Jeremiah Petra Spence
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Curriculum Vitae
Brief Summary
Jeremiah is a doctoral candidate at the University of Texas at Austin specializing in the area of information and communication technology (ICT) use in the immigrant process, especially among U.S. Latino immigrants, as well as, new media, virtual worlds and digital humanities. Jeremiah has published numerous academic articles including, "Demographics of Virtual Worlds" (Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, Vol. 1, Number 2, 2008); is the co-editor of the forthcoming book titled, "Persistence of Inequity in the Technopolis: Race, Class, Gender and the Digital Divide in Austin" with co-editors Joseph Straubhaar, Ph.D. (U. of Texas at Austin), Zeynep Tufecki, Ph.D. (U. of Maryland at Baltimore), and Becky Lentz, Ph.D. (McGill University) to be published by UT Press in 2012; is the principal author of a chapter titled “Cultural Geography of Race in Austin”; the lead author of an article published in the International Migration journal titled, “Generational Shifts in Language Use Among US Latinos: Mobility, Education and Occupation,” published in January 2011; and an invited contributor to several books about virtual worlds research. Jeremiah has been a leader in developing new methodologies for the study of social stratification and digital humanities / community mapping, as well as, is a lead participant in the MediaNola Digital Humanities project at Tulane University that was recently funded by a seed grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Additionally, he has been a supporting researcher on the Austin Internet and Global Citizen Survey in partnership with the City of Austin Telecommunications Office, the University of Texas at Austin / Portugal Digital Divide Research Project – a comparative research project focusing on multigenerational use of information and communications technologies (ICTs).
Jeremiah Spence is the founder and editor of the peer-reviewed, online, academic publication: Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, is the director of the Virtual Worlds Institute, and has given presentations related to virtual worlds research at conferences in Brazil, Canada, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands and the United States. Jeremiah has a Master of Arts in International Communications Theory and Technology Policy, and has been a visiting researcher at the University of São Paulo′s School of the Future and the Institute of Information Science at the Federal University of Bahia, both in Brazil. Additionally, he has been invited to speak on the virtual worlds and immersive technologies at the National Research Council of Canada′s Institute of Information Technology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Unisinos, the Eduverse Foundation (Netherlands), and the University of Bonn (Germany). Jeremiah is fluent in both Portuguese and Spanish.
Jeremiah is currently preparing his doctoral dissertation on the topic of “Impacts of ICT Use Among Latino Immigrant Families in Austin, Texas.” Jeremiah will be pursuing specialized training in Pedagogy and Distance Education/Instructional Design at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Algre, Brazil during the Fall 2011 semester.
Jeremiah is also an emergency response volunteer with the American Red Cross and received a Bronze U.S. Presidential Service Award for service during Hurricane Rita in 2005. Additionally, Jeremiah has received commendations for contribution to the community from both the City of Austin and the Texas House of Representatives.
Academic Background
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, Austin, Texas
Doctoral Program, Communications (Department of Radio, Television and Film), Commenced: August 2007, Expected completion date: May 2012.
- Dissertation Title: “Engaging the Latino Family - ICT Use and Generational Change.”
- Comps Topics: Mixed-Methods Research; Media and ICTs; Immigration and Acculturation Among U.S. Latinos (all received the grade of “high pass”)
- Specialization in the New Media, Virtual Worlds Research and Information and Communication Technologies
- Minor in Latin American Studies and Mixed-Methodology Research
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, Austin, Texas
Master of Arts, Communications (Department of Radio, Television and Film), May 2007
- Specialization in International Communications Theory and Technology Policy
- Thesis: “Socioeconomic Genograms: Methodological Experimentation in the Study of Social Mobility and Cultural Assimilation”
- Additionally expertise in applied social science and sociological methodologies
- 3.9 GPA
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, Austin, Texas
Bachelor of Arts, Latin American Studies, May 2002
- Specialization in Brazilian Studies
Additional Academic Training
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, Population Research Center, Austin, Texas
- Graduate Trainee, Demography, 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008
UNIVERSIDADE DE SÃO PAULO, São Paulo, Brazil
- Graduate Researcher, Public Policy of Digital Inclusion, September 2006 – February 2007
UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL AUTONOMA DE MEXICO, Taxco, Mexico
- Completed Spanish Language Training (Levels 0 – 2.5), June - July 2005
UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DA BAHIA, Salvador, Brazil
- Conducted Graduate Research in the area of the Digital Divide in Northeastern Brazil, May 2003 – March 2004
FUNDAÇÃO GETULIO VARGAS, São Paulo, Brazil
- MBA / Graduate Studies Program: Doing Business in Brazil, July 1998
Research Publications and Presentations
Journal and Professional Association Publications:
Manuel Castells, Hernán Galperin y Mireia Fernández-Ardèvo (organizadores). 2011. Comunicación Móvil y Desarrollo Económico y Social en America Latina. Colección Fundación Telefónica. (Jeremiah was a collaborator in the São Paulo part of the project responsible for instrument design and sample identification.)http://www.planetadelibros.com/comunicacion-movil-y-desarrollo-economico-y-social-en-america-latina-libro-48789.html.
Jeremiah Spence, Joseph Straubhaar and Viviana Rojas. Generational Shifts in Language Use among U.S. Latinos: Mobility, Education, and Occupation. International Migration. Available at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2435.2010.00660.x/abstract
Mariangela Lenz Ziede, Nádie Christina Ferreira Machado, Jeremiah Spence. Construindo Redes de Interação a partir de experiências colaborativas no uso do Second Life. Fall 2009. Paper presented at the UNISINOS – Jesuit University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Available at: http://www.pead.faced.ufrgs.br/sites/publico/pead-informacoes/CONSTRUINDO%20 REDES%20DE%20INTERA%C7%C3O%20A%20PARTIR%20DE%20EXPERI%CANCIAS%20COLABORATIVAS%20NO%20USO%20DO%20SECOND%20LIFE.pdf (Peer reviewed)
Jeremiah Spence. Demographics of Virtual Worlds. Journal of Virtual Worlds Research. 1(2). November 2008. (Non-peer reviewed)
Joseph Straubhaar, Jeremiah Spence, Karen Gustoffsen, Maria Rios, Fabio Ferreira, and Vanessa Higgins. Comparative Analysis of Information Society Discourse and Public Policy Responses in the United States and Brazil. Logos: Communicação e Universidade. Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) Academic Press. Spring 2008.
Jeremiah Spence and Joseph Straubhaar. Usage Dynamics of Telecenters in São Paulo, Brazil. Informática na Educação: teoria & pratica. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) Academic Press. August 2008. (Peer reviewed)
Jeremiah Spence. Socioeconomic Genograms: a Methodological Development. The Sociological Methodologist – Newsletter of the Methodology Section, American Sociological Association: Spring 2006. (Non-peer reviewed)
Editorial Boards:
Springer Series in Immersive Environments. http://www.springer.com/series/10095.
Books:
Joseph Straubhaar, Jeremiah Spence, Zeynep Tufekci, and Becky Lentz, editors. Race, Class and the Digital Divide in Austin: The Persistence of Inequity in the Technopolis. Forthcoming. University of Texas Press: 2012.
Book Review:
Rachel A. Cichowski, The European Court and Civil Society Litigation, Mobilization and Governance, Cambridge University Press, 2007. In Civitas, 2010.
Book Chapters:
Joseph Straubhaar, Jeremiah Spence, Karen Gustoffsen, Maria Rios, Fabio Ferreira and Vanessa Higgins. Comparative Analysis of Information Society Discourse and Public Policy Responses in the United States and Brazil. In Moreira, Sonia Virginia and João Pedro Dias Vieira, eds. Communication: research and education. State University of Rio de Janeiro Press: 2007.
Ferreira, Fabio, Spence, Jeremiah and Straubhaar, Joseph. (2007). Comparando Iniciativas Governmentais e nao-Governmentais de Inclusao Digital nos Estados Unidos e Brasil. In Jambeeiro, Perreira da Silva and Borges, eds. Cidades Contemporaneas e Politicas de Informacao e Comunicacoes. Salvador, Bahia, Brazil: Edufba, pp. 237-260.
Martha Fuentes-Bautista, Joseph Straubhaar and Jeremiah Spence. Building telecommunication policy from below: the role of NGOs in Internet Development in Brazil and Peru. In O. Jambeiro and J. Straubhaar, eds. Políticas de informação e comunicação, jornalismo e inclusão digital: O Local e o Global em Austin e Salvador (Information and communication policy, journalism and digital inclusion: The local and global in Austin and Salvador). Federal University of Bahia Press: 2005.
Caroline Cunningham, Holly Custard, Joseph Straubhaar, Bethany Letalien and Jeremiah Spence. Defining the Digital Divide from Below: Local Initiatives in Austin Texas. In O. Jambeiro and J. Straubhaar, eds. Políticas de informação e comunicação, jornalismo e inclusão digital: O Local e o Global em Austin e Salvador (Information and communication policy, journalism and digital inclusion: The local and global in Austin and Salvador). Federal University of Bahia Press: 2005.
Jeremiah Spence, Zeynep Tufekci, and Joseph Straubhaar. Education, Segregation and the Historical Divide in Austin. In Straubhaar, Spence, Tufecki, and Lentz, eds.. Race, Class and the Digital Divide in Austin: The Persistence of Inequity in the Technopolis. University of Texas Press: 2011.
Caroline Cunningham, Holly Custard, Martha Fuentes-Bautista, Bethany Letalien, Joseph Straubhaar, Jeremiah Spence, and H. Erin Lee. Defining the Digital Divide from Below. In Straubhaar, Tufecki, Lentz and Spence, eds.. Race, Class and the Digital Divide in Austin: The Persistence of Inequity in the Technopolis. University of Texas Press: 2010.
Reports:
Seabra, Carlos; Eliana Dantas; Jeremiah Spence; Laura Tresca; Mariane Ottati; Martina Otero; Patrícia Andrade. Seis estudos de casos de usos de celulares para inclusão digital na região metropolitana de São Paulo – Brasil. In: Comunicaciones Mobiles y Desarrollo en America Latina. Report for the initial findings of a research project on móbile telephony in Brazil on behalf of the University of Catalonia. August 2008.
Invited Talks and Lectures:
Jeremiah Spence. “Introducing the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research.” 10th International Symposium on Online Journalism, University of Texas at Austin. 18 April 2009.
Jeremiah Spence. “Intro to Human Subjects Research & the IRB.” McNairs Scholars. University of Texas at Austin. 10 March 2009.
Jeremiah Spence. “Virtual Worlds and Education.” Virtual Worlds, Education and Multiculturalism Conference. Kibbutzim College of Education, Tel Aviv, Israel. 18 February 2009.
Joseph Straubhaar, Sharon Strover, Nobuya Inagaki, Jeremiah Spence, Robert LaRose. “The Impact and Value of Broadband in Rural U.S. Latino Areas. Department of Radio, TV & Film Technology Forum, University of Texas at Austin. 21 November 2008.
Jeremiah Spence. “Virtual worlds technology: Mediating the educational experience in Brazil and Mozambique.” Annenberg Research Park Colloquium Series, Annenberg School of Communication, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. 30 September 2008.
Joseph Straubhaar and Jeremiah Spence. “From digital inclusion to social networks and virtual worlds in Brazil” International Communication Speaker Series, Annenberg School of Communication, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. 29 September 2008. (http://www.archive.org/details/Straubhaar_Spence_ARS_Sep19-08).
Jeremiah Spence. “Mundos Virtuais e Novos Paradigmas” [Virtual Worlds and New Paradigms]. Public lecture. UNISINOS (Jesuit University), Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 20 August 2008.
Jeremiah Spence. “Mundos Virtuais” [Virtual Worlds]. Public lecture. UNISINOS (Jesuit University), Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 20 August 2008.
Jeremiah Spence. Graduate Education in Communications in the United States. Panel Discussion. UNISINOS (Jesuit University), Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 19 August 2008.
Jeremiah Spence. “Programas de Inclusão Digital no Brasil” [Digital Inclusion Programs in Brazil]. Presentation for the Culture, Technology and Citizenship Research Group, UNISINOS (Jesuit University), Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 19 August 2008.
Jeremiah Spence. “Aplicação e Integreção de Mundos Virtuais na Educação a Distançia” [Application and Integration of Virtual Worlds in Distance Education] Lecture for Masters Students – School of Education, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 18 August 2008.
Jeremiah Spence. “Aplicação de Mundos Virtuais na Educação a Distançia” [Application of Virtual Worlds in Distance Education] Workshop for Doctoral Students -Laboratorio PPGIE-CINTED, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 18 August 2008.
Jeremiah Spence. “Fronteiras do Audiovisual nos Mundos Virtuais: Pesquisa, Desenvolvimento, Inovação” [Audiovisual Frontiers of Virtual Worlds: Research, Development, Innovation]. School of Communication, University of São Paulo, Brazil. 6 August 2008.
Jeremiah Spence and Gilson Schwartz. "Mundos Virtuais: Pesquisa, Desenvolvimento, Inovação" [Virtual Worlds: Research, Development, Innovation]. Workshop leader/lecturer. (9 hours of lecture) – Digital Media Incubator, City of Knowledge Nucleus, University of São Paulo, Brazil. 4, 6, 8 August 2008.
Jeremiah Spence. Advances in Virtual Worlds Research. Invited speaker – Almatropie, Paris, France. 3 July 2008.
Jeremiah Spence. Foundations of Virtual Worlds Research. Invited lecturer – Communications Department, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany. 26 June 2008.
Jeremiah Spence. Ondas de desenvolvimento nos meios de acesso digital no Brasil [Waves of development of access options in Brazil]. Invited lecturer – Distance Education Research Nucleus – Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre. 8 August 2007.
Conference Presentations:
Jeremiah Spence. US-Portugal Research Symposium II. Oporto, Portugal. July 2010.
Joseph Straubhaar, et al, Jeremiah Spence. ICTs is East Austin. International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). Braga, Portugal. July 2010.
Laura J. Dixon, Teresa Correa, Laura Covarrubias, Dean Graber, Joseph Straubhaar, Jeremiah Spence, Viviana Rojas. Gendered Space: The Digital Divide Between Male and Female Users in Public Libraries in Austin, Texas. International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR). Braga, Portugal. July 2010.
Jeremiah Spence. Media Trajectories US-Portugal Research Symposium. Austin, Texas. May 2010.
Jeremiah Spence, Nadie Machado-Spence, Joseph Straubhaar, Theresa Correa, Karen Lee. Constructing a New Information Society in the Tropics: Examining Brazilian Approaches to Information and Communications Technology (ICTs) Through the Lens of the User and the Nonuser. International Communication Association Annual Conference, Singapore, 22-26 June 2010. (referred) (Presented by J. Straubhaar)
Joseph Straubhaar, et al, Jeremiah Spence. Structuring Access: A 10-Year Review of the Role of Austin Public Libraries and Community Technology Centers in Digital Inclusion. International Communication Association Annual Conference, Singapore, 22-26 June 2010. (referred) (Presented by J. Straubhaar)
Jeremiah Spence, Joseph Straubhaar, Sharon Strover, Nobuya Inagaki (all University of Texas, Austin), Viviana Rojas (University of Texas, San Antonio) and Robert Larose (Michigan State University). ICTs in the Borderlands: Language, Internet Adoption and Latino Immigrants. Association of Internet Research 10.0. Milwaukee, USA. 9 October 2009. (referred)
Joseph Straubhaar, Sharon Strover, Jeremiah Spence, Nobuya Inagaki, Robert Larose, Jennifer Gregg. The Internet and the Changing Borderlands: The case of rural broadband use in a small Hispanic Texas town on the U.S. - Mexico border. Communication Policy and Technology Section, International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), Stockholm, Sweden, July 20-25, 2008. (referred)
Jeremiah Spence and Joseph Straubhaar. Generational Shifts in Media Consumption among U.S. Latinos: Mobility, Education and Education. Ethnicity and Race in Communications Interest Group, International Communications Association (ICA) 2008 Convention, Montreal, Canada, May 22-26, 2008. (referred)
Joseph Straubhaar, Jeremiah Spence and Carlos Seabra. Taking the telecenter to the village and the school in Brazil. “When the Internet reaches the Villages” panel, International Communications Association (ICA) 2008 Convention, Montreal, Canada, May 22-26, 2008.
Jeremiah Spence. The growth of telecenters in Brazil and competing models for a national standard. IX International Congress of the Brazilian Studies Association (BRASA), Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, March 27 – 30, 2008.
Jeremiah Spence and Joseph Straubhaar. Framing Digital Divide Responses in Brazil: the Observatório Nacional de Inclusão Digital nationwide telecenter survey and Beyond. U.S. – Brazil Colloquium on Communications Studies, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, March 25 & 26, 2008. (presented by Jeremiah Spence)
Jeremiah Spence and Joseph Lopez. Creating User Interfaces to Map the Historic Developments of Social Capital in Austin from 1880-2000: Designing new tools to facilitate the examination of cultural, social and racial trends in the creation of a Technopolis. Exploring New Media Worlds Conference, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, February 29-March 2, 2008. (presented by Jeremiah Spence)
Jeremiah Spence. SecondLife.Brasil. AoIR 8.0 Doctoral Colloquium: Association of Internet Researchers International Conference. Vancouver, Canada. October 2007.
Jeremiah Spence. Orkut: a catalysis for the Brazilian internaut. AoIR 8.0: Association of Internet Researchers International Conference. Vancouver, Canada. October 2007.
Jeremiah Spence. Mapping the Digital Divide: Results from a National Survey of Telecenters. Brazil Week 2007, University of Texas at Austin. October 2007.
Viviana Rojas, Joseph Straubhaar, Juan Pinon, and Jeremiah Spence. Linguistic capital, migration and new media technologies. Siglo XXI Faculty Research Conference.University of Texas at Austin. March 2007. [Presented by Viviana Rojas]
Juan Pinon, Jeremiah Spence, Viviana Rojas, and Joseph Straubhaar. Immigration, generation, media and social mobility: Connecting methodologies of family trajectories and socioeconomic genograms. Siglo XXI Faculty Research Conference. University of Texas at Austin. March 2007. [Presented by Juan Pinon]
Jeremiah Spence and Joseph Straubhaar. Trajectory vs. Generation: Using Socioeconomic Genograms to Understand Family Mobility, media and ICT use. 2006 National Communications Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas, November 2006. [Presented by Joseph Straubhaar]
Viviana Rojas, Joseph Straubhaar, Juan Pinon, Jeremiah Spence, H. Erin Lee and Assem Nasr. Mapping Family Trajectory over Time: An Approach to the Accumulation of Cultural and Linguistic Capital and Media and ICT Use. 2006 2006 National Communications Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas, November 2006. [Presented by Viviana Rojas]
Fabio Ferreira, Jeremiah Spence and Joseph Straubhaar. Overcoming the digital divide: a comparative analysis of projects in Austin and Salvador. 2006 National Communications Association Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas, November 2006. [Presented by Joseph Straubhaar]
Joseph Straubhaar, Fabio Ferreira, and Jeremiah Spence. Comparing Government and NGO Digital Inclusion Initiatives in the U.S. and Brazil. Telecommunications Policy Research Committee (TPRC) 2006 Conference, Arlington, Virginia, September 2006. [Presented by Fabio Ferreira]
Jeremiah Spence and Joseph Straubhaar. Trajectory vs. Generation: Using Socioeconomic Genograms to Understand Family Mobility. 2006 American Communications Association, National Communications Association, and International Communications Association Conference of the Americas, Lima, Peru. August 2006. [Presented by Jeremiah Spence]
Viviana Rojas, Joseph Straubhaar, Juan Pinon, Jeremiah Spence, H. Erin Lee and Assem Nasr.. Mapping Family Trajectory over Time: An Approach to the Accumulation of Cultural and Linguistic Capital and Media Use. 2006 American Communications Association, National Communications Association, and International CommunicationsAssociation Conference of the Americas, Lima, Peru. August 2006. [Presented by Viviana Rojas]
Jeremiah Spence and Vanessa Di Macedo Higgins. Toward the Development of Time-series Community Mapping of Information and Cultural Resources: Sample Applications in Austin, Texas and Sao Paulo, Brazil. 2006 American Communications Association, National Communications Association, and International Communications Association Conference of the Americas, Lima, Peru. August 2006. [Presented by Jeremiah Spence]
Jeremiah Spence. Genograms, Mapping and Life Histories. Comparative Seminar in Community Informatics, May 2006, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.
Jeremiah Spence. Socioeconomic Genograms as a Tool for Examining Class Trajectory within Family Groups. Class and Mobility Panel, 2006 Southwestern Social Science Association, San Antonio, Texas.
Jeremiah Spence. Mapping cultural resources over 100 years in Austin. Graduate Student Panel, 2006 Southwestern Social Science Association, San Antonio, Texas.
Jeremiah Spence & Joseph Straubhaar. Trajectory v/s generation: Using genograms to understand people’s interactions with ICTs. Global Fusion 2005, Athens, Ohio.[Presented by Jeremiah Spence]
Viviana Rojas, Joseph Straubhaar, Jeremiah Spence, Juan Pinon, Erin Lee and Assem Nasr. Mapping families’ capital over time: An approach to their cultural reserves and cultural capital. Global Fusion 2005, Athens, Ohio. [Presented by Joseph Straubhaar]
Joseph Straubhaar, Jeremiah Spence and Martha Fuentes-Bautista. Minimarts, neighborhood and the public sphere in East Austin. Global Fusion 2005, Athens, Ohio.[Presented by Joseph Straubhaar]
Joseph Straubhaar , Martha Fuentes-Bautista, and Jeremiah Spence. Developing Distinct Social Models of the Internet in Latin America. Panel SMO0005. Latin American Studies Association Conference, October 9, 2004. [Presented by Joseph Straubhaar]
Martha Fuentes-Bautista, Joseph Straubhaar, and Jeremiah Spence. The Social Shaping of Internet from Below: NGOs and government’s roles in Internet development in Brazil and Peru. Communication and Technology Division, International Communication Association, San Diego, California, May 23-27, 2003. [Presented by Martha Fuentes-Bautista]
Martha Fuentes-Bautista, Joseph Straubhaar, and Jeremiah Spence. Rising Digital Divide Issues in the Era of Media Convergence: the Case of Brazil. 23rd Conference AMCR/AIECS/AIERI International Association for Media and Communication Research. Barcelona, Spain. July 2002. [Presented by Martha Fuentes-Bautista]
Joseph Straubhaar, Martha Fuentes-Bautista and Jeremiah Spence. Converging Print and Electronic Media in Brazil: The Rapid Rise of UOL (Universe Online) to Dominance as both ISP and Internet Content Provider in Brazil. International Communications Association, Seoul, South Korea. July 2002. [Presented by Martha Fuentes-Bautista]
Jeremiah Spence. Brazilian Internet Portals as Societal Dichotomies: An Analysis of Content Access Patterns. 2002 Latin American Studies Symposium at Birmingham Southern University, Birmingham, Alabama. [Presented by Jeremiah Spence]
Grants and Other Awards
Funding Obtained to Support the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research:
- Singapore Internet Research Centre
- Department of Radio, TV & Film, University of Texas at Austin
Research and Travel Funding
- Continental Airlines – International Travel Grant – Summer 2008
- University of Texas – International Education Fee Scholarship – April 2008
- University of Texas – Department of Radio, Television & Film Summer Travel Grant – May 2007
- University of Texas – Department of Radio, Television & Film Doctoral Studies Grant – April 2007
- University of Texas – Department of Radio, Television & Film Graduate Research Award – December 2006
- Amon G. Carter, Sr. Foundation – Travel Stipend (via Prof. Joseph Straubhaar) – October 2006
- Amon G. Carter, Sr. Foundation – Scholarship (via Prof. Joseph Straubhaar) – July 2011
Awards
- Bronze U.S. Presidential Service Award for Service during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita - 2005
- Multiple Citations – American Red Cross
University Service
UT Institutional Review Board (IRB) – Graduate Student Member 2008-2009
UT Graduate Student Atlas.ti Training Seminar – Organizer March 2008
UT Virtual Worlds Working Group – University of Texas at Austin September 2007
- Founder and coordinator of weekly events stimulating cross-disciplinary discourse and collaboration.
Comparative Seminar in Community Informatics – University of Texas at Austin May 2006
- Conference organizer and logistics coordinator.
University Faculty Council Research Policy Committee – University of Texas at Austin 2006 - 2007
- Graduate student body representative.
Teaching Experience
Teaching Assistant - Undergraduate Intro. To Media Course (57 students) – University of Texas at Austin, Summer 2011
Instructional Design / Development – Undergraduate Introduction to Media Studies transition to an distance education / online learning course, Spring 2011
Teaching Assistant - Undergraduate Intro. To Media Course (65 students) – University of Texas at Austin, Spring 2011
Atlas.ti and Qualitative Research Methods Training, University of Texas at Austin 2008; 2009
Co-lead Teaching Assistant – Undergraduate Intro. To Media Course (500 students) – University of Texas at Austin Fall 2008; Fall 2010
- Coordinated curriculum development and implementation.
- Lead occasional lectures for 450 students and was the teaching assistant for 50 students.
- Developed and implemented individual blogging solution for 450 undergraduate students.
Graduate Mentor / Field Methods Training – University of Texas at Austin Spring 2008
- Developed a personalized curriculum for undergraduate advisee focus on research design, research ethics, ethnographic note taking methods and mixed-method research.
- Participated in the Intellectual Entrepreneurship Graduate Student – Pre-grad Mentorship Program.
Guest Lecturer, Introduction to Media Studies – University of Texas at Austin Fall 2007
- Lead a lecture and discussion on the historical and geographic divides underlying the Digital Divide in Austin for 350 undergraduate students.
Research Projects
CD/0016/2008, Digital Inclusion and Participation. Comparing the Trajectories of Digital Media use by Majority and Disadvantaged Groups in Portugal and the USA
April 2009 – March 2011
Co-lead Research and U.S. Project Coordinator
- Coordinated international research project between the University of Texas at Austin and several universities in Portugal (Nova da Lisboa, Oporto, Coimbra).
- Trained and coordinated 55 graduate and undergraduate students in qualitative methods collection, Atlas.ti, qualitative data analysis and collaborated with equivalent team in Portugal.
- Coordinated and lead the analytical process in Texas with Joseph Straubhaar.
Immersive Mobile Internet Display September 2008 – Present
- Developed an immersive mobile computer interface.
- Currently preparing a patent application, working with commercialization experts to commercialize technology.
Public Policies of Digital Inclusion September 2006 – Present
Escola de Futuro, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
- Participated in the statistical analysis of four years of survey results from telecenter users in the state of São Paulo.
Austin Memory Project July 2006 - Present
- Developed, designed and lead a ten person team in the implementation of an interactive web-based system designed to receive, store and provide a geospatial/temporal space for the exploration of community memory.
- Developed an interactive online mapping system “Codex” – http://austinmemory.org
- Project was replicated to study community media spaces at Tulane University – http://medianola.org (2008-present) (consultant)
- Project was replicated to study Information and Communication Technologies in Portugal (TICs Portugal) http://codexpt.com (2010-present) (lead investigator)
Visualization of Applied Social Science Data Sept. 2005 – August 2007
- Developed multi-dimensional visualization techniques and tools to enhance the display and analysis of multi-generational family data and time-series geographic data, in coordination with Bongjune Kwon and Jose Rivera of the Computational Visualization Center, University of Texas at Austin.
Migration and New Information and Communication Technologies: Assessing the Impact of Generation, Migration Trajectory and Cultural Capital in Access and Use in ICTs
May 2003 – Present
- Group research project with participants at the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Maryland at Baltimore County directed by Joseph Straubhaar at the University of Texas at Austin.
- Initial findings from the research were presented at Global Fusion 2005.
- Developed mapping and socioeconomic genogram analysis techniques, worked with multigeneration interviewing, supervising fieldwork by undergraduate and graduate students, conducted visualization, GIS and SPSS analysis.
Project of Religion and Economic Change Sept. 2005 – Dec. 2005
- Researched Catholic diocese maps in Brazil for the 19th and 20th centuries. Project directed by Robert Woodberry, Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin.
Comparative Analysis of the Growth of Internet Access Points in Response to the Digital Divide: Austin, Texas; Salvador, Bahia; and São Paulo, SP. January 2003 – May 2004
- Research directed by Joseph Straubhaar, Director of the Brazil Center and Othon Jambeiro, Professor of Information Science at the Universidade Federal da Bahia.
- Worked on questionnaire development in U.S. and Brazil
- Supervised translation of questionnaire, and performed comparative analysis of survey results.
Assessment of the Latin American Network for Computer-Assisted Education
November 2000
- Presentation Prepared for the Institute of Latin American Studies, University of Texas at Austin. Research directed by Nicolas Shumway, Director of the Institute of Latin American Studies.
Online Education in Brazil May 2000
- Paper Produced: Online Education in Brazil: Promise or Problem? Research directed by Pedro Jacobi, Associate Professor of Education at the University of São Paulo.
Professional Experience
Journal of Virtual Worlds Research (JVWR), University of Texas at Austin April 2008 – Present
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
- Founded and developed a premier online, open-access, peer-reviewed transdisciplinary academic journal.
- Recruited and coordinated an editorial team of 25 scholars across seven countries.
- Published nine issues (as of April 2010).
Media NOLA Project, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana April 2009 – April 2010
Consultant
- Developed and implemented a historical mapping project for the Department of Communication.
- Solution is accessible online at http://medianola.org.
Dept. of Radio, TV & Film, University of Texas at Austin June 2002 – April 2010
Graduate Research Assistant for Professor Joseph Straubhaar
- Assisted in transcription, book editing, filing, website design, grant research, grant proposal design and other duties.
- Designed and supervised cultural mapping data collection, helped supervise interviewer training and sampling, developed quantitative analysis methods for genograms.
- Co-organizer of international conference hosting researchers from across Latin America, provided simultaneous translation – Portuguese – English, prepared conference website including online video streams of the conference, travel planning
- Provided research support for on-going projects, developed maps and other analytical products utilizing GIS.
- Developed curriculum and research protocols; assisted in the presentation of lectures. Specific courses:
- RTF 365 - Mapping Cultural History in East Austin. Lectured, designed research, coordinated research, and assisted in the design of curriculum. Spring 2005, Spring 2006
- RTF 380G - Migration & Media: Global & Local. Coordinated research. Spring 2005
- RTF 380G - Digital Divide: Mexico-Austin Migration. Coordinated research, assisted in the design of curriculum for mapping digital divide resources and interviewing resource providers. Spring 2003
Cidade de Conhecimento [City of Knowledge], University of São Paulo, Brazil 2008 – 2009
Visiting Research Fellow – Pesquisador Visitante
- Participated in the development of virtual worlds related curriculum
- Taught virtual and live courses related to virtual worlds and virtual worlds research
Telecommunication Information Policy Institute (TIPI), University of Texas at Austin
August 2007 – May 2008
Graduate Research Assistant for USDA Rural Broadband Grant
- Assisted in all aspects of research design and fieldwork implementation, including: IRB Proposal, Survey Translation.
- Supervised the collection of 400 door-to-door bilingual surveys by 30 fieldworkers.
- Lead bilingual (English/Spanish) fieldworker methods and survey ethics training.
Instituto de Pesquisas e Projetos Socias e Tecnologicos (IPSO), Sao Paulo, Brazil
February 2007 – June 2008
Researcher and Collaborator, Observatorio Nacional de Inclusao Digital (National Observatory of Digital Inclusion)
- Responsible for the development of a national wide survey of telecenters and related digital inclusion initiatives.
- Coordinating and development of advanced online research platforms for social and cyber research.
Instituto de Pesquisas e Projetos Socias e Tecnologicos (IPSO), Sao Paulo, Brazil
January 2008 – December 2008
Researcher, Mobile Phones and the Social Development Process: The Mobile Culture of São Paulo, Brazil (a research project funded by the University of Catalonia, Spain and Fundacíon Telefonica)
- Assisted in the grant writing and research design process.
- Responsible for the development of a research instruments and protocols.
- Responsible for oversight and coordination of analysis and documentation of research findings.
Digital Inclusion Laboratory, University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil October 2006 – January 2007
Staff Researcher, (LIDEC)/School of the Future
- Responsible for the development of an integrated scientific research program for the School of the Future.
- Coordinating and implementing the collection, analysis and publication of LIDEC research in the fields of digital inclusion and cyber culture.
Independent Translator and Guide, Austin, Texas January 2006 – July 2006
- Provided on-call simultaneous translation Portuguese – English for Brazilian Judge visiting the United States.
Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin September 2005 – Dec. 2005
Project on Religion and Economic Change - Webmaster and Researcher
- Developed and implemented multilingual schema for research project Web site, including coordination of translators.
Instituto de Ciência da Informação, Universidade Federal da Bahia
Institute of Information Science, Federal University of Bahia, Brazil Aug. 2003 – May 2004
Visiting Researcher
- Participated in a comparative research project on mapping digital divide access funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Education and the University of Texas at Austin.
- Developed and implemented a surveying and interviewing methodology in Brazil within a 9 month period.
Center for Instructional Technology, University of Texas at Austin
Curriculum Integration Consultant – Fast Tex Program January 2002 – Sept. 2002
- Developed a Web site that archived videos of music performances integrated with music scores and dynamic text.
- Developed and implemented a digitization schema for a Radio, Television & Film course on Brazilian media that included video, text and audio formats.
Spence Consulting, Austin, Texas May 2000 – Dec. 2004
Consultant & Strategist
· Built a small Web design-consulting firm.
· Provided personal computer consulting services for small businesses and individuals.
· Developed technical training programs for small businesses and individuals.
NOWDOCS.COM, Austin, Texas April 2000 – Jan. 2001
Network Operations Center Engineer (10/2000 – 1/2001)
Customer Service Rep (4/2000 – 9/2000)
- Monitored, supported and maintained NT-based monitoring systems for mission-critical systems.
- Provided help desk support for 200 employees, 13 sites, and 3 data centers.
- Assisted customers in the use of Web site and oversaw completed service requests.
- Tracked jobs as they came through the Web site to make sure that they were printed and delivered on time.
- Developed and maintained a departmental Web site.
Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC), Austin, Texas Jan. 1999 – May 2000
Research Assistant
- Designed, managed, and updated Web sites and online courses.
- Provided departmental technical support and training.
- Contributed to country specific Web pages.
Affiliations
Member, Council of Editors of Learned Journals (CELJ)
Member, Brazilian Studies Association (BRASA)
Member, International Communications Association (ICA)
Member, International Association for Mass Communication Research (IAMCR)
Member, American Sociological Association (ASA)
Member, Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR)
Lifetime Member, Subiaco Academy Alumni Association
Lifetime Member, Texas Exes Alumni Association
Lifetime Member, Hill City Lodge #456, A.F. & A.M. – Texas
Lifetime Member, Texana Lodge #123, A.F. & A.M. – Texas
Lifetime Member, Scottish Rite, S.J., Valley of Austin
Member, Ben Hur Shrine, Austin, Texas
Member, University of Texas Go, Wei-chi and Baduk Club
Volunteer, American Red Cross of Central Texas