Athens, Ga. – A shiny gold medal and international recognition were recently bestowed upon the University of Georgia’s New Media Institute.
The institute, an interdisciplinary unit of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, was recognized as a Laureate by the Computerworld Honors Program during the 18th annual Laureates Medal Ceremony & Gala Awards Evening on June 5 at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C.
The New Media Institute was named a laureate and received a gold medal for its wireless initiative in downtown Athens — the WAGZone (Wireless Athens Georgia Zone). “We were thrilled to be selected for the honor,” said Scott Shamp, director of the New Media Institute and Grady College professor of telecommunications.
The Grady College’s New Media Institute explores the creative, critical and commercial dimensions of innovative digital communication technology. It is a real-world research test-bed for building prototype mobile media systems, experimenting with new devices, and investigating what people want to do with powerful new technology.
“Each year, the Computerworld Honors Program seeks to recognize organizations from a variety of sectors, for their ongoing efforts to utilize technology in order to benefit society,” said Bob Carrigan, chairman of the Computerworld Honors Program Chairmen’s Committee and president of International Data Group (IDG) Communications. “We are proud to provide a platform to publicly acknowledge these contributions.”
In print since 1967, Computerworld’s offerings form the U.S.-based hub of the world’s largest global information technology media network through its weekly publication, its Computerworld.com Web site, focused conference series and custom research.
Computerworld is a business unit of IDG. A privately held company, IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers, including CIO, CSO, Computerworld, GamePro, InfoWorld, Network World and PC World. IDG is also a leading producer of more than 170 computer-related events worldwide, including LinuxWorld Conference & Expo®, Macworld Conference & Expo®, DEMO® and IDC Directions.
Established in 1915, the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication provides seven undergraduate majors including advertising, broadcast news, magazines, newspapers, public relations, publication management and telecommunication arts. The college offers two graduate degrees, and is home to the New Media Institute, the Knight Chair in Health and Medical Journalism and the Peabody Awards, considered the electronic broadcasting industry’s most prestigious prize. For more information, visit www.grady.uga.edu.
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