December 5, 2025

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

UMW Humanities Symposium Showcases Undergraduate Research on Eye-Tracking, Phonology, AI

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From left: Alanah Cleare ’25, who earned a degree in marketing from UMW in May; junior Owen Wheeler; and senior Chloe Adler review recently captured footage for a project aimed at assessing the usefulness of AI in filmmaking. The trio conducted research under the guidance of Assistant Professor of Communication and Digital Studies J.D. Swerzenski. They were among four groups that participated in this year’s Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Institute. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

From left: Alanah Cleare ’25, junior Owen Wheeler; and senior Chloe Adler review recently captured footage for a project in this year’s Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Institute(AHSSSI). Photo by Karen Pearlman.

The mini-movie she made with her teammates shows Alanah Cleare falling asleep while studying in the University of Mary Washington’s Hurley Convergence Center. In the AI-assisted dream sequence that follows, she awakens on Campus Walk surrounded by fantastical fruit – talking pineapples and combustible berries that swirl up to the sky and explode in a rainbow.

The ethereal composition was created by UMW junior Owen Wheeler and senior Chloe Adler, along with Cleare, who graduated from UMW in May but returned this summer to take part in a faculty-guided research opportunity. The group was led by Assistant Professor of Communication and Digital Studies J.D. Swerzenski.

Their two-minute Berry Blasters movie was part of a project called “Cameraman vs. Machine,” designed to assess the value of artificial intelligence for student filmmakers. It was one of four presentations delivered last month at Mary Washington’s Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Summer Institute (AHSSSI) Symposium. The fourth annual event – which also explored AI’s potential in creative writing, the role of eye movements in memory, and the evolution of phonological features – was the culmination of five weeks of scholarly summertime work.

“When we’d run into issues, Dr. Fallon would remind us that we were undergraduate students doing graduate-level research,” senior Michael Boehmcke told symposium spectators who gathered inside Combs Hall to hear the groups’ trials and tribulations, along with their triumphs. Read more.

UMW Faculty Share Knowledge and Insight on ‘With Good Reason’ Radio Program

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Mary Washington faculty share expertise on ‘With Good Reason,’ a national radio program that inspires thought, discovery and action through public engagement and dialogue on topics that shape our world.

Mary Washington faculty share expertise on ‘With Good Reason,’ a national radio program that inspires thought, discovery and action through public engagement and dialogue on topics that shape our world.

Imposter syndrome, photoshopping, the complexities of foreign alliances, political humor, the magic of Disney World and shared musical experiences – these are just a few of the topics on which University of Mary Washington professors have contributed their expertise over the radio airwaves this past year.

UMW is proud to announce the continued success of its collaboration with Virginia Humanities’ With Good Reason radio program, which brings the research and insights of Virginia’s top educators to audiences across the nation. Each week, over 100,000 listeners tune in to 128 radio stations throughout Virginia, Washington, D.C., and 38 states to hear thought-provoking discussions with leading academics. Thousands more listen to the episodes through iTunes podcasts.

The partnership between UMW and Virginia Humanities helps showcase valuable work in Virginia’s higher education system. Since last summer, a dozen Mary Washington faculty members were featured on With Good Reason, either as new guests or in re-aired episodes that continue to draw audiences. Read more.

Swerzenski Shares Photoshop Expertise on ‘With Good Reason’

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Assistant Professor of Communication and Digital Studies James Swerzenski

Assistant Professor of Communications and Digital Studies JD Swerzenski spoke to With Good Reason radio for an episode titled “Seeing Isn’t Believing.” Photoshop recently unveiled a new function that integrates generative AI, a cutting-edge technology that can produce images from text. JD Swerzenski says we’ve reached a point where photo manipulation has never been so easy. Listen to the show.

Swerzenski Comments on Image Manipulation in ‘Elle’

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Assistant Professor of Communication and Digital Studies James Swerzenski

Assistant Professor of Communication and Digital Studies James Swerzenski

Assistant Professor of Communication and Digital Studies James Swerzenski spoke to Elle magazine for an article titled “When Did Everyone’s Skin Get So Damn Smooth?” Swerzenski said that while the early 2000s were instrumental in shaping how we perceive our skin—largely because of the rise of technology like Photoshop, which was used by photographers to perfect the images people saw in mass media—it’s important to recognize such phenomena in context. “I think often these conversations can get an ‘okay, Boomer’ tone,” he said. “There are so many incidents throughout history of people in dark rooms, messing with photos and changing and altering them.” Read more.