Joelle Renstrom
Senior Lecturer, Rhetoric
Research Interests
The intersection of science fiction and science/technology; cognitive, cultural, and social effects of technology; ethics; space exploration; evolution; transhumanism; robots and artificial intelligence; quantum mechanics & computing; sustainability; urban forestry;
Teaching Interests
Communication; rhetoric; writing; science fiction; technology; artificial intelligence; space exploration; environmental equality; urban tree canopies; urban forestry/gardening; quantum fiction
Selected Publications
Book
Closing the Book: Travels in Life, Loss, and Literature (Pelekinesis, 2015)
Articles
Joelle Renstrom is a science/tech writer who contributes frequently to publications such as Daily Beast, Slate, Aeon, The Guardian, Wired, WaPo, Boston Globe, New Scientist, CNN, and others. She’s a writer and editor for Panorama: The Journal of Travel, Place, and Nature, and she edited the “American Science Fiction” special issue of Literature (MDPI).
Other Professional Activity and/or Awards
Joelle is interviewed regularly by the media to talk about smartphones in school. In 2024, she was on CBS/WBZ, WFEA Morning Update, and Talk Out Of School podcast.
Master Urban Gardener certification (2024)
BU faculty Pitch Clinic (2021-2023)
TED talk (Science Fiction as a Looking Glass: Teaching Students to Save the World, TEDxWaltham 2017)