School of Information Sciences

Rhinesmith selected as DML Summer Institute Fellow

Doctoral student Colin Rhinesmith recently received a fellowship to the attend this year's Digital Media and Learning Research Associates Summer Institute to be held June 11-15 at Microsoft Research New England in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The one-week institute, entitled "Thinking In and Out of the Box: How Innovation and Policy Shape Networked Learning," will examine the convergence of public policy and innovation and its effects on digital media and learning (DML). Specific topics will include the recent debates around network neutrality, digital inequality and DML, and the implications of digital citizenship and online safety as DML develops further. Participants will be mentored by senior scholars working in the emerging field and will be encouraged to build relationships with key researchers at institutions across the country and globally. Institute activities will include visits to the MIT Media Lab, Harvard’s Project Zero, and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society.

"It is a tremendous honor for me to be selected as one of this year's twelve DML Summer Institute Fellows," said Rhinesmith. "The experience will help me to refine my dissertation proposal and research agenda focused on the intersection of civic media, digital inequality, and public policy. I look forward to joining the extraordinary group of students and mentors at this year's program."

As a summer 2012 fellow, Rhinesmith plans to focus his research on investigating digital media and learning initiatives that have received funding though the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP). His goal is to develop a theoretical and methodological framework that researchers, practitioners, and policymakers can use to consider how youth and adults, particularly in low-income communities, are leveraging digital media and learning to promote social and economic development.

Rhinesmith also recently presented a paper on broadband adoption and public policy at a workshop in Washington, D.C. The daylong workshop, "Defining and Measuring Meaningful Broadband Adoption," was convened by the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute and included over 30 researchers, practitioners, and policymakers working toward the development of more effective broadband policy frameworks.

Tags:
Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Get to know Jade Carthans, BSIS student

Jade Carthans is interested in how human-centered design, machine learning, and data analytics can come together to solve critical problems that impact organizations and individuals. She gained firsthand experience in these areas through internships with Microsoft and State Farm.

Jade Carthans

Ravury selected to serve on Homecoming Court

BSIS student Lauren Ravury has a new item to add to her resume: member of the 2025 Homecoming Court at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Ravury's resume is already impressive. She serves as president of the Student Alumni Ambassadors (SAA), an organization dedicated to fostering school spirit at the U. of I. Last year, she served as president of the Asian Pre-Law Association, a stint that led to her receiving the Outstanding Asian & Asian American Undergraduate Student Leader Award from the Asian American Cultural Center and the association being named the 2025 Outstanding Asian & Asian American Student Organization.

Lauren Ravury

Illini 4000 journey leaves lasting impact on Patllollu

As a member of the Illini 4000, BSIS student Riddhima Patllollu biked from New York City to San Francisco to raise awareness of cancer and raise funds for cancer research. Patllollu, a junior from New Jersey, decided to join the nonprofit organization in her freshman year to expand her worldview and mark a new chapter in her life. 

Riddhima Patllollu

iSchool to present research at TPRC 2025

iSchool faculty, staff, and students will participate in the Research Conference on Communications, Information and Internet Policy (TPRC 2025), which will be held from September 18–20 in Washington, DC.

Get to know Simit Shah, MSIM student

Simit Shah worked as a consultant for Deloitte in India before enrolling in the MSIM program to strengthen his analytical and business skills. Over the summer, he applied the knowledge gained from his iSchool coursework during an internship as a technology risk consultant at EY.

Simit Shah

School of Information Sciences

501 E. Daniel St.

MC-493

Champaign, IL

61820-6211

Voice: (217) 333-3280

Fax: (217) 244-3302

Email: ischool@illinois.edu

Back to top