SEC Launches Academic Network
Monday, August 24, 2009 | General
The 12 institutions of the Southeastern Conference on Monday have joined together in the launch of the SEC Academic Network, a website (www.secacademicnetwork.com) designed to promote academic endeavors of SEC universities that is being established by the SEC in partnership with ESPN and the member universities.
The Academic Network, developed using technology and coordination from ESPN Digital Media and Origin Digital, will feature content from every institution ranging from research, innovation and economic development to community partnerships, civic engagement and service.
“The commitment to highlight the accomplishments of SEC member institution academic programs was a key component of our new television agreements,” said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. “We are grateful to ESPN bringing the expertise and tools they use in sports media to our institutions in support of academic pursuits.”
“The SEC Academic Network is important because it reminds people of the value of academics and research, and it gives us one more way to tell the story of the great academic accomplishments happening at the University of Florida,” said UF President Dr. Bernie Machen.
“Visitors who click on the University of Florida link will see five videos about our research that will be changed periodically,” continued Machen. “The current video highlight include air-cooled football shoulder pads, developed by one of our anesthesiologists; the hurricane simulator that some of our engineers developed; and the NaviGator, the artificial intelligence-powered car that drives itself, also developed by our engineers.”
“This is a great show of support for academics and research from the SEC,” said UF Athletics Director Jeremy Foley. "We are excited that our partnership with the league allows us to show that outstanding athletics and academics are not mutually exclusive."
“This network will provide our 12 institutions with the ability to create and distribute academic and other non‑athletic programming throughout the world on a regular and full‑time basis,” said Slive.
On the website, each institution has its own page that includes videos categorized by topic. Alumni, fans and students worldwide now have the ability in one place to learn more about SEC academics through video features that are posted by the league institutions.
The topics of videos range from research, innovation and economic development to community partnerships, civic engagement and service. Samplings of topics from each SEC institution include:
· Alabama - UA Students Lead Projects in the Black Belt: Honors College students in the University Fellows Experience reach out to rural Alabama through a variety of community-focused programs in the Black Belt region.
· Arkansas - Virtual Hampson Museum: A small, secluded museum discovers a way to expose the world to its rare and fragile collection of Native American History.
· Auburn - Uganda FISH Project: Empowering people to build a sustainable way of life.
· Florida - Origins of Gatorade: Creating the most famous sports drink in the world.
· Georgia - Profile of Professor Charles Atwood: Recipient of the 2009 Meigs Award, UGA's highest teaching honor.
· Kentucky - Toyota Manufacturing Collaboration: The people who may be perfecting the paint on your car are actually students at the University of Kentucky.
· LSU – LSU and Hunan University: A partnership between LSU students and China's Hunan University to design a hotel within a cultural park in Hunan Province.
· Ole Miss - The language of business: The University of Mississippi's School of Accountancy continues to place 100% of its graduates.
· Mississippi State - Challenge X Team: Student design team leads nation in next generation of fuel efficient vehicles
· South Carolina - “Cocky's Reading Express”: South Carolina's students and staff join Cocky to improve literacy among schoolchildren
· Tennessee –The National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis: NIMBioS brings hundreds of top scientists to Knoxville each year to apply cutting-edge thinking to major issues in biology, from the spread of animal disease to the impact of pollution.
· Vanderbilt - Creating the Bionic Arm of the Future: A revolutionary research program aimed at creating more life-like prosthetics for the thousands of amputees in this country.
The Academic Network is a component of the SEC's 15-year television package with ESPN, which is the most comprehensive in the history of intercollegiate athletics. Also part of ESPN's commitment to SEC academic programs is the production of an annual Campus Connection telecast at each SEC institution, in which students take part in the production; telecasts of two programs annually dedicated to the academic accomplishments of SEC student-athletes; a weekly academic feature segment on ESPNU's SEC show; and selection of one undergraduate student from every SEC institution to participate in ESPN's summer internship program.
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