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Three Broadcasting Undergraduates Join In ESPN-U Coverage of Temple vs. Charlotte
 A “documentary” on Temple mascot "Hooter the Owl" produced by Dana Spera, a senior majoring in Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Mass Media (BTMM), was shown on ESPN-U during halftime on Jan. 24 during the Temple Men’s Basketball game against Charlotte. To view the video, click here.
Spera plans to pursue a career in sports broadcasting. She’s involved in Temple Sports Update and Owl Sports Update, which is viewed online on the athletic web site, www.OwlSports.com. She also is a member of Delta Zeta sorority, in which she has been fundraising chair, vice president of programs and of Greek Week. ESPN-U's coverage of the January 24 game against Charlotte also featured the involvement of student Andrea Karabetsos and upcoming graduate Timothy Parker.
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Karabetsos, a senior from Phoenix, Ariz. majoring in communications, will report for the “Extra Credit” segment featuring information about Temple’s history and athletics program. She is currently a writer, producer and anchor for Owl Sports Update. She also has been the entertainment anchor for Temple Update, the student-run news program. During the summer, she reported for an ESPN-affiliated pilot, The Road to NASCAR, showcasing go-karting and the World Karting Association. She was a summer intern for WHYY-TV, where she wrote and recorded a commentary for the nationally-aired program, A Chef's Table. During an internship at Fox29-TV, she assisted reporters and producers for the evening news show.Parker, who also hopes to pursue a career in sports broadcasting, will be the sideline reporter focusing on stories about Philadelphia. He will graduate in February with a major in broadcast journalism and a minor in political science. Parker is a production assistant at NBC-10 in Philadelphia, where he is also a contributor to the station’s sports page. He previously was an intern in the station’s sports department and at WIP sports radio. Parker has been a commentator, reporter and photographer for program Owl Access; a sports anchor, reporter and producer for Temple Update and an anchor, reporter and photographer for Owl Sports Update. He has been the co-host of a weekly college sports talk show on WHIP, the student-run radio station. He also is an active member of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith.
Earlier this year, BTMM senior Anthony Stipa participated in ESPN-U's coverage of the Temple/UConn Football Game, providing commentary on the intense inter-university rivalry.
Theater Student Blogs For Backstage Magazine
Theater student R. J. Magee recently wrote an article about the Temple Theaters' Musical Theater concentration program for Backstage magazine and will be blogging about his college experience for the remainder of the Spring semester. Read more.
Temple University Japan Communications Students Awarded CARAS Grants
Two students studying communications at Temple University Japan have been awarded CARAS (Creative Arts, Research and Scholarship) Program Awards through the office of the Senior Vice Provost of Undergraduate Studies. Lindee J. Hoshikawa will use her award for her Global Lives Project, Syria Chapter while Marco Luethy is using his for a Virtual Platform for Experimentation with Electronic Music Distribution project. Each proposal had to have the support of two faculty members including the project mentor and be endorsed by the sponsoring School's Dean. The awards totaled $5,750.
SCT Students Take Advantage of an Arts Mini-Campus in the Northeastern Corner of Main Campus
With the arrival of the Tyler School of Art from the suburbs this spring, Temple's Main Campus in Philadelphia — long known for its performing arts programs — has become one of the most vibrant and diverse arts centers in the nation. Students are already taking advantage of opportunities for artistic and professional growth. SCT junior Gregory Andrew Powell, who is majoring in theater with an emphasis in design, is taking "Silkscreen on Fabric I," a Tyler fibers course taught by Assistant Professor Lorraine Glessner. "I think it's great that Tyler is across the street," Powell said. "As a costume and set designer, sometimes you can't buy what you're looking for, so you have to make it yourself. By understanding how to print fabrics, I can learn how to do it in a cost-effective way. That's important with the way arts funding is right now." Read full article.
Journalism Student Places in the Top Fifth of the Hearst Journalism Awards Radio Competition
Julio Nunez, a student majoring in journalism, recently placed in the top fifth in the Hearst Journalism Awards Radio Feature Competition. Nunez competed against students from more than 100 other accredited journalism programs in this prestigious journalism competition.
MM&C Student Presents Paper at Communications and Media Technology Interest Council
Mary Beth Ray, a student in the Mass Media and Communications Doctoral Program, presented her paper Media Convergence and Non-Specific Genre: M.I.A.’s Hybrid Style, in the Communications and Media Technology Interest Council at the 2008 Pennsylvania Communication Association conference. The event was held at Penn State University's Lehigh Valley campus in October.
Theater Grad Student’s Designs Win Kennedy Center Regional Theatre Festival Honors in Design
Marian Cooper, a Master of Fine Arts student studying theater costume design, won two first place design awards at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for Region II. Her awards were for “Best Display in the Design, Technology and Management Exhibit,” and “Region II Barbizon Award for Theatrical Design: Excellence in Costume Design.” Both designs were created for the production of The Darker Face of the Earth. Cooper will also enter her designs in the national festival competition in April in Washington D.C.
Theater Majors Reach Finals in Kennedy Center Regional Theatre Festival Acting Competition
Josh Bernanski and Jimmy McCaffrey, undergraduate theater majors, reached the finals of the Irene Ryan Acting Competition at the Region II Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. They competed against hundreds of students from throughout the region.
Doctoral Student Presents Research at Two Conferences
Siobahn Stiles, a Mass Media and Communications doctoral student, will present a paper at the 2009 National Conference of the Popular Culture Association & American Culture Association (PCA/ACA) in New Orleans in April. Her paper is titled New Moon Rising: The Evolving Lesbian Presence on American Television as seen in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She will also present another paper, Silencing Ana: Framing and Censoring Identity in News Media, in Chicago in May at the 2009 Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA).
Doctoral Student’s Work To Be Published in New Book
Satarupa Dasgupta, a doctoral student in Mass Media and Communications, wrote the chapter Sonagachi Project: Applying Principles of Participation Oriented Development Communication to a Community Based Intervention Among Sex Workers in Calcutta that will be published in Media Development and Communication. The book, edited by Thomas McPhail and published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd., will be released in April 2009. Dasgupta also wrote an article For the Sake of God: Religion, Militancy and Identity in Pakistani Cinema which will be published in the Fall/Winter 2008 issue of the journal Asian Cinema.
Doctoral Student To Presents Paper to Western States Communication Association
Sam Srauy, a doctoral student in Mass Media and Communications, will present his paper Media Perceptions of the Ethical Behavior of Public Relations Practitioners: An Exploration including Difference in Gender and Experience during the Western States Communication Association in Mesa, Arizona, in February.
Doctoral Student Receives Two Dissertation Grants
Gwen Shaffer, a doctoral student in Mass Media and Communications, has received two prestigious dissertation grants. She is the recipient of an $8,000 Temple University Graduate Dissertation Completion Grant for Spring 2009 as well as a $9,000 Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant from the National Science Foundation’s Science, Technology, and Society Program. Her dissertation, Peering into the Future: How Peer-Networking is Impacting Digital Inclusion Efforts, examines the emerging trend of wireless signal sharing.
Student's Work To Be Featured in Kodak's In Camera Magazine
Film student Brooke Mastromatteo Shaden's work Red Vines will be included in the April 2009 issue of Kodak's In Camera Magazine, which hosts features and articles from around the world of filmmaking.
Advertising Student Honored by American Advertising Federation
The American Advertising Federation has named senior Nathan Szwerdszarf as one of its 40 Most Promising Minority Students. He has been invited to a three-day event at the New York Athletic Club in New York City in which he will be offered networking, interviewing and industry immersion opportunities with advertising industry professionals. The program is designed to help the advertising industry's workforce better reflect the multiculturalism of today's society.
Broadcasting Undergraduate Students Win A.I.R. Awards
Evan Gamboa and Alyssa Lawrie, students majoring in Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Mass Media, won an A.I.R. Award for Best Original Public Service Announcement for the March of Dimes. The A.I.R. awards recognize achievement in radio. The students wrote, voiced and edited a 60-second spot as part of their Introduction to Broadcast Performance course.
Advertising Students Featured As Rising Stars
Advertising students Madison Salavec and Theresa C. Baltimore, both seniors, have been honored in the Nov./Dec. 2008 issue of Ad News as "Rising stars." Salavec is a double major in advertising and psychology, with a specific focus on advertising account management. Her academic accomplishments include: Dean's List, Gold Key Society, NSAC Competition Leader and President of the Temple Ad Club. She interned at Stick and Move. Baltimore, who also was a recipient of the 2008 Philly Ad Club Scholarship, is studying advertising with a focus in account management and media planning. She interned at Harmelin Media and is the account manager at Diamond Edge Communications, Temple's student-run agency. She received two Gold Album Awards in Germany and Poland and earned Germany's "Best New Recording Group of the Year" in 1998. Ad News is a publication of the Philly Ad Club.
BusinessWeek features Broadcasting Student Among America's Best Young Entrepreneurs
Jason Smikle, a student majoring in Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Mass Media, has been featured by BusinessWeek magazine as among America's Best Young Entrepreneurs. Smikle, who was on leave for the fall 2008 semester, was highlighted for creating Truly Unique Vision, an online TV network with student-created videos showcasing college life on campuses across the country. To see his write up in BusinessWeek, click here.
Communications Student Interns at London Non-Profit
Jaclyne Hopkins, a communications and history major, interned at Prospero World as part of her London Study Away experience in Fall 2008. The non-profit organization serves as a charity consultant between donors and small international Non-Governmental Organizations, particularly in Africa, Asia and South America. Hopkins has conducted research ranging from environmental organizations from Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the Esther Benjamins Trust, a charity that works in Nepal to rescue young captives from the Indian circus. "Human rights violations, poverty and disease are all bleak topics, and seemingly nothing can be done to end the cycles," Hopkins writes, "but what I've learned in the past two months is that the smallest effort goes far, and educating people is the first step." She adds, "The connections and wealth of knowledge I retain from this experience have and will continue to fire my passion for humanitarianism and hands-on sustainable work internationally."
FMA Graduate Student Wins Eastman Kodak Scholarship
Marc D'Agostino, a graduate student in the Film and Media Arts department, has won the Gold Award for Excellence in the Craft of Filmmaking in the 2008 Eastman Kodak Scholarship competition. He was selected for the $5,000 award by a blue-ribbon panel representing academia as well as the motion picture industry.
Communications/Theater Undergraduate Hired as Production Assistant
Kate Overbeck, a senior majoring in communications and theater, is working as a part-time production assistant with Comcast Sportsnet while continuing to pursue her degree. Overbeck completed an internship with Sportsnet last year.
Theater Undergraduate Wins Princess Grace Foundation Honorarium
Damon Williams, a senior in the theater department, has been selected as a recipient of a 2008-2009 Princess Grace Honorarium. He was chosen from a highly talented pool of artists who have made significant contributions to the fields of theater, dance and film. The $3,500 honorarium is given by the Princess Grace Foundation-USA. The awards are named in honor of Princess Grace of Monaco and are given to help aspiring young artists with study, training or furthering professional goals.
Communications and Broadcasting Undergrads Serve As Mentors in Urban Journalism Workshop
Communications majors Chelsea Calhoun and Andrew Figueroa and Broadcast Journalism major Monica Sellecchia served as mentors to 20 high school students in the Urban Journalism Workshop, which is sponsored by the Philadelphia Daily News and the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. To read PDF article click here.
Post Doctoral Fellowship Research at Media Education Lab
Amy J. Bach, a doctoral candidate in literacy studies at the University of Pennsylvania, has been awarded a post-doctoral fellowship at Temple's Media Education Lab. Bach's research spans the fields of education and media/communication. She will develop a curriculum that integrates media production Aden literacy education for students enrolled in Youth Empowerment Services. She will offer seminars to document her work on the project during the academic year.
Master in Journalism Student To Present Research in Copenhagen
Karthika Mutukumaraswamy, who is pursuing her master's degree in journalism, will present a research piece on crowdsourcing at the annual Association of Internet Researchers conference in Copenhagen. A piece she wrote on the topic recently appeared on the blog of the Guardian. You can read it here.
Undergraduate Students Receive London Study Abroad Scholarships
Vaughn Richardson, a junior majoring in public relations, and Deirdre Littlejohn, a senior majoring in marketing, have been awarded the Sharif Rahman Scholarship from the Foundation for International Education (FIE) for study in London this fall. They will study subjects including British Popular Culture, Political Communication and British Mass Media and will also participate in internships. FIE, an independent European study abroad organization based in London, partners with Temple University to give students a challenging, immersive and enriching international experience.
Doctoral Student Wins International Communication Association Award
Melissa Lenos, a student in the doctoral program in Mass Media & Communications, has won the 2008 Graduate Student Award from the Instructional and Development Division of the International Communication Association (ICA). Her name has been added to the division's permanent list of outstanding graduate student teachers.
Graduate Theater Student Draws Praise
Krista Apple, who is pursuing her master's degree in theater, received praise for her portrayal of Bianca in "Taming of the Shrew." The Broad Street Review said, "Bianca, like any youngest daughter, knows how to manipulate Daddy with fake tears, and even when she's faking the big, syrupy smile, Apple's lighthearted spirit is a true joy to watch."
Honors Communications Student Wins Scholarship To Study In Japan
Margaret Ricco, a junior who is an Honors Communication student, has won an International Benjamin A. Gilman scholarship to study at the Kansai Gaidai in Osaka, Japan for the 08-09 academic year. The scholarship program encourages students to choose non-traditional study abroad destinations.
Two Named Top Student Journalists
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Blanda and Chris Wink have been named among the top 100 student journalists by Uwire.com, a career networking community dedicated to aspiring media talent. They were nominated by their peers and advisors based on their potential to shape the media industry in the years ahead. They are described on the site as "the best and brightest student journalists" and "the faces who will be telling us the news in years to come." To view the Uwire announcement, click here.
Commencement 2008: Meet the Graduates
This year's SCT graduates include:
Scott Blanding, B.A., College of Communications and Theater
During his sophomore year, Blanding traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to complete a documentary titled Women in War Zones: “This was the most meaningful project I’ve worked on as an aspiring filmmaker. It was more than a film. I was being an advocate; it was bigger than me.”
Leah Kauffman, B.A., School of Communications and Theater
The artist behind “I’ve Got a Crush on Obama” has gotten plenty of notice in the media, has just released her second independent album, and plans to continue her work in music and journalism.
After three successful years as a film major, Keuleyan added chemistry to his plate. Now graduating as a double major, he has thought about ways to merge his two interests.
Karen Shuey, B.A., School of Communications and Theater
Says Shuey, a member of The Philadelphia Inquirer’s student editorial board: “I like to observe people. I like to tell people’s stories. What I’ve learned in college is that everyone has a story. Everyone is newsworthy. You can find something interesting in every person.”
Eric Watts, B.A., School of Communications and Theater
The broadcasting, telecommunications and mass media grad has been living his dreams, first with an internship at the “Late Show with David Letterman” and next with a job at ESPN.
To read the full profile of each student, click on his or her highlighted name. To read about other Temple graduates, click here.
Theater Graduate Students Accredited in Stage Combat
Seven Theater Graduate Students and two undergraduates passed their adjudication with the Society of American Fight Directors in Single Sword and Unarmed combat performance skills. They tested in front of Fight Master J. Allen Suddeth, fight director of many television and Broadway shows. Adjudication with the Society is an internationally recognized accreditation in stage combat. The students, who were taught by Theater adjunct professor Ian Rose, are: Krista Apple, Ross Beschler, Noah Drew, Catalina Medina, David Blatt, Joe Buzman, Armna Lamanna, Sean Lally and London Summers.