmission & Distribution. Producer and editor for 3 interactive media/video programs addressing computer-aided design tools for electrical engineers. Sargent & Lundy Engineers, 1994.
Choice Benefits. Producer and editor for an employee relations video tape. Sargent & Lundy Engineers, 1994.
La France en Direct. Producer and editor for an educational video tape designed for high school students. French Consulate General, 1994.
Rock Haus. Writer, producer and editor for several 30 second commercials for a retailer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1992.
PLADES: The Plant Design & Engineering System. Writer, producer, and editor for a video documentary concerning CAD/CAE applications. Sargent & Lundy Engineers, 1991.
Sargent & Lundy: An Introduction. Writer, producer, and editor for a public relations documentary. Sargent & Lundy Engineers, 1989.
Computer Aided Engineering and Design. Writer, producer, and editor for a video documentary that explores the computerization of engineering tasks. Sargent & Lundy Engineers, 1987.
Fifteen Minutes. Producer for a 16mm narrative film. UW Board of Regents, 1985.
Things are Going to Change. Co-writer, -producer, -editor, and -actor for a situation comedy. Created in 1986 with Mike Kusic.
The University of Wisconsin Marching Band. Editor for a television documentary celebrating the sesquicentennial of the UW Marching Band. UW Board of Regents, 1985.
Parking During the Apocalypse. 16mm student film, combining animation and live-action, 1985.
Magazine. 16mm student film, combining animation and live-action, 1984.
Digital Game Studies / Indiana University Press – Founding Co-editor
International Journal of Žižek Studies – Founding Co-Editor, Managing Editor and Web Programmer
Philosophy and Technology, Associate Editor for Continental Philosophy
New Media and Society – Member of the Editorial Board
Communication +1 – Member of the Editorial Board
Critical Studies in Media Communication - Member of the Editorial Board
International Journal of Žižek Studies – Member of the Editorial Board
Philosophy and Technology – Member of the Editorial Board and Associate Editor
Journal of Media Critiques – Member of the Advisory Board
TransMissions: Journal of Film and Media Studies - Member of the Advisory Board
Guest Editor - Explorations In Media Ecology, New Media & Society, Philosophy & Technology, Communication +1, and International Journal of Žižek Studies
Manuscript/Proposal Reviewer - The Handbook of Information Security, Ethics and Information Technology, New Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia, Cultural Studies, Management Communication Quarterly, New Media and Society, New Review of Hypermedia and Multimedia, Games and Culture, The Information Society, Popular Music and Society, Sociology Compass, Communication Theory, Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, Humanimalia, Human Rights Review, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Cambridge University Press, The MIT Press, Continuum / Bloomburg, University of Minnesota Press, Purdue University Press, Polity Press, Routledge Press, Westview Press, Palgrave Macmillan Press, Houghton Mifflin Press, Broadview Press, Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Indo-US Science and Technology Forum, Broadcast Education Association, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Austrian Academy of Science, Strata Publishing, Ashgate Publishing
Program Committee. AAAI/ACM Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Ethics and Society. 27-28 January 2019.
Workshop Organizer. Human Machine Communication pre-conference workshop, International Communication Association. Washington, DC. 24 May 2019.
Workshop Organizer. Human Machine Communication pre-conference workshop, International Communication Association. Prague, Czech. 24 May 2018.
Workshop Organizer. Robophilosophy: Envisioning Robots in Society—Politics, Power, and Public Space. University of Vienna. Austria. 14-17 February 2018.
Workshop Organizer. Human Machine Communication pre-conference workshop, International Communication Association. San Diego, CA. 25 May 2017.
Conference Board Member IADIS International Conferences ICT, Society and Human Beings.
Conference Board Member, International Conference on Digital Society and eGovernments (IDCS). April 2016. Venice, Italy
Conference Board Member. Artificial Ethics in the Context of Medical and Care Agents, AISB 2014. Goldsmiths, University of London, London, UK. April 2014
Conference Board Member. Žižek Studies Conference, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH. 2-4 April 2014.
Guest Editor – Philosophy and Technology. Special issue "The Machine as Moral Agent and Patient."
Organizer and Symposium Co-chair. The Machine Question: AI, Ethics and Moral Responsibility. Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and the Simulation of Behaviour (AISB) and International Association of Computing and Philosophy (IACAP) World Congress. 2-6 July 2012. University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
Organizer and Conference Co-chair. Neo-liberal Perversions: Fantasy and Gaze in Contemporary Culture (Žižek Studies Conference). 28-29 April 2012. The College at Brockport (SUNY) Brockport, NY.
Question Authority: Challenges to the Stability of Authorship and Authenticity in the Digital Era. Organizer for a panel at the annual convention of the National Communication Association. Chicago, Illinois, 12-15 November 2009.
Keyword 'Play': Taking Computer Games and Game Play Seriously. Organizer for a panel at the annual convention of the International Communication Association. Chicago, Illinois, 21-25 May 2009.
Keyword 'Truth': Philosophy, Communication, and Technology." Organizer for a panel at the annual convention of the International Communication Association. Chicago, Illinois, 21-25 May 2009.
Leveling-up Game Studies: Thinking Beyond Conventional Wisdom. Co-organizer with Robert Brookey for a pre-conference seminar at the annual convention of the National Communication Association. San Diego, California, 20 November 2008.
Mash-up and Remix: Critical Perspectives on Recombinant Culture. Organizer for a panel at the annual convention of the National Communication Association. San Diego, California, 20-24 November 2008.
Wandering Scholar/Judge. Poster Session. Annual convention of the National Communication Association. San Diego, California, 20-24 November 2008.
Thinking Otherwise: Philosophy, Communication, Technology. Organizer for a panel at the annual convention of the National Communication Association. Chicago, Illinois 15-18 November 2007.
Synthetic Worlds and Second Lives: Human Communication and Online Role Playing Games. Organizer for a panel at the annual convention of the National Communication Association. Chicago, Illinois 15-18 November 2007.
New Media. Chair for a scholar's panel at the Midwestern Conference on Literature, Language, and Media. Northern Illinois University. DeKalb, Illinois, 23 March 2007.
The Rhetoric of New Media: Situating and Framing Information and Communication Technology. Organizer for a panel at the annual convention of the National Communication Association. San Antonio, Texas, 14-19 November 2006.
The Rhetoric of Software: Hackers, Viruses, and Open Source Programming. Panel Respondent. Annual convention of the National Communication Association. San Antonio, Texas, 14-19 November 2006.
Are We Normal: Communication, Science, and the Health of the Discipline. Organizer and chair for a panel at the annual convention of the National Communication Association. Boston, Massachusetts, 17-20 November 2005.
Top Student Papers in Communication Ethics. Chair for a panel at the annual conference of the National Communication Association. Boston, Massachusetts, 17-20 November 2005.
Communicating Otherwise: Human Rights, Technology and the Future of Ethics. Organizer for a panel at the annual convention of the National Communication Association. Chicago, Illinois, 11-14 November 2004.
Judge. Paper Competition. Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication; Communication Technology and Policy Division. July 2003.
Respondent. Polonia Online: Ethnicity and Cyberspace. American Historical Association Conference. 4 January 2003.
New Media. Area Coordinator for the Midwest Popular Culture Association Conference. 2002-2005.
Digital Culture. Organizer and chairperson for a panel at the annual convention of the National Communication Association. Atlanta, Georgia, 4-6 November 2001.
Judge. Open Paper Competition. Broadcast Education Association Convention. Las Vega, Nevada 2001.
Conference Discussant. Knowing Mass Culture/Mediating Knowledge conference at the Center for Twentieth Century Studies. University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, 2 April 1999.
Cyborgs and Cyberspace. Organizer and chairperson for a panel at the annual convention of the National Communication Association. Chicago, Illinois, 3-5 November 1997.
Cyberspace and the Space of Fiction. Organizer and chairperson for a panel at the 22nd annual Conference on Film and Literature held at Florida State University (February 1997).
The Cybernetic Weave: Writings on/about Cyberspace. Organizer and chairperson for a panel at the International Association of Philosophy and Literature conference at Villanova University (October 1995).
Colonizing Geographies: New Worlds from Columbus to Cyberspace. Organizer and chairperson for a panel at the Philosophy Interpretation Culture conference at Binghamton University (November 1995).
Hegel and the Economy of Death. Organizer and chairperson for a panel at the Society for Phenomenological and Existential Philosophy annual conference. Seattle, Washington, November 1994.
Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Communication (2008-2009)
University Outreach Advisory Council (1998-2003)
Departmental Curriculum Committee (1999-2001)
Departmental Personnel Committee (1998-99, 2001-02, 2002-05 Chair, 2007-8, 2012-16)
Departmental Technology Advisory Committee (1996-2001, 2003-05 Chair)
Departmental Search Committees (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012)
Departmental Strategic Planning Task Force (1998-99)
Departmental Governance Document Revision Committee (2006-2007)
Graduate Thesis Committees (1996-present)
Carthage College Media Board (1995-96)
Co-director, Laboratory for Interaction, Networking and Communications – University Outreach (2004-2006)
Alumnus of the Year. University of Wisconsin-Waukesha. (October 2017).
Best Book of the Year 2016 – Communication Ethics Division, National Communication Association. Of Remixology: Ethics and Aesthetics After Remix(MIT Press, 2016).
Outstanding Achievement in Graduate Teaching. Department of Communication. Northern Illinois University. May 2014.
Harmonia Grant, Narodowe Centrum Nauki – $100,000 grant from the Polish government's National Science Center to investigate the use of social media by international students. Funding period: October 2012-March 2014.
Best Book of the Year 2012 – Communication Ethics Division, National Communication Association. The Machine Question: Critical Perspectives on AI, Robots and Ethics (MIT Press, 2012).
International Communication Association, 2009. Best Visual Display—Poster Session.
Presidential Teaching Professor. Northern Illinois University. March 2009. The PTP is Northern Illinois University's highest honor for teaching. Four year appointment.
Northern Illinois University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Summer Research Grant, 2007. $4500 grant to support research on artificial autonomous agents and the future of ethics.
Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award (EUTA). Northern Illinois University. May 2006. EUTA is Northern Illinois University's top award recognizing excellence in undergraduate teaching.
National Communication Association, 2005. Top Paper award, Communication Ethics Division.
Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Northern Illinois University. May 2005.
National Communication Association, 2004. Top Paper award, Communication Ethics Division.
Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Northern Illinois University. May 2004.
National Communication Association, 2003. Top Paper award, Communication Ethics Division.
Research Fellow. Applied Ethics Colloquium on Virtual Reality and Communication Ethics. University of Illinois—Champaign/Urbana. 31 October - 2 November 2002. Fellowship included travel, lodging, and stipend.
Outstanding Achievement in Graduate Teaching. Dept. of Communication. Northern Illinois University. May 2002.
Certificate of recognition for contribution and commitment to diverse student learning styles. Northern Illinois University Center for Access-Ability Resources. 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003.
Northern Illinois University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Summer Research Grant, 2000. $3000 grant to support research activities in communication technology.
Broadcast Education Association, 2000. Second Place in the Scholarly Paper Competition, Communication Technology Division.
Northern Illinois University, Lillian Cobb Faculty Travel Fellowship for International Teaching, 1999. $3000 grant to support the teaching of seminars in information technology at Salzburg College, Austria.
Broadcast Education Association, 1999. Second Place in the Scholarly Paper Competition, Communication Technology Division.
Northern Illinois University, Graduate School Summer Research Grant, 1998. $4000 research grant supporting work on a book-length examination of the rhetoric of information technology.
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, 1998. Top Faculty Paper at the AEJMC conference, New Media & Free Speech: Challenges for the Future.
Northern Illinois University Center for Telematics, 1997. Co-author of a $100,000 corporate grant for development of a telematics resource center for undergraduate and graduate education and faculty research.
Northern Illinois University, Graduate School Summer Research Grant, 1997. $4000 research grant supporting critical examinations of the ideological foundations of cyberspace and virtual reality. Results of the research have been published in two articles.
Carthage College Faculty Development Grant, 1994.
$2000 grant for the development and implementation of an undergraduate course in Media Literacy.
Invision Gold Medal, 1993. International award for the Electric Power Research Institute's SOAPP (State-of-the-Art Power Plant) Program, a CD-ROM based multimedia reference guide for power engineering technology.
Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD), 1992-1993. Graduate Research Fellowship at Albert-Ludwigs Universität, Freiburg ($16,000 stipend and expenses).
Graduate Assistantship - DePaul University, Chicago, 1991-1992.