Celebrating achievements in our field
President, Society for Media Psychology and Technology
seddington@email.fielding.edu
The 2024 winners of the Society for Media Psychology & Technology division awards represent diversity in topical interest, with research and practice that explore innovations in media and technology that aptly reflect the ways work in our field impacts people both domestically and globally.
Distinguished Lifetime Contributions
The Distinguished Lifetime Contributions to Media Psychology & Technology award is given to recognize a sustained body of work that has had a major impact on the public and the profession of media psychology and technology. This year the award was given to Ilene Serlin, PhD. Sadly, Dr. Serlin died in November 2024, however she had been notified of her selection as the recipient of this award. Dr. Serlin was a clinical psychologist and registered dance/movement therapist. She was the founder and Director of Union Street Health Associates and the Arts Medicine Program at California Pacific Medical Center. She was a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), and Past President and Council Representative of the Division of Humanistic Psychology of APA. Dr. Serlin served on the editorial boards of The Arts in Psychotherapy, the American Journal of Dance Therapy, and the Journal of Humanistic Psychology. She taught and published widely in the United States and abroad.
Distinguished Early Career Professional Contributions
Joy Buolamwini, PhD received the award for Distinguished Early Career Professional Contributions to Media Psychology and Technology. This award recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of media psychology and technology during the first 10 years, post-doctorate. Dr. Buolamwini is the founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, an award-winning researcher, and poet of code. She is the author of the national best-selling book, Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What is Human in a World of Machines. She advises world leaders, policymakers, and executives on redressing algorithmic harms. Her work is featured in global exhibitions and the documentary Coded Bias available on Netflix. Publications including TIME Magazine and New York Times carry her writing.
Distinguished Professional Contributions
The Distinguished Professional Contributions to Media Psychology and Technology was awarded to Nina Jankowicz, MA. The award recognizes outstanding applied contributions to the field of media psychology and technology. Ms. Jankowicz is an internationally recognized expert on disinformation and democratization and one of TIME Magazine‘s 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence (AI). She is the co-founder and CEO of the American Sunlight Project, a bipartisan group increasing the cost of lies that undermine democracy. She has advised governments, international organizations, and tech companies; testified before the United States Congress and the UK, Canadian, and European Parliaments; and led accessible, actionable research about the effects of disinformation on women, minorities, democratic activists, and freedom of expression around the world.
Student Dissertation
The award for Student Dissertation in Media Psychology and Technology was given to Perry Reed, PhD, for his study titled, Is ChatGPT creative? Cognitive-affective responses to AI-generated stories, an examination of the psychology of generative AI, and how people judge creative works made by AI. Dr. Reed is a published scholar and educator with teaching positions at three universities. He is also a consultant and currently serves as editor of The Amplifier Magazine, an official publication of the Society for Media Psychology & Technology.
Susan J. Eddington, PhD, Division 46 Past President, served as the 2024 Awards Committee Chair. Don Grant, PhD, also a past president of the division and current member of the board of directors, and Lawrence Drake, PhD, President-elect of the division, served as committee members. The committee members acknowledged the challenge of selecting the award winners from amongst the outstanding nominations received. Dr. Eddington commented, “We are encouraged by the quality of the nominations we had to evaluate and make a selection from this year. We appreciate everyone’s participation in the process. It suggests that there is robust research in our field, and professionals engaged in meaningful practice that will see our field continue to grow”.
