NABEF To Recognize Excellence At NAB Show N.Y.

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A trio of standout student entries will be recognized for their forward-thinking tech ideas at an awards celebration set to take place at NAB Show New York.


The NAB Education Foundation (NABEF) will recognize winners of the 2016 Excellence in Innovative Technology Awards at a Innovation Celebration luncheon on Wednesday, Nov. 9, held during the show set to convene at the Jacob Javits Convention Center on Manhattan’s West Side.

The Excellence in Innovative Technology Awards showcase students who develop products, services or applications that impact and promote technology in the communications industry.

Award winners were required to design a product that relates to television, radio, digital, mobile technologies, social media, streaming, information management, web or other telecommunications-based applications.

The prototypes will be presented at the luncheon.

In addition to being recognized, winners have the opportunity to connect with digital media companies and other exhibitors at NAB Show New York.

NABEF President Marcellus Alexander said, “The media industry is in a constant state of evolution. New technologies and products are shaping the way we conduct business and lead our lives The NAB Education Foundation is honored to highlight the groundbreaking work and innovative projects these forward-thinking students have developed.”

A keynote address at the awards ceremony will be delivered by Barry Libert, CEO of leading business model science and network optimization company OpenMatter. He is the author of “The Network Imperative: How to Survive and Grow in the Age of Digital Business Models,” and has advised numerous technology and media companies on how to drive growth with digital platforms and virtual networks. His address will explore an emerging model of social and business growth.

This year’s winners are:

  • Andrew Briz — University of Florida

Briz developed the News-ready Hypervideo Player at the University of Florida’s Innovation News Center. The application allows news organizations to create easy navigation between links, videos, charts and graphics. Individuals can utilize the application without any coding education.

  • Adriana Becerra, Ryan Hayes, Mark Quinones, Garish Rama, Prashanna Raghavan — Arizona State University

With support from Arizona State University’s New Media Innovation and Entrepreneurship Lab, this group of undergraduate and graduate students developed two applications that utilize and showcase the power of 360-technology and virtual reality. One application was created for Cronkite News and includes several 360-technology elements, while the other is an experimental reality application that mixes computer-generated imagery, 360 video and regular video to depict the dangers of crossing the U.S./Mexico border in Arizona.

  • Noelle Vela — Texas Tech University

Vela developed the political gaming app Vozra through the Texas Tech College of Media and Communication, with sponsorship from the Jay Harris Institute for Hispanic and International Communication. Through quizzes, surveys and polling, Vozra educates Hispanics ages 13-18 about the nuances of the electoral process in the 2016 election. Constructed using HTML5, the app is available on Android platforms, in addition to tablets, laptops and larger devices.

NABEF is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving broadcasters and the public interest by supporting and advocating community service, diversity, education and broadcasting issues and trends.