A Recap of IPCE’s October Events: From the perspective of a Graduate Student

IPCE Graduate Research Assistant Jacob recaps our most recent Civic Engagement Lunch Talk and Space to Engage events, from his perspective as a graduate student here at UIC

Have you ever wondered what it would look like if you could see air pollution, if every molecule were visible tothe naked eye? Or have you ever struggled to make sense of politics in an age of endless news outlets, social media platforms, and influencers competing for your attention? Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to attend and support two events at the University of Illinois Chicago’s Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement (IPCE) that explored these very questions. These events offered eye-opening discussions on how we visualize information, understand our environment, and navigate today’s complex political media landscape.

My name is Jacob Zivin, and I recently moved from Austin, Texas to pursue a graduate degree in Urban Planning and Policy at UIC. IPCE has played a major role in making this journey possible through a work-study position that allows me to contribute to the institute’s mission: serving as a catalyst for learning and participatory action through discourse, research and education.

IPCE is deeply interdisciplinary, supporting policy research initiatives, community outreach, and civic education, while also recognizing outstanding faculty through its Civic Engagement Research Awards, which honor researcherswhose work advances civic engagement in meaningful ways. Awardees are invited to participate in IPCE’s Civic Engagement Lunch Talk series, where they have an opportunity to share their research with the public on UIC’s campus.

One of this year’s award recipients, Dr. Tanja Aitamurto, Associate Professor in UIC’s Department ofCommunication, presented her research on Augmented Reality (AR) for Informing and Engaging the Public about Environmental Pollution. During the Civic Engagement Lunch Talk, Dr. Aitamurto and her research assistants demonstrated a virtual tool that enables users to see air pollution in physical form through AR technology on a smartphone.

Using this tool, a person could open their camera, point it toward an area with high pollution, and visualize the otherwise invisible pollutants in real time. Dr. Aitamurto’s team focused their research on a facility in the Pilsenneighborhood, hosting community meetings to test the tool’s usefulness and gather feedback from residents.

To me, this project represents a powerful way to engage communities in environmental challenges. By helping people visualize pollution and better understand air quality, the technology encourages dialogue about environmental policy, public health, and community action. Grassroots change often begins with awareness and discussion and IPCE’ssupport of this kind of civic-focused research underscores how the public can shape policy through informed engagement.

Later in the month, I also helped organize and participated in IPCE’s first Space to Engage session of the academic year, entitled “Social Media and Political Understanding”. I supported the development of discussion themes, researched relevant demographic data, and assisted in executing event marketing. The session itself was lively andthought-provoking; the room filled with students, faculty, staff, and even former journalists. Everyone engaged in respectful and meaningful dialogue.

The discussion drew on findings from a Pew Research Center study titled “1 in 5 Americans now regularly get news on TikTok, up sharply from 2020.” Using this visual poll, participants explored how news consumption habits haveshifted, moving toward platforms like Tiktok, X, YouTube, and podcasts as a primary news source.

Key takeaways included the growing influence of algorithms on political polarization, the ongoing need for trustworthy journalism, and the complex role social media plays in shaping public understanding of global events. Participants also discussed how the immediacy of firsthand footage on social platforms has made issues such as war and humanitarian crises more visible and more personal than ever before.

These conversations reminded me why civic engagement matters. Through both events, I gained a deeper understanding of how dialogue, research, and community involvement intersect to strengthen democracy. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to support IPCE’s work through my research assistantship. Civic engagement is, at its core, about how we participate in democracy, striving together for a more equitable and sustainable future for our communities, our nation, and our world.