New degree bridges communication, tech

A new partnership between the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and the Viterbi School of Engineering aims to form an interdisciplinary program that will foster an environment for students to become successful as communication technology professionals.

The collaboration consists of two elements, a new joint degree as well as innovation teams combining students from both schools. The master of communications informatics joint degree evaluates the impact technology has had on the future of communication. The degree will look at aspects ranging from data analytics, crowdsourcing, social media, online communities and the use of technology in journalism.

Craig Knoblock, the associate director of informatics in Viterbi, said that he wants joint degrees to be a major focus for the future of the school since students often want to apply what they learn in Viterbi to different industries.

“Our vision in informatics is that future programs will focus on joint degrees that span information and informatics in multiple disciplines, that’s really where the meat is,” Knoblock said. “People want to learn about the computer science aspect of things and understand how to apply it to multiple fields.”

Last week’s press release also discussed the new innovation teams as part of the new Annenberg Leadership Initiative. Funded by a portion of the $5 million gift from the Annenberg Foundation, the teams aim to provide a opportunity for students of both disciplines to pioneer new methods of creative storytelling. Students will work in the new Julie Chen/Leslie Moonves and CBS Media Center to form new methods of delivering news.

Michael Cody, a professor of social influence processes within Annenberg, is one of the main individuals behind the creation of this new program.

“We decided to start a small exclusive program,” Cody said. “We’re expecting around 10 to 12 people at the beginning. We want people who are interested in combining algorithms, computer science and tracking, who are looking for the best way of comparing and showing similarities between profiles of people.”

Whether a student is working from the engineering or communication side, the overall objective of the program surrounds the concept of harnessing technology to implement change in our society and guide it in a more positive direction.

“We celebrate this new, powerhouse partnership and everything it will bring to both schools and our graduates,” said Ernest J. Wilson III, dean of USC Annenberg in a press release.

Austin Roy, a masters student studying communication management at Annenberg, thinks this collaboration will provide students involved with the unique advantage of having skillsets to succeed in both sides of this evolving industry.

“I think it’s essential for communication students to understand the value of technology and for technology students to understand the value of communication,” Roy said. “Although both fields may seem polarly opposite, without each other their individual messages won’t be heard.”

Danny Cantwell, a masters student studying computer science at Viterbi, agrees.

“I’ve worked on a lot of engineering projects where students have a lot of different expectations, and even though they have a deep understanding of the technical side of things, Annenberg students have a better understanding of the more communicative elements of a project and would be able to really help in that aspect,” Cantwell said.

Cody discussed some potential projects that could come out of a program like this, such as artificial intelligence systems that could be used to help kids with autism.

“It may be that artificial intelligence systems could be worked with tablets to help these kids, so when they’re working with computers and you read that they’re unhappy or having vocal stress you’d then modify the system so that it adapts to their needs and concerns,” Cody said. “That’s something I’ve dreamt about for decades; in communication, we don’t have that access but now it’s possible.”

The program is set to start admitting students this fall.