Poster for "So Close and Yet So Far" talk by Professor Aimee Miller-Ott that will be April 14 at 7 p.m. at the Alumni Center.

Poster for “So Close and Yet So Far” talk by Professor Aimee Miller-Ott that will be April 14 at 7 p.m. at the Alumni Center.

Professor Aimee Miller-Ott will present “So Close, Yet so Far: Staying connected when your cell phone pulls you away,” at 7 p.m. Monday, April 16, Room 118 at the ISU Alumni Center, 1101 N. Main St., Normal, Illinois. Her talk, which is free and open to the public, is the latest in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Main Street College series.

“We created Main Street College several years ago because we want to share with the general public the interesting research being done at ISU and how it relates directly to the day-to-day lives of people outside the University,” said Greg Simpson, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “In this case, I hope everyone will feel welcome to join us and learn more about the impact that our preoccupation with our cell phones might be having on the way we interact with the people closest to us.”

headshot of Aimee Miller-Ott with book-filled shelves in the background

Aimee Miller-Ott

Miller-Ott is a noted scholar of the impacts of technology on personal relationships. Her work is particularly relevant to communication in parent-child relationships, friendships, and romantic relationships. The recipient of a 2017-2018 Outstanding College Teacher Award, Miller-Ott holds a doctorate in communication from the University of Nebraska—Lincoln. She is a faculty member in the Illinois State University School of Communication.