Wendy Robinson (PhD candidate, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, MA, Duke University, BA, New York University) is an instructor in the Department of Religion at Duke University, where she teaches Ethics and the Internet, and coeditor of this issue of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. Her dissertation topic is copyright and appropriation in virtual environments. In addition to Duke, Ms. Robinson has taught courses on new technology, the Internet, and computer skills in the School of Journalism at UNC-CH and Wake Technical Community College, and she is a research associate of the M.I.N.D. Lab in the telecommunications department of Michigan State University. Responsible for the development and maintenance of several World Wide Web sites, her practical experience includes journalism and public relations in New York City and North Carolina, where she currently is the weekend online news editor of the News and Observer in Raleigh.
Address: Department of Religion, Duke University, 118 Gray Building, Box 90964, Durham, NC 27708, USA.Frank Biocca is the Ameritech Professor of Telecommunication and Director of the Media Interface and Network Design (M.I.N.D.) Lab. Dr. Biocca's research explores human-computer interaction in virtual environments. His most recent book, Communication in the Age of Virtual Reality, co-edited with Mark Levy, was selected as a Choice Outstanding Academic Book for 1995. It was the first volume to explore the communication applications and implications of virtual reality. His forthcoming book, Presence of Mind in Virtual Environments, will examine how the sensation of "presence" in virtual environments might assist human intellectual and physical performance. Dr. Biocca has lectured or been a researcher at Stanford University, the University of California-Berkeley, Duke University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and other universities.
Address: M.I.N.D. Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824.