64 – Does criticism in digital spaces matter to journalism?

With the power of digitalization, criticisms toward journalism now often are aired in digital spaces, such as social networks and blogs. But does criticism in digital spaces matter to journalism, and how do journalists handle this? These are questions asked by David Cheruiyot in his doctoral thesis in Media and Communication Studies. Through in-depth interviews with journalists, media critics, and media accountability agents, David’s research gives us an understanding of how journalistic practice in Kenya and South Africa is affected by new forms for mainstream media criticism. Prior to the digital era, journalists could deal with criticism in controlled spaces, such as letters to editors. Today, they may need to grapple with open hashtag campaigns built up by many different stakeholders of journalism. As David explains in our interview, this has profound effects on journalists and journalistic practice.

63 – Modelling the life span of the sewage system mathematically?

When old sewage pipes break, they can undermine the soil. In the worst case, this can lead to the formation of sink holes that devour buildings, vehicles and other things.

In our podcast we talk to Arthur J. Vromans who does research that can potentially predict the degradation of sewage pipes and thus prevent the formation of sink holes. For this he has developed a mathematical model that can assess the life span of existing sewage pipes and estimate the degradation rate in the sewer system over a long time period.  His work offers a way to estimate error margins, predict degradation processes and hopefully avoid series of unfortunate events related to broken sewage pipes.

58 – Academics’ reactions to managerialism

What is managerialism in higher education? And how do academics react to it? These are the two principal questions posed by Jo Ese, in his doctoral thesis in Working Life Science Defending the university? Academics reactions to managerialism in Norwegian higher education? While managerialism has been developed in the world of business, many government run universities also have adopted this belief system. In our interview, Jo Ese explains the emergence of the concept. Also, we learn more about the strategies academics use to cope with or – as is often the case – resist managerialism.

Jo Ese’s doctoral thesis can be downloaded from DiVA. 

52 – Utbildning för hållbar utveckling

För att unga människor ska kunna verka för hållbar utveckling har det gjorts stora globala satsningar på utbildning. Som ett led i detta arbete har många länder satsat på certifieringsprogram, som är tänkta att stödja skolornas implementering av utbildning för hållbar utveckling. Hittills finns dock få studier som undersöker effekterna av sådana certifieringsprogram, och det är denna kunskapslucka som Daniel Olsson fyller med sin forskning. Genom stora enkätundersökningar till skolelever i Sverige och Taiwan har Daniel kunnat mäta elevers medvetenhet om hållbar utveckling. I vårt samtal berättar Daniel om resultaten av studierna, och vilka implikationer han ser för den svenska skolan. Daniel Olssons doktorsavhandling kan hämtas från DiVA: Student Sustainability Consciousness : Investigating Effects of Education for Sustainable Development in Sweden and Beyond

51 – Fixing WiFi

Do you have high speed internet to your home but still experience  buffering or lag when watching a movie or playing an online game? These problems may be related to your WiFi network. Good thing then that researchers are working on to fixing WiFi! In Toke Høiland Jørgensen’s research he not only produces more knowledge on WiFi performance barriers, he also develops mathematical and technical solutions to them. In our conversation Toke explains how the open source solutions developed by him and his colleagues can benefit all us speed-craving internet users.

Toke Høiland-Jørgensen’s doctoral thesis can be downloaded from DiVA: Bufferbloat and Beyond : Removing Performance Barriers in Real-World Networks

49 – Gamification in digital journalism

Whether you are aware of it or not, you have probably been subjected to gamification. Gamification refers to the practice of businesses using game-elements in non-game contexts. Raul Ferrer Conill has investigated the role of gamification in digital journalism. Today, many digital newspapers use bonuses, badges or other rewards to make users consume more articles, and to make journalists more productive. In our conversation, Raul describes why newspapers use this approach, and how it affects the commercial and professional aspects of journalism. Raul Ferrer Conill’s doctoral thesis can be downloaded from DiVA: Gamifying the news : Exploring the introduction of game elements into digital journalism

48 – Human aspects of data privacy

Securing data privacy on the internet is a wicked problem. It is wicked in that technological, legal, and human aspects of privacy are entangled. In her licentiate thesis Ala Sarah Alaqra has focused on the human aspects of data privacy. By letting users test a privacy enhancing scheme – redactable signatures – designed by Ala and her colleagues, her research investigates user perceptions and opinions of data privacy in eHealth. In our conversation Ala let us know more of redactable signatures, and how it can help increase data privacy in eHealth and possibly in other sectors as well. Ala Sarah Alaqra’s licentiate thesis can be downloaded from DiVA: The Wicked Problem of Privacy : Design Challenge for Crypto-based Solutions

44 – Mathematical analysis of multiscale systems

If you pour a liter of water in an already half filled two liter bottle, you’ll usually fill it up completely. But what if the bottle wasn’t filled with liquids, but with sand and air? The mathematics you need to calculate such processes is complex and requires a so-called multiscale approach: calculating the interactions between objects with vastly different sizes. In his research, Ph.D. candidate Omar Richardson is developing a mathematical framework to analyze these and other multiscale systems. In our conversation, Omar explains how and why we do mathematical research, and describes some practical implications of his work. Omar Richardson’s licentiate thesis can be downloaded from DiVA: Mathematical analysis and approximation of a multiscale elliptic-parabolic system

43 Privacy friendly mobile apps

Mobile phone applications can be great for a range of different everyday purposes. However, most users are unaware of what the apps are doing while they are unattended. In his research, Ph.D. candidate Nurul Momen has investigated how apps behave, and how they use the personal data users authorise them to access. In our conversation, Nurul describes the dangers of personal data craving apps, and he explains how his research can help increasing transparency and protect user privacy. Nurul Momen’s licentiate thesis can be retrieved from DiVA: Towards Measuring Apps’ Privacy-Friendliness

41 – Improving transparency in personal data processing

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation has been implemented to protect citizens’ data privacy by, for example, increasing control over their personal data. However, computerized systems and web services are not always effectively designed to give users the control they are legally entitled to in a usable way. In her thesis, Farzaneh Karegar, Ph. D. student in computer science, develops new solutions that enhance transparency and make it easier for users to give better-informed consent to service providers handling personal data. In our conversation Farzaneh lets us know more about the solutions, and why it is important to continue to work to improve the gap between legally-compliant and usable services. Farzaneh Karegar’s licentiate thesis can be retrieved from DiVA: Towards Improving Transparency, Intervenability, and Consent in HCI