NJIT Cyberpsychology Seminar Series Begins, Features Experts at Intersection of Psychology and Tech
Next week, NJIT’s College of Science and Liberal Arts’ new Fall 2020 Cyberpsychology Seminar Series is set to begin, featuring some of the nation’s leading experts at the emerging intersection of psychology and technology who will cover a diverse range of future-focused topics for the university community. Such topics will include current dilemmas and phenomena related to online disinformation, problematic gaming, online racism and the use of virtual reality to examine racial bias, and the rise of telehealth during COVID-19.
“Our program is excited to launch this new series, which will showcase the many different facets of research and scholarship within the field of cyberpsychology,” said Julie Ancis, NJIT Cyberpsychology Program Director and facilitator of the seminar series. “Attendees will be able to take a deep dive into an array of timely topics with leading experts, many of whom are engaged in applied research exploring important and fascinating connections between psychology and our rapidly evolving technology.”
The online series starts Thursday Sept. 24 from 1-2 p.m. with a presentation by Rand Waltzman, lead information scientist with the RAND Corporation. Waltzman will deliver a lecture on the spread and impact of disinformation in the age of social media, titled “Disinformation — It’s the Thought That Counts.”
The Fall 2020 Cyberpsychology Seminar Series will run through the end of November and is free and open to the community via Zoom or audio dial-in.
Future series speakers include:
Oct. 8, 9-10 a.m. ― Dustyn Leff, whose recent research at University of Minnesota-Duluth examined the impact of virtual reality on learning. He will present “You Only Have 1UP Here: A Digital Dive into Problematic Gaming.”
Oct. 15, 9-10 a.m. ― John Tawa, assistant professor in the Psychology and Education Department at Mount Holyoke College, presenting “The Study of Racial Bias in Police Use of Force.”
Nov. 10, 9-10 a.m. ― Corinne Datchi, associate professor and Chair of the Psychology Department at William Paterson University, presenting “Telebehavioral Health with Couples: Technological and Treatment Opportunities.”
Nov. 17, 9-10 a.m. ― Brian Keum, assistant professor in the Department of Social Welfare at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, presenting “You Can Never Turn It Off: Online Racism as an Emerging Public Health Concern in the Digital Era.”
