Julian Kilker, Ph.D.
Associate Professor,
Emerging Technologies


 
 

My research focuses on society and information technologies, particularly in relation to media systems. My recent work has explored visual media and the public understanding of technology, hence the images below.

Shelves store undergraduate theses, Reed College's Hauser Library
Undergraduate research theses at Reed College, my alma mater.


 

Contact info

 

Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
4505 Maryland Pkwy.
Las Vegas, NV 89154-5007, USA
Office + 1 (702) 895 3729
Fax + 1 (702) 895 5189
kilker at unlv.nevada.edu

Low water due to drought exposes "bathtub rings" and islands, Lake Mead
Low water due to drought exposes highly-visible "bathtub rings", Lake Mead


 

Office hours

Mondays, 2:30am-4:30pm
Thursdays, 1
2:30pm-2:30pm
Tuesday
s and Wednesdays in the afternoon by appointment; contact me by e-mail.
Note that my office has recently moved. I am now located in room 2137 in the new Greenspun Hall building, across Maryland Parkway from Rebel Books.

Illuminated solar panels advertise energy awareness, Greenspun Hall UNLV campusIlluminated solar panels advertise energy awareness, UNLV's Greenspun Hall


 

Research

See my publications and presentations.

Lifecycle stages of Digital Media Technologies. I'm interested in identifying and analysing key stages of media technologies, specifically development, marketing, modification, and obsolescence. Sample work in this area over the past ten years: Networking identity: A case study examining social identity in communication technology development (1999); Shaping convergence media (2003); the collaborative “Swarm” research of the Consumer Electronics Show (2006); Breaking free: The shaping and resisting of mobility (2007); and Digital dirt and the entropic artifact (2009).

Discarded television used for shotgun practice, Hidden Valley
Discarded television "recycled" as a shotgun target, ten miles south of Las Vegas

Privacy, Surveillance, and Media. This research examines social and ethical aspects of mundane and advanced technologies, as well as assessing technological risks in general. Sample work in this area: Dimensions of communication privacy and international computer network design (1995), the co-authored article Examining counter-institutional websites as locations for organizational member voice, dissent, and resistance (2006, winner of the journal's "article of the year" award); and Risk education: Teaching (and learning) about technology and uncertainty in society.

Animal and technology watches over an intersection, Santa Barbara
Bird and cameras watch over an intersection, Santa Barbara


 
Photography Snaps
Bodie
Neon
Images of Decay
Historical Pinball
Slot canyon

 
Other work
"are you a visitor?"... (mini-homage to Robert Lax)
  2001.09.11: Breaking news on the net
   

 

Courses

JOUR 313 Digital photography (Fall 2009)
JOUR 333 Interactive media design
HON 400-4 The secret lives of technology
HON 400-9 Media, privacy, and surveillance (Fall 2009)
JOUR 435 Research methods
JOUR 450 Media technologies and society
JMS 712 Grad quantitative research methods
JMS 789 Media, ICTs, and Society

Honors students examine classic game technology design, Pinball Hall of Fame
Honors students examine game technology design during fieldtrip, Pinball Hall of Fame

Student projects

Students in my Fall 2008 introductory Multimedia Design course worked on "LG in LV" projects that examine practical efficiency, saving costs, and sustainability in our daily lives in Las Vegas. This topic reflects current challenges in the American Southwest (especially water availability, transportation costs, and food security), long-term environmental concerns, and is in honor of our new "green" building Greenspun Hall.

Local Las Vegas was created by forty students several years ago. Its goal: document underappreciated aspects of Las Vegas, a city in which tourism dominates local and visitor impressions. The projects are organized using Google Maps. Most students had only a semester's experience with web design and Dreamweaver.

The Zkeyn project was created in my Advanced Interactive Media Design course several years ago. Students negotiated challenges in both social collaboration and software development to create a maze-like game based on the classic Myst and using an infamous campus building for visuals.

"A Day in the Life of Privacy" presentation, Honors College
"A Day in the Life of Privacy" multimedia presentation, Honors College


 
Divertisse-ments

In no particular order: Blinkenlights | Architectures of Control | Pinball Hall of Fame | Ironic Sans | Google Labs | kottke.org | MAKE magazine | BLDG BLOG | The Big Picture | CBC's Search Engine | PRI's The World Tech podcast

Battered sign on road frequently used for SUV commercial shoots, Valley of Fire
Worn desert sign on road popular with SUV commercial shoots, Valley of Fire