Andrea (Hein) Guzman
April 3, 2018
Dr. Andrea L. (Hein) Guzman (2017)
Dr. Andrea L. (Hein) Guzman is an Assistant Professor of Communication at Northern Illinois University where her research focuses on people’s interactions with artificial intelligence and the implications of automated journalism. Andrea has been integral in the formalization of human-machine communication research within the communication discipline and is the editor of the forthcoming volume Human-Machine Communication: Rethinking Communication, Technology, and Ourselves. She has published and presented her work in international venues. Andrea has a PhD in Communication from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an M.A. in Communication Studies from NIU. When she isn’t studying AI and robots, Guzman is spending time with her favorite human, her husband Matt.
What year did you graduate and what was your concentration?
I graduated in 2001 with a concentration in Journalism.
What extra-/co-curricular activities did you do?
Worked and produced for student media (now TMN), including the Index and Detours; Member of Alpha Gamma Delta; Truman Ambassador (the people who give tours).
Did you go to grad school? If so, where? Was it immediately after you left Truman or did you wait? Why?
I graduated from Truman with an emphasis in journalism, and soon after, went to work as an editorial assistant for The Herald-News in Joliet, IL, a mid-size suburban Chicago newspaper. I eventually worked my way up to a reporter position, and at the time I left, was the lead city reporter covering Joliet. I even got to cover a few events with then-Senator Barack Obama.
In 2007, I went back to school to earn my MA in Communication Studies at Northern Illinois University for two reasons: First, there was a lot of upheaval due to new technologies in the journalism industry, and I wanted to update my skills. Second, the program at NIU offered the opportunity for M.A. students to teach at the college level – something I had always wanted to try. I loved it. Upon completing my M.A. in 2009, I spent a year as an adjunct instructor at multiple schools weighing my next move. I then decided to go back for my PhD. I earned my PhD in Communication from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2015.
What was your first job after graduation?
When I graduated in 2001, there was a recession, and I did not have a job lined up. So, I spent the first few months at my previous summer job: administrative assistant for a funeral home and ambulance company. But, I got to put my communication skills to work by creating marketing materials for the funeral home. Within a few months I obtained a position with The Herald News in Joliet.
What work do you do/What are you doing now?
I now am an Assistant Professor of Communication at Northern Illinois University. I work in the Journalism area. Because I am at a research university, my time is split between research and teaching.
Dr. Guzman (2017)
My main area of research is human-machine communication. Specifically, I research people’s conceptualizations of and interactions with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies (such as Apple’s Siri) as well as robots. I also study automated journalism, which is the integration of AI into the creation, dissemination, and consumption of news. For example, there now are programs that take in data and create stories that read as-if they were written by a human reporter.
As a scholar, I have presented my research all over the world including Japan, Germany, Estonia, and England. Much of my time has been spent working to establish Human-Machine Communication as its own research area within the discipline. I now am editing a book on human-machine communication that will go to press this year.
As an educator, I teach graduate and undergraduate classes in journalism and courses in technology and media. I try to integrate my research as much as possible into my teaching, and robots have been known to make an appearance in my classes!
How has your Liberal Arts/COMM education helped you?
I am who I am today because of my liberal arts classes – and that is not just a cheesy line to use in promotional materials.
Although, I graduated with a degree in communication, I began my time at Truman as a biology major and then added a math major. I loved both math and science, but I did not see a clear career path for me. I also had been involved in public speaking since I was a teen, and so, I thought I would give communication a try. Long story short, as someone who conducts research at the intersections of science, technology, and communication, I draw on my diverse background all the time.
There are also philosophical and ethical issues surrounding artificial intelligence. I am able to see how all of these elements – the design of the technology, people’s communication with it, and the implications for individuals and society – tie together because of my liberal arts training.
Which class did you dislike at the time you took it, but now you’re grateful you took it?
Well, you are asking me to go back 20 years (wince), so some of the individual classes are a blur for me. I would say that I, like many other students then, did not understand why we had to take so many classes related to the liberal arts core instead of directly related to my major. However, it is the things I learned in these other classes in conjunction with my major that set me apart in my work.
What was your greatest accomplishment at Truman?
Oh, gosh. I don’t know. Honestly, I think it was graduating. I always had good grades, so that was not an issue, but finding the right path for me and sticking to it was difficult.
Why is Truman a good place for a student to study?
As someone who has attended and/or taught at teaching and research institutions of all types, I would say that what sets Truman apart is a liberal arts education focused on people.
When I was there, the liberal arts aspect of Truman was not only in its courses but also in its campus community. I don’t think students necessarily think about this or even realize this, but I think the liberal arts focus is what helps Truman to see students as people. I always felt like a person at Truman, not a number. Teachers cared. Administrators cared. Students cared. That is not an accident. Community is cultivated.
What would you say a COMM student should absolutely do while at Truman?
Make the most of those liberal arts core courses. If you are going to be a journalist, you will be required to write on many different topics in a given week. Pay attention in those history and political science courses especially.
What advice would you give someone who wants to go into the same line of work as you?
Well, I have had many lines of work, and much of my life has been figuring out what I want to do. It’s not that I did not have direction – I always had direction in the particular moment.
My advice for people who aren’t sure what they want to do, as was my case, is to realize that choosing a singular path does not necessarily mean you will follow that path for the rest of your life. Make the most of the path you are on, constantly assess your plan and your path, and don’t ever stop learning.
What do you miss most about campus/Kirksville?
The beautiful architecture and landscaping. I loved the different seasons on campus. It is still the most beautiful campus I’ve ever studied or worked at.
If you could come back to Truman and teach a class for a semester, what would be its title and what would it be about?
Is this an offer? I’ll give you my speaking fee. Ha, ha! 
(but seriously ask me back for a talk, lecture, or a Skype visit.)
How about “Communication in the Age of Artificial Intelligence?” – The class would be about the social, ethical, and cultural implications of the creation of technologies that are designed to function as communicators: Siri, Alexa, robots, automated news-writing programs, etc.