We are delighted to welcome a talented, accomplished, and interesting group of people to campus this fall. They are joining us with impressive resumes and diverse professional experiences. The School is excited for our students to see their forthcoming contributions to our classrooms, and thrilled to welcome them to our intellectual community.
—Interviews conducted by Dr. Gerald Sim
Topher Maraffi, new Assistant Professor in Multimedia Studies
Welcome to the School! Tell us about where you're coming from, and how that experience has prepared you for this new job.
I taught animation and interactive media at the University of South Carolina on their coastal Beaufort campus. This involved designing a Media Arts concentration for the Studio Arts program, as well as organizing a film and digital media symposium as part of their annual Beaufort International Film Festival. I also developed media internship opportunities for talented students with regional companies like South Carolina Educational Television. I look forward to teaching design concepts and production skills to FAU students and look forward to assisting them in becoming multimedia professionals and scholars.
What is your academic or professional background?
I have an MFA in Digital Arts & New Media and an MSc in Computer Science from the University of California Santa Cruz. I worked as a media artist in New York City throughout the 1990s, doing motion graphics and special effects for NBC, ESPN, and independent film companies. I also taught as a certified 3D animation trainer in Manhattan and San Francisco, and was Course Director of the technical animation courses at Full Sail University in Orlando from 2000-2007. During that time I wrote three popular books on Autodesk Maya and Softimage 3D animation software.
What are your research or creative interests? Tell us about your agenda for the coming year.
They center on using interactive media to deliver site specific educational content in a more immersive way. This involves adapting traditional animation and documentary filmmaking techniques to augmented reality technology in order to bring to life a historical experience or visualize a site that may no longer exist. An example would be someplace like the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem where swing dancing started in the 1930s. The iconic building is gone and now there is just a small monument in front of an apartment complex. You could have a tour app on your phone where the visitor could see an interactive 360 degree reconstruction of the building superimposed on the site, and see historical videos and photos with a virtual narrator.
How did your interest in that project develop?
There were two projects at USCB that led to this line of research, both related to South Carolina history and coastal Gullah culture. One was a documentary project on the SC roots of swing dancing, and how to better visualize famous dance places that no longer physically exist. The other was an augmented reality project on Mitchelville, the first Freedman’s town during the Civil War within Union captured territory on Hilton Head Island. I worked with a computer science faculty and local community groups to design a prototype for the Mitchelville site using Blender 3D software and Unity game engine.
We're so eager for you to start! What drew you to FAU?
The BA in Multimedia Studies and the MFA in Media, Technology, and Entertainment programs impressed me with their interdisciplinary approach to offering a comprehensive curriculum that is on the edge of media arts and computer science. It is a perfect fit for my teaching background and research interests. I can’t wait to become a part of it!
Are you moving to Boca Raton with a human, or a furry creature?
My wife and I are moving into a house in Plantation with our two cats, to be close to the Davie campus where I will be teaching most of my courses. It is her first time living in Florida, and we look forward to exploring the beaches and restaurants together.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to go out dancing with my wife to live music, or we enjoy biking on trails. My wife and I have been social dancers for almost twenty years, teaching and competing in Lindy Hop, Carolina Shag, and Argentine Tango. As soon as we get settled, we will start checking out the dance scene in South Florida.
That explains the reference to swing dancing at the Savoy Ballroom. If you weren't an academic, what would you be?
I’d probably still be working in multimedia production, designing interactive experiences with the latest digital tools. It is what professional artists have been doing since the Renaissance, not for museums but for popular media, using the latest technology to create unique visual experiences that move us.
Nicole Morse, new Assistant Professor in Multimedia Studies
Welcome to the School! Tell us about where you're coming from, and how that experience has prepared you for this new job.
I’ve just completed my doctoral studies at the University of Chicago, where I researched selfies and self-representational art by trans women and wrote a dissertation titled Selfie Aesthetics: Form, Performance, and Transfeminist Politics in Self-Representational Art. In addition to my research, I taught classes within Cinema Studies and the College, working with undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of backgrounds on their thesis projects, including both academic writing and documentary production. I also produced a number of events for the Film Studies Center and the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, and I love working with up-and-coming artists and curating experiences for audiences interested in film, media, and art.
What is your academic or professional background?
Before I started my doctorate, I completed a BFA in documentary film production at the State University of New York at Purchase College and then worked in film and video production for several years, including feature documentaries, freelance videography, and television. For me, media theory and media practice are always deeply intertwined, and each is necessary to understand the other.
What are your research or creative interests? Tell us about your agenda for the coming year.
As I begin revising my dissertation into a book about selfie aesthetics, I’m also working on a project that explores the direct look into the lens in contemporary queer cinema, and I’m starting research on an article about how straight sitcoms produce (and restrict) visions of queer “chosen family.”
How did your interest in that project develop?
My interest in selfies was sparked when I noticed that some selfie creators are able to generate unique and recognizable aesthetic styles, which puts pressure on the assumption that all selfies are formally the same and, therefore, convey the same meaning: self-absorption. As I continued looking at selfies and self-representational art, I discovered that a set of trans women artists were using self-representational art to explore the self, narcissism, identity, and community in nuanced and unique ways. These artists include Zackary Drucker, Vivek Shraya, Zinnia Jones, and Reina Gossett, and their incredible work (in photography, film, video, performance art, literature, and music) has guided my research.
We're so eager for you to start! What drew you to FAU?
I’m thrilled that the School values the connection between theory and practice in media studies, and I’m looking forward to working with my incredible colleagues at SCMS. I’m particularly excited that the students I’ve met have been engaged, enthusiastic, curious, and insightful, and I’m looking forward to teaching – and learning with – the students at FAU. I love the water, and being close to the ocean is a huge bonus, although as a Vermonter-by-way-of-Chicago, I’ll have to adjust to a sunny, snow-free Winter.
Are you moving to Boca Raton with a human, or a furry creature?
My girlfriend Jamie is moving with me, and she’ll be pursuing her Masters in Divinity. She’s a minister from the Midwest who is thrilled to never be cold again! Someday, we’re looking forward to adopting a dog.
What do you like to do in your free time?
When I’m not working, I do a lot of political organizing, particularly around prison abolition and labor rights. I’m excited to get involved with the faculty union at FAU and to learn more about political organizing in South Florida. I also love all kinds of music and dance, from ballroom dancing to the symphony to clubs to experimental performance art.
If you weren't an academic, what would you be?
Between college and graduate school, I worked as a pastry chef for a year and a half, and I loved making truffles and tarts, designing and decorating cakes, and creating things that make people’s days a little brighter.
Olympia Kiriakou, new Visiting Instructor in Multimedia Studies
Welcome to the School! Tell us about where you're coming from, and how that experience has prepared you for this new job.
I am an FAU alum, having graduated with my BA with honors in Multimedia Studies in 2012. This past spring, I returned to work as an adjunct instructor in SCMS. Having been both a student and an instructor, I am coming into this new role with a good sense of the School's mission and curriculum, as well as first-hand experience of FAU's campus culture.
What is your academic or professional background?
I received my PhD in Film Studies from King's College London, and an MA in Cinema Studies from the University of Toronto. I also worked at the Toronto International Film Festival for five years.
What are your research or creative interests? Tell us about your agenda for the coming year.
My primary research interest is classical Hollywood cinema, specifically stardom, performance and genre. My dissertation focuses on the development and reception of Carole Lombard's star persona, and the influence screwball comedy has on our understanding of her as a Hollywood star. Apart from trying to publish that as a book, I am also developing an examination of Disney, looking at the intersection of fandom and corporate culture. My current project looks at the role of placemaking and thematic integrity in the Disney parks. This grew out of my own Disney fandom, having identified a major shift in the parks in the last decade towards intellectual property infusion.
We're so eager for you to start! What drew you to FAU?
I love FAU's diversity and sense of community. When I was a student here, I met so many people from such different backgrounds and cultures, and that enriched my academic experience. There are also a variety of extracurricular activities available to students, which is a great way to get involved in campus life.
Are you moving to Boca Raton with a human, or a furry creature?
My French bulldog, Orson, named after my favorite director, Orson Welles.
What do you like to do in your free time?
When I'm not teaching, you can find me at the beach.
You’re definitely in the right place! If you weren't an academic, what would you be?
If I could make a career out of it, I'd be a travel blogger. I love visiting new places, experiencing different cultures and, of course, food.
Andy Tinker, new Visiting Instructor in Communication Studies
Welcome to the School! Tell us about where you're coming from, and how that experience has prepared you for this job.
I'm coming to FAU from Pittsburgh, PA, having finished 4 years of graduate study, teaching assistance, and instruction at Duquesne University, and 7 years instructing at Community College of Allegheny County. My time in Pittsburgh allowed me to interact with students from multiple backgrounds of nationality, race, age, gender, income, class, physical and mental ability, religions, and statuses of incarceration. I have also spent the past 3-plus years as an editorial assistant for the Journal of Communication and Religion, which prepared me for engaging large volumes of written work. J
What is your academic or professional background?
I currently hold ABD status at Duquesne University, where I am finishing a dissertation under Ronald C. Arnett. Before that, I earned M.Phil. and M.Th. degrees from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, where I studied media literacy education in religious communities and theological ethics. I also earned an M.A. from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary where I explored the theological controversies surrounding visual texts in Reformed Christianity. Before all of that, I earned a B.A. in Broadcast Communications from Westminster College (PA). In addition to my graduate work, I spent about 4 years working in professional TV production, both for local news and for the My Music series of national pledge-break specials for PBS, and also for 3-plus years at the fulfillment center of ModCloth, an online retail company.
Can you say a bit about your research or creative interests?
I am grounded in humanities-based research of communication ethics and rhetorical ethics. My dissertation focuses on key scholars in communication ethics and their understanding of economics as a factor in determining the ethics of communication. So far, I have published on the nature of economics as dialogue in the work of Martin Buber and its implications for globalization. I have also presented at national and regional conferences on the philosophy of digital communication and the nature of globalized communication systems, shock as a rhetorical tactic that disrupts the agency of interpretation, the ethics of “buffer zones” in free speech law, enthymemes and digital hermeneutics, and an examination of the influence of John Stuart Mill on contemporary communication ethics. I will present at the 2018 NCA conference on the 17th-18th century turn to trade as a new organizing force for the West and its implications for how we communicate in a globalized, neoliberal world.
What drew you to FAU?
The nature of the courses I will teach interests me greatly. Plus, I have seen FAU faculty present at the Southern States Communication Association Conference and was drawn to the diverse scholarly activity within the department. Also, after visiting campus this past June, I was drawn to the hospitality of Dr. Williams, Marissa, and others I met. I can't wait to get started this year!
Well we’re eager for you to start! Are you moving to Boca Raton with a human, or a furry creature?
I am moving to Boca Raton on my own.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I enjoy cultural engagement with music, film, literature, and art. I have also been involved with leadership in my local church, as well as various progressive and LGBT groups aiming to build a more inclusive world. I also love to travel and spend time with friends.
If you weren't an academic, what would you be?
Probably still in television production or pursuing a professional degree in counseling or social work.