WCSU Students Look to the Future of the Sports World
On Saturday March 28, 2015, The Marist College Center for Sports Communication hosted the inaugural Sports, Communication, and Technology Summit at their campus in Poughkeepsie, New York. The focus of the day was certainly on the case study presentations, which gave students from the participating schools the task of proposing ideas on how to improve the live arena sports experience of individuals with disabilities. Students were told to choose a disability and then devise a way in they could improve the quality of the experience for those with the disability they chose. With realistic solutions being encouraged, not only in terms of cost and available technology, but also in its ability to be a realistic solution in the capitalistic sports enterprise. Western Connecticut State University was one of the four teams to present, with the presentation team consisting of students John Murray, April Carr, Megan Readey, and Patrick Higgins. The other presenting teams were from St. John Fisher College (New York), Samford University (Alabama), and Marist College (New York). At the end of the day, the team from St. John Fisher College was chosen as the winner of the case study competition with their presentation on improving the experience of live sporting events for those in the epileptic community.
Students and faculty also enjoyed an interesting panel discussion on the role and uses of technology in sports with speakers Chip Foley (Vice President of High Point Solutions), Frank Golding (Former head of YouTube sports North America and ESPN), and Keith Studler (Director of the Marist College Center for Sports Communication). Following a break for lunch the keynote speaker Frank Golding gave a presentation on the both the present state of, but also the future of technology and how it will continue to influence our lives. The remainder of the day allowed for students and teachers to pick from various workshops and tutorials focused on Reporting with technology, video production for news, and designing infographics.
Overall the first ever Sports, Communication, and Technology Summit was a fun and interesting day that offered communications students from different schools to come together to compete, learn, and work together.
