The University of Nebraska–Lincoln‘s new Mobile Media Lab is the recipient of a $200,000 grant from the Knight Foundation, the institution announced Thursday.
Gary Kebbel, who joined UNL’s journalism college in 2010, is spearheading the program.
“(The Mobile Media Lab) will seek innovative and effective uses of mobile media and then publicize those ideas and best practices,” Kebbel, whose resume includes a five-year stint at Knight, said on his blog. “We will also consider commercial applications of these ideas and practices.”
The grant will be used to create demonstrative projects or classes that illustrate how new technological innovations can be used in journalism and community news projects, according to the press release. The lab intends to unite projects across UNL’s three campuses in order to foster collaboration among like-minded professors who are interested in mobile media.
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“We hope these projects serve as R&D for the news and information industry, as well as present a model for 21st century journalism education,” Michael Maness, vice president for journalism and media innovation at Knight, said in the release.
Last June, Knight awarded the university a $50,000 grant from its prototype fund. The funds were used to purchase drones for the university’s Drone Journalism Lab.
The grant for the Mobile Media Lab is one of the largest the university has received to help fund the work of a single faculty member, according to the release.
Credit: Gary Kebbel photo from unl.edu.
