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Sat, Apr 25 2015 21:51:34

Student innovation showcase

  1. The Student Innovation Showcase kicked off with eight presentations, where students presented original uses for all types of digital platforms and research on recent digital tools.
  2. Cody Elmore and Mike Stark from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln got the crowd laughing before showing off their originally produced website for traditional print news distributors. Elmore and Stark were invested in convincing print news organizations to expand to the digital realm. They latched on to the comment by head of NPR news apps, Brian Boyer, “if it doesn’t work on mobile, it doesn’t work”. Thus Ourchive.biz was born.
  4. Ourchive was created so Nebraska-based news organizations could simply make user profiles to create a story.
  6. It’s an easy to use interface that’s free. It’s even possible to publish ads on the site.
  7. Engaging the community was one of the cornerstones for the showcase. Patty Bobek, Kelsey McCutcheon Fitzgerald and Christine Seiber from the University of Nevada-Reno went beyond the computer for a face-to-face connection.
  9. The participatory journalism course is all about brainstorming different ways to use journalism to engage the community. This particular class used their innovation process to create “The Biggest LittleStartup Fair.” The group identified that despite Reno having an infamous gambling scene, the city had a lot of other interesting aspects, one of which being the Reno Startup Row.
  11. The event that took place May 9, 2014 was designed to build connections and inform all types of stakeholders about the burgeoning startup scene, what was available and what there was a need for. The students facilitated the transfer of information in the most interactive way possible – human connection.
  13. While all the groups approached the idea of interactive media differently, they all addressed the factor of scale. Both Ourchive and“The Biggest Little Startup Fair” settled on scaling back.
  15. Elmore pointed out as they approached clients about using the website, they didn’t want to call people in neighboring states with a sales pitch. They were interested in more sincere and organic connections from face-to-face conversations. Bobek, Fitzgerald and Seiber made the event it anannual occasion in order to give following classes their own opportunity forcreation.
  17. There was a broad consensus among the groups that scaling back not only helped the execution of their product but also helped to fosterthe type of engagement they were looking for.
  18. To take a look at some reactions of the other projects that presented, check out some of the tweets below.
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