Isaac Record
February 2025
Affiliation: Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University
Contact: irecord@msu.edu, +1 (517) 402-2540, www.isaacrecord.net
Philosophy of Science, Epistemology, Philosophy of Technology, Science and Technology Studies, History of Science
2015-present Michigan State University, Lyman Briggs College
Academic Specialist – Teaching, With Continuing Status, 2020-present
Director, Experiential Learning, Spring 2019 - Summer 2021
Oversaw $330,000/year personnel budget, hired and trained 100+ undergraduate learning assistants per semester, awarded $20,000 in undergraduate research grants, organized annual Briggs Symposium.
Academic Specialist – Teaching, 2015-2020
2012-2015 University of Toronto, Faculty of Information,
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Coordinator—Semaphore Research, University of Toronto, 2012-2015
Administered $150,000 equipment procurement budget. Organized DIY Prosthetics Workshop, Electronics 101 Workshop, Building a Better Ball for Blind Tennis Workshop, Collaborative Hardware Design Workshop
2005-2006 University of Maine
Honors Associate
Provided program support for College of 700 students, served as student mentor for Honors Thesis cohort, webmaster, Editor of annual magazine Minerva, organized TIAA-CREF Distinguished Honors Graduate Lecture
2003-2004 AmeriCorps VISTA, Maine Campus Compact, University of Maine at Augusta
Service-Learning Coordinator
Managed relations with service partners, matched students with opportunities, coached instructors on best practices for incorporating service-learning into classes
2004-2012 Institute for History & Philosophy of Science & Technology, University of Toronto
PhD. 2012; MA 2005
University of Toronto Fellowship, 2004-2010
AmeriCorps*VISTA Education Award, 2011
Doctoral Completion Award, 2011-2012
Dissertation: “Knowing Instruments: Design, Reliability, and Scientific Practice” Supervisor: Anjan Chakravartty
1998-2003 University of Maine
BS, Electrical Engineering, 2003
BS, Computer Engineering, 2003
2024 Visiting Fellow, SOCRATES: Social Credibility and Trustworthiness of Expert Knowledge and Science-Based Information
2024 MSU IT AT&T Excellence in Teaching with Technology Award
2023 Ann Johnson Institute for Science and Technology Studies Book Manuscript Workshop, with Boaz Miller
2022 Visiting Fellow, Center for Advanced Internet Studies, with Boaz Miller
2018 University of Maine TIAA Distinguished Honors Graduate Lecture, "Life, The University, and Everything"
1. Boaz Miller and Isaac Record. What We Know Online: An Epistemology for a Digital Age. (Equal co-authors. Revise and resubmit.)
7. Isaac Record and Boaz Miller. 2022. People, Platforms, and Posts: Reducing the spread of online toxicity by contextualizing content and setting norms. Asian Journal of Philosophy 1, 41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44204-022-00042-2. (Equal co-authors.)
6. Aubrey Wigner, Megan Halpern, and Isaac Record. 2018. Future Design Studio–Building a Growth Mindset and a Path to Persistence Through Improvisation and Design Fiction. First Year Engineering Education Conference, ASEE, Glassboro, NJ. (Provided editorial support and contributed to research products.)
5. Isaac Record and Boaz Miller. 2017. Responsible Epistemic Technologies. New Media and Society. 19(12): 1945–1963. (Equal co-authors.)
4. Hannah Turner, Gabby Resch, Daniel Southwick, Rhonda McEwen, Adam K. Dubé and Isaac Record. 2017. Using 3D Printing to Enhance Understanding and Engagement with Young Audiences: Lessons from Workshops in a Museum. Curator: The Museum Journal 60(3): 311–333. (Provided editorial support and contributed to research products.)
3. Isaac Record, Daniel Southwick, ginger coons, and Matt Ratto. 2015. Regulating the Liberator: Prospects for the Regulation of 3D Printing. Journal of Peer Production 6: 1-12. (Lead author. Ratto was PI, Southwick and coons contributed to writing and supporting research.)
2. Boaz Miller and Isaac Record. 2013. Justified Belief in a Digital Age: On the Epistemic Implications of Secret Internet Technologies. Episteme 10(2): 117-134. (Equal co-author.)
1. Isaac Record. 2013. Technology and Epistemic Possibility. Journal for the General Philosophy of Science 44: 319-336. (Sole author.)
2. Isaac Record, Matt Ratto, ginger coons, and Max Julien. 2014. Blind Tennis: Extreme Users and Participatory Design. PDC '14 Proceedings of the 13th Participatory Design Conference: Short Papers, Industry Cases, Workshop Descriptions, Doctoral Consortium papers, and Keynote abstracts 2: 41-44. (Co-author with Ratto. coons contributed to writing and Julien contributed programming products. In the field of design, refereed conference proceedings are the gold standard.)
1. Isaac Record, Matt Ratto, Amy Ratelle, Adriana Ieraci, and Nina Czegledy. 2013. DIY Prosthetics Workshops: ‘Critical making’ for public understanding of human augmentation. Technology and Society (ISTAS), IEEE International Symposium (2013): 117-125. (Lead author. Ratto was PI, Ieraci and Czegledy organized workshops and selected some of the prompts included in paper. In the field of design, refereed conference proceedings are the gold standard.)
6. Isaac Record and Boaz Miller. 2018. Taking iPhone Seriously: Epistemic Technologies and the Extended Mind. In Duncan Pritchard, Andy Clark, Jesper Kallestrup, Orestis Palermos & J. Adam Carter (eds.), Extended Knowledge, 105-126. Oxford University Press. (Equal co-authors.)
5. Resch, Gabby, Dan Southwick, Isaac Record, and Matt Ratto. 2017. Thinking as Handwork: Critical Making with Humanistic Concerns. In Jentery Sayers (ed.), Making Humanities Matter. University of Minnesota Press, 149-161. (Resch is lead author. Record contributed to writing, research, and provided editorial guidance.)
4. Isaac Record. 2010. Scientific Instruments: Knowledge, Practice, and Culture (Editor’s Introduction). Spontaneous Generations: A Journal for the History and Philosophy of Science 4(1) 1-7. (Sole author and editor of special issue.)
3. Isaac Record. 2009. Review of Daniel Rothbart. Philosophical Instruments: Minds and Tools at Work. Spontaneous Generations: A Journal for the History and Philosophy of Science 3(1) 233-235. (Sole author.)
2. Isaac Record. 2008. Frankenstein in Lilliput: Science at the Nanoscale (Editor’s Introduction). Spontaneous Generations: A Journal for the History and Philosophy of Science 2(1) 22-24. (Sole author.)
1. Isaac Record and Andrew Munro. 2008. Review of Paul E. Ceruzzi. Internet Alley: High Technology in Tysons Corner, 1945-2005. Spontaneous Generations: A Journal for the History and Philosophy of Science 2(1) 251-253. (Equal co-author.)
1. “‘I made this’: Children’s participatory learning with 3D Printing” Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Insight Development Grant (Co-Applicant) ($75,000, 1st place) 2014-2015
7. Lyman Briggs College Associate Deans Innovative Project funding ($8500) 2023
6. “Assessing a Critical Making Pedagogy” Scholarship of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning (SUTL) (mentor) ($3000) 2023
5. “Developing a Two Cultures Curriculum” Scholarship of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning (SUTL) (mentor) ($3000) 2018
4. “The Development of a Mobile Application to Accurately Assess Individual Social Media Use” Science + Society @ State (Co-Applicant) ($10,000) 2017
3. “Vital Signs: Bridging & Democratizing Physics” Science + Society @ State (Co-Applicant) ($10,000) 2016
2. “Future Design Studio” Science + Society @ State (Co-Applicant) ($10,000) 2016
1. “Humanistic Studies of Science and Technology” Jackman Humanities Institute Working Group ($3000) 2014
6. “What’s in the Box?” A Hands-On Investigation of Scientific Practice. MSU Science Festival. 2023, 2024, 2025.
5. “The Good Place” Community Ethics Discussion. MSU Ethics Week. (With Anastasia Lesage.) 2025
4. Is AI Helping or Hurting Your College Education? LBC Speaker Series. (With Prudence Djagba.) 2025.
3. Synthetic media. Social Epistemology and the Internet Workshop. Berlin, Germany. 2023.
2. Critical Making to Solve Wicked Problems. TEDxMSU. East Lansing, USA. 2023.
1. The Effortless Creation of Fake Worlds: synthetic media and the biasing of imagination. Ethics of Big Data and AI. East Lansing, USA. 2022.
37. Designing Social Media Technology for Responsible Sharing. Part of Mitigating the Spread of Misinformation on Social Media: Philosophical and Empirical Perspectives. Society for Philosophy of Technology cognate panel at Philosophy of Science Association, New Orleans, USA. 2024.
36. Knowing When to Stop Looking. Canadian Philosophical Association. Montreal, Canada. (Co-presenter.) 2024.
35. Teaching the Anthropocene: An interdisciplinary pedagogy session exploring how we teach towards the future (session).
Preparing tomorrow’s problem-solvers: Critical Making as a teachable model for responding to wicked problems (presentation). Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science. Montreal, Canada. (Organizer.) 2024.
34. Preparing tomorrow’s problem-solvers: Critical Making as a teachable model for responding to wicked problems. Spring Conference on Teaching and Learning. East Lansing, USA. 2024.
33. Critical Making and Service Learning. Society for the Social Studies of Science (4S). Honolulu, USA. 2023. 32. Crisis of Knowledge on the Internet, or Lacuna in Epistemology? Knowledge in Crisis Symposium, Milan, Italy. 2023.
31. Creative classrooms: drawing, journaling, and making in science and society courses (session). Critical Making and Wicked Problems in the Classroom (presentation). Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science. Toronto, Canada. (Organizer.) 2023.
30. Teaching Critical Making to Solve Wicked Problems. Spring Conference on Teaching and Learning. East Lansing, USA. 2023. 29. Deepfakes and the Effortless Making of Fictional Worlds. Society for the Social Studies of Science (4S), Toronto, Canada. (Co-presenter.) 2021.
28. Teaching HPS Through Experiences. Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science, Toronto, Canada. (Organizer.) 2021.
27. (Accepted) The Norm of Posting and Spread of Epistemically Toxic Content Online. Information Ethics Roundtable, Boston, USA. (Cancelled.) 2020.
26. Teaching HPS Roundtable. History of Science Society, Seattle, USA. (Organizer.) 2018.
25. Opening the Black Box of Learning. Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science, Regina, Canada. (Organizer, Teaching HPS panel.) 2018.
24. Vital Signs: Bridging and Democratizing Physics. Forum on Philosophy, Engineering, and Technology, College Park, USA. 2018.
23. Knowledge from Instruments. Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science, Calgary, Canada. 2016.
22. Philosopher as experimenter: Reflections on a multidisciplinary study of children’s participatory learning with 3D printing. Consortium for Socially Relevant Philosophy of/in Science and Engineering. Dallas, USA. 2016.
21. Web Responsibility in a Transhuman Age Analyzed through the Prism of Technological Possibility. 2nd Glocal Symposium on Posthuman Futures. New York, USA. 2016.
20. How Simulations Become Evidence, Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science, Ottawa, Canada. (Organizer: Reasoning about Evidence Panel.) 2015.
19. Blind Tennis: Extreme Users and Participatory Design, Consortium for Socially Relevant Philosophy of/in Science and Engineering, Detroit, USA. 2015.
18. 3D Printed Guns and the Prospects for Government Regulation of Emerging Technologies, Consortium for Socially Relevant Philosophy of/in Science and Engineering, Waterloo, Canada. 2014.
17. Remaking the Past: History in 3D. Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science, St. Catherines, Canada. (Panel Organizer.) 2014.
16. Autocomplete: Providing Epistemically Responsible Information on the Internet. 6th Workshop on Philosophy of Information, Durham, USA. 2014.
15. Who is a Suitably Prepared Model User? Models and Simulations 6, South Bend, USA. 2014.
14. How Simulations Became Evidence. International Congress for the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine, Manchester, England. 2013.
13. Who is a Suitably Prepared Model User? Society for Philosophy and Technology, Lisbon, Portugal. 2013.
12. Who is a Suitably Prepared Model User? Society for the Philosophy of Science in Practice, Toronto, Canada. 2013.
11. DIY Prosthetics Workshops: Critical Making. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers International Symposium on Technology and Society, Toronto, Canada. 2013.
10. Who is a Suitably Prepared Model User? Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science, Waterloo, Canada. 2012.
9. Just Google It: Algorithms and Knowledge on the Internet. Canadian Communication Association, Waterloo, Canada. 2012.
8. Technological Possibility as a Condition for Epistemic Possibility. Society for the Philosophy of Science in Practice, Exeter, England. 2011.
7. Technological Possibility. Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science, Fredericton, Canada. 2011.
6. Getting a Foot in the Door: Accepting Random Numbers in Simulations. Models and Simulations 4, Toronto, Canada. 2010.
5. Thoughts about Things: What Instruments Can Do For Philosophy. HAPSAT Graduate Conference, Toronto, Canada. 2010.
4. Marks of History: Trusting Instruments. Society for the History of Technology, Pittsburgh, USA. 2009.
3. The Role of Technological Advance in the History of Scientific Practice. History of Science Society, Pittsburgh, USA. 2008.
2. Rhetoric or Ontology? Embodied Knowledge and the Instrument Makers. HAPSAT Graduate Conference, Toronto, Canada. 2008.
1. Instruments of Explanation. Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Science, Vancouver, Canada. 2008.
5. Critical Making to Solve Wicked Problems: Changes in Student Knowledge and Attitudes about Problem Solving in a Philosophy of Science Classroom. Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice, Columbia, USA (co-author; accepted) 2024.
4. Critical Making to Solve Wicked Problems: A way to organize team-based inquiry to gain insight into student thinking. Philosophy of Science Association, Pittsburgh, USA. 2022.
3. Scaffolded Competency-based Assessment of Research Essays. 2019 Spring Conference on Student Learning and Success, East Lansing, USA. 2019.
2. Opening the Black Box Exercise. Philosophy of Science Association, Atlanta, USA. 2016. 1. Remaking the Past: History in 3D. History of Science Society, Chicago, USA. 2014.
Scholarship of Undergraduate Teaching and Learning mentor for: Burcu Tatar-Ozkum (2023-2024), Stephen Vrla (2018-2019)
Undergraduate research mentor for: Sheena Khan (US 2023), Marieke Anderson (SS 2023), Hannah Nassar (SS 2023), Jacob Namovich (SS 2021), Logan Patterson (US 2021), McKain Williams (SS 2019)
Field experience supervisor for: Brandon Page (SS 2021)
Faculty Mentor—LBC Inc. Student group, 2024-present; Maker Club, 2022-present; Parkinson's Support Network Association, 2024-present; Lyman Briggs Maker Student Club, 2015-2018; Spartans2Students Student Club, 2015-2018; MSU HUB Student Advisory Board, 2015-2016
Medicine and Health (humanties; 2025) planned
Senior Seminar. Topics:
Science, Society, and the Self (2021, 2024, 2025)
Spaces for Learning (2022)
Vital Signs: Race and Medical technologies (co-taught with Vashti Sawtelle; 2021)
Robots, AI, and Cyborgs (co-taught with Sharon Degraw; 2019)
Humane Computing (2018)
Technologies of the Self (2016, 2017)
Wellness and Wearables (2015)
Introduction to Science and Society (2023, 2024)
Previous: Introduction to History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
Advances in Science and Technology (social sciences; 2018, 2020, 2024)
Advances in Science and Technology (humanities; 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024)
Critical Making to Solve Wicked Problems (undergraduate research seminar; 2021-2022Y, 2022-2023Y)
Maintaining Nature: Cultivating Industry, Natural Resources, and Tourism on the Maine Coast (Education Away, Maine; co-taught with Eleanor Louson; 2022)
Capstone, Science, Technology, Environment, Public Policy minor (2017, 2021, 2023)
Introduction to Bioethics (2020, 2022)
Paris in Motion (Education Abroad, Paris; co-taught with Richard Parks; 2018)
Technology and Culture (2015, 2016, 2017)
Natural Environment (2016)
Materiality (Graduate Directed Reading, University of Toronto; 2013)
History of Science (University of Toronto; 2010, 2011)
Introduction to the Honors Thesis Experience (University of Maine; 2006)
First Year Experience (University of Maine; 2006)
* Unless otherwise indicated, courses taught at Michigan State University
Founding Director, Collaborative Experiential Learning Laboratory, 2018-Present
Controlled initial $43,000 equipment procurement budget and $700 annual supply budget; supervised student assistant
Leadership Fellow, Lyman Briggs College, Spring Semester 2025
Support, communicate, and amplify LBC research. Support faculty grants, travel funding. Oversee LBC Research Showcase, Student research awards.
Convener, Science and Society disciplinary group, 2024-present
Liaison to dean, sets meetings as needed.
Member, AT&T Teaching with Technology Award Selection Committee, 2024
Chair, Annual Review Committee, 2024 (member 2022-2024)
Chair, Lyman Briggs Committee for Inclusivity (LBC Inc.), 2024 (member 2023–2026)
Member, Science and Society Summer 2XX Course Development Committee, 2024
Drafted learning objectives, structure, and syllabus for new 200-level Science and Society course focusing on disciplinary and interdisciplinary practice
Mentor, Lyman Briggs First Year Experience Summer Curriculum Committee, 2024
Drafted proposal for new FYE course for 600+ FY students.
Member, University Committee on the Libraries, 2023–2026
Convener, Lyman Briggs Summer Committee on Bylaws Re-envisioning, 2023
Worked to develop intentions, recommended actions and rationales to align college bylaws and policies with mission and vision
Member, Science and Society Summer Curriculum Committee, 2023
worked on subgroups for reforming 133 and shared learning objectives
Member, Chemistry Search Committee, 2022-2023
Member, Biology Search Committee, 2021-2022
Host Campus Committee, Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice, 2018-2020 (conference cancelled)
Member, Educational Policy Committee, 2018-2021 (Chair, 2020/21)
Interim Member, LBC Awards Committee, 2016
Member, Biology Search Committee, 2016
Co-founder and Advisor—Spontaneous Generations: A Journal for the History and Philosophy of Science, 2006-2014
Volunteer—University of Toronto Scientific Instrument Collection, display of Electron Microscope, interview for “Canadian Made” on History Television, 2006-2016
Website and Listserv Manager, Archival Committee—Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science, 2012-2016
Member—Joint Caucus for the Socially Engaged Philosophy and History of Science, 2012-present
Organizer—Annual HAPSAT Conference, University of Toronto, 2007-2010
Student Member—Search Committee, IHPST Director, 2008
President—History and Philosophy of Science and Technology Graduate Student Association, 2007-2009
Web designer & IT specialist—IHPST, www.hps.utoronto.ca, 2006-2014; Toronto Health History Partnership, torontohealthhistory.ca, 2011-2016
Editorial Assistant—Annals of Science, 2007-2009
Referee—Asian Journal of Philosophy, Canadian Philosophical Association, Episteme, Erkenntnis, International Studies in Philosophy of Science, New Media and Society, Philosophy of Technology, Principia, Social Studies of Science, Spontaneous Generations: A Journal for the History and Philosophy of Science, Synthese, Topoi
American Association of Philosophy Teachers, American Philosophical Association, Canadian Communications Association, Canadian Philosophical Association, Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science, Consortium for Socially Relevant Philosophy of/in Science and Engineering, History of Science Society, Philosophy of Science Association, Society for History of Technology, Society for Philosophy and Technology, Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice