Welcome

Hi there, I'm currenty the Head of Systems at the Public Knowledge Project (PKP), a Core Facility at Simon Fraser University that aims to redefine scholarly publishing by improving access to publicly-funded research. To achieve this, PKP provides community-led, free and open source software for academic journals, presses, and pre-print archives and provides support to journals, publishers, and university libraries seeking open access alternatives to traditional subscription-based academic publishing.

The Road Here

I completed my PhD at the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University in 2014. My PhD research examined the production and consumption of new communication technologies with a focus on the promotional activities of manufacturers and tech media publishers and the ways in which users engage with these promotional circuits in online media environments. My PhD research also examined the ways in which these communication flows and cultural practices mediate technology obsolescence and contribute to unsustainable modes of technology production and consumption in light of global environmental risk.

As part of my MA and PhD work I had also researched and written about network neutrality, communication rights in online environments, the political signifigance of open source software, and the political dimensions of technical representation in scholarly communication. Please find a full list of my publications below.

Before returning to grad studies at SFU I had completed a Computer Science degree at the University of Waterloo and had worked on firmware for haptic input devices for users with disabilities as well as systems development projects for PKP. During my time in Vancouver I had the opportunity to contribute to the leadership team at the Vancouver Community Network and run a server for the Ubuntu community.

Publications

Felczak, M. (2014). Consuming Communication: Promotion, Expertise, and Sustainability in an Age of Participatory Media. [Ph.D. Thesis] School of Communication, Simon Fraser University. [Details]

Felczak, M. (2013). Visions of Modernity: Communication, Technology, and Network Neutrality in Historical Perspective, in Stiegler, Z. (ed) Regulating the Web: Network Neutrality and the Fate of the Open Internet. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books. [Details]

Felczak, M., Smith, R., Glass, G. (2011). Communication Rights and Canada’s Government Online: Principles for Policy and Social Diversity, in Moll, M. and Regan Shade, L. (eds.) The Internet Tree: The State of Telecom Policy in Canada 3.0. Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. [Details]

Felczak, M., Smith, R., Glass, G. (2009). Communicating with (Some) Canadians: Communication Rights and Government Online in Canada. Canadian Journal of Communication, 34(3). [Details]

Felczak, M., Smith, R., Lorimer, R. (2008). Online Publishing, Technical Representation, and the Politics of Code: The Case of CJC Online. Canadian Journal of Communication, 33(2). [Details]

Maxwell, J. and Felczak, M. (2008). Success Through Simplicity: On Developmental Writing and Communities of Inquiry, in Cummings, R. E. and Barton, M. (eds.) Wiki Writing: Collaborative Learning in the College Classroom. Ann Arbor, MI: digitalculturebooks. [Details]

Felczak, M., Lorimer, R., Smith, R. (2007). From Production to Publishing at CJC Online: Experiences, Insights, and Considerations for Adoption. First Monday, 12(10). [Details]

Felczak, M. (2005). (Re)Designing the Internet: A Critical Constructivist Analysis of the Next Generation Internet Protocol. [M.A. Thesis] School of Communication, Simon Fraser University. [Details]

Felczak, M. (2003). The Hypercomplex Society. [Book Review] Canadian Journal of Communication, 30(1). [Details]

Presentations and Invited Lectures

"The Public Knowledge Project: Reimagining Scholarly Communication and Improving Public Access to Research." [Invited Lecture] School of Information Studies: The Publishing Business: Transformations and Opportunities. University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario. Sept. 28, 2015.

"Consuming Mobility: Technology Media, Promotion, and the Limits of Expertise." Canadian Communication Association Annual Conference. University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario. June 4, 2015.

"Academic-Led Scholarly Publishing, Technical Representation, and the Public Knowledge Project." [Invited Lecture] School of Information Studies: The Publishing Business: Transformations and Opportunities. University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario. June 3, 2014.

"The Public Knowledge Project: Rethinking Scholarly Communication." [Invited Lecture] Master's of Publishing: Technology and the Evolving Forms of Publishing. Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia. Jan. 26, 2011.

“Questioning ‘Accessibility,’ Conceptualizing Diversity, and Practising Inclusion.” International Public Knowledge Project Scholarly Publishing Conference. Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia. July 9-10, 2009.

“Communicating with (Some) Canadians: Communication Rights and Online Government in Canada.” Canadian Communication Association Annual Conference. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia. June 4-6, 2008. Presented with Smith, R. and Glass, G.

“Library and Archives Canada, Legal Deposit, and Online Scholarly Journal Publishing.” [Invited Lecture] Canadian Association of Learned Journals Annual Conference. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia. June 3-4, 2008.

“Communication Rights, Enclosure, and the Politics of Network Neutrality.” Union for Democratic Communications (UDC) Annual Conference: Enclosure, Emancipatory Communication, and the Global City. Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia. Oct. 25-28, 2007.

“Designing the Future Internet: Commercialization, Control, and Technical Representation.” Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) Annual Conference: Internet Research 8.0. Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia. Oct. 18-20, 2007.

“A Case Study of Online Publishing at CJC Online: Experiences, Insights, and Considerations for Adoption.” International Public Knowledge Project Scholarly Publising Conference. Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia. July 11-13, 2007. Presented with Lorimer, R. and Smith, R.

"The Internet as an Open System: History and Current Tensions. [Invited Lecture] Master's of Publishing: Technology and the Evolving Forms of Publishing. Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia. Mar. 21, 2007.

“Citizenship, Standards, and the Government Online Initiative.” [Invited Lecture] British Columbia Library Association Information Policy Committee. Vancouver Public Library, Vancouver, British Columbia. Mar. 16, 2007. Presented with Smith, R.

“Communication, Commercialization, and Control: A Critical Constructivist Approach to Internet Neutrality.” (Re)Inventing the Internet: Critical Case Studies. Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia. Feb. 23, 2007.

“Agency, Locality, and Representation in Proprietary and Open Source Software: Silences, Voices, and Concretizations.” Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) Annual Conference: Silence, Suffering and Survival. Vancouver, British Columbia. Nov. 1-5, 2006. Presented with Feenberg, A.

“(Re)Designing the Internet: A Critical Constructivist Analysis of the Next Generation Internet Protocol.” Canadian Communication Association Annual Conference. York University, North York, Ontario. June 1-3, 2006.

“Closed Systems and Open Possibilities: The Internet of the Past, Present, and Future.” Canadian Communication Association Annual Conference. Univerisity of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba. June 1-3, 2004.