UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For a moment, Erika Solis was worried about what would happen next, and not in a good way. After what felt like a disastrous interview at the start of the fall semester, the future seemed uncertain for the fourth-year doctoral candidate.
“I had an interview on a Monday. I thought I bombed it and was extremely nervous,” Solis said. “All the 'what next' options were on my mind.”
Solis was wrong, though, because the interviewers were impressed. As a result, they have been working this semester with the Open Technology Institute of the New America Foundation.
Now the future seems uncertain only because of the numerous potential career options or areas of focus ahead.
“It’s really exciting to consider the possibilities,” Solis said.
Solis chose Penn State and initially intended to focus on video games. That morphed into studying children’s privacy online (because there’s almost no way to study video games without eventually studying their impact on children), which prompted an interest in mobile and streaming apps.
This fall Solis has been working with a group on an age verification brief, and on a blog post about the privacy policies of artificial intelligence mental health chatbot mobile applications.
“It’s a change from what I am used to, but it’s allowed me to learn about other types of privacy and apply my skills to researching it further,” Solis said.
The Open Technology Institute was initially interested in Solis’ work with children’s privacy but their curiosity and preparation have provided flexibility and support for wherever their interests go. That’s a compelling match for the institute, which works to promote universal access to communications technologies that are both open and secure, using a multidisciplinary approach that brings together advocates, researchers, organizer and innovators.
Solis’ faculty advisers understand the reasons they have earned that flexibility.
“Erika brings a high level of curiosity and consistently strong preparation to their work. As they’re looking specific areas to make an impact, the overall nature and quality of their approach will mean good things in the future,” said Christopher Ali, the Pioneers Chair in the Department of Telecommunications and Media Industries, housed in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. “It’s a pleasure to have someone like Erika as part of our program, and to be in a position to support and watch what happens next in their career.”
Solis earned bachelor’s degree in advertising and a master’s degree in strategic communication at Rowan University in New Jersey before coming to Penn State, where the collegiality of the research community and doctoral cohort group have provided consistent support. Even with the group of doctoral students hampered by coronavirus limitations and online courses when they arrived in the fall of 2020, the group has stuck together to find success.
“It’s been an important group, and I think we all feel that way,” Solis said. “It’s so helpful to have the resources we have at Penn State and that kind of collegiality as well.”
Solis hopes to build a career around research, either with a Washington, D.C.-based think tank or a nonprofit organization — perhaps specifically in dissecting current statutes and determining how these regulations will impact online communication channels and larger big-data organizations.
“Google Fellowships are extremely competitive, and Erika's successful award is a testament to their research, work, and expertise in the broader field of communication policy,” Ali said.