Fellows Selected for Third PhDigital Bootcamp Cohort

February 17, 2020

cindytech

This May, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication will welcome 20 doctoral students and early career faculty to the third PhDigital Bootcamp. The following fellows have been selected -- out of 67 applications -- for the program:Iuliia Alieva, doctoral student University of MissouriNoah Buntain, doctoral student Syracuse UniversityLourdes Cueva Chacon, doctoral student University of Texas at AustinDanielle Deavours, doctoral student University of AlabamaImran Hasnat, doctoral student University of OklahomaKuo-Ting (Tim) Huang, assistant professor at Ball State University; doctoral degree Michigan State UniversityIka Idris, lecturer at Universitas Paramadina, Jakarta, Indonesia; doctoral degree Ohio UniversityDaud Isa, lecturer at Boise State University; doctoral degree University of GeorgiaJustin Kavlie, doctoral student University of North Carolina at Chapel HillDevin Knighton, assistant professor at Brigham Young University; doctoral degree Purdue UniversityMadeleine Liseblad, assistant professor at Middle Tennessee State University; doctoral degree Arizona State UniversityBingjie Liu, doctoral student Penn State UniversityAlexandra Merceron, doctoral student University of Connecticut; lecturer at Columbia UniversityJuan Mundel, assistant professor at DePaul University, doctoral degree Michigan State UniversityBeth Potter, doctoral student University of Colorado BoulderMartina Santia, doctoral student Louisiana State UniversityRosalynn Vasquez, doctoral student Texas Tech UniversityDenetra Walker, doctoral student University of South CarolinaAmanda Weed, assistant professor at Kennesaw State University; doctoral degree Ohio University Yu-Lun Wu, doctoral student The Ohio State UniversityThe PhDigital Bootcamp prepares mass communication faculty to lead curriculum innovation in a digital product context. The program is an online/in-person hybrid, with the in-person workshop scheduled May 13-19 in the Media Innovation Lab (MILab) on the Texas State University campus in San Marcos. The participants have already begun interacting on the workshop's Slack team and will begin online modules the week of March 2.Thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, these 20 scholar-educators will receive training, transportation, lodging, materials and meals for the in-person workshop in May. The Knight Foundation has provided support for the program since 2018 totaling $225,000.Led by Dr. Cindy Royal, director of the MILab and a digital innovator with experience in curriculum redesign, the workshop will help participants develop strategies for staying up-to-date and sharing knowledge with students and faculty.“We are thrilled by the ongoing demand for this program and the support of Knight Foundation,” Royal said. “This definitely demonstrates the need to more aggressively integrate digital product concepts into doctoral education, as evidenced by trends in the media professions for which we are preparing students. Congratulations to the new cohort! We're excited to begin working with them.”The program has recruited faculty and advisers from the SJMC and members of the media community who are leaders in virtual reality and 360 video, drones, data, social media, coding, multimedia storytelling and media innovation. More information, including online module materials, is available at phdigitalbootcamp.com.About the John S. and James L. Knight FoundationThe John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. For more, visit knightfoundation.org.About the Media Innovation LabThe School of Journalism and Mass Communication opened the Media Innovation Lab (MILab) in Fall 2016. The MILab provides Texas State University with a central point for a broad range of digital media activities – scholarship, curriculum, courses, faculty development, community networking and events. Users are able to experiment with 360 video, drones, sensors and other emerging technologies and receive training in a range of web development and social media techniques. MILab faculty are committed to continuous learning and staying on the cutting edge of the intersection of technology and communication. About the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The School of Journalism and Mass Communication, housed in historic Old Main, offers a nationally accredited curriculum that introduces graduate and undergraduate students to the broad framework of mass communication, emphasizing what is fundamental to advertising, journalism, public relations, electronic media and the newest degree in digital media innovation. The mission of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication is to pursue excellence. Our programs strive to cultivate strong professional, research, theoretical, critical and ethical skills in a diverse and engaging environment that prepares students to be socially responsible media professionals, scholars and citizens.