School of Communications
Three School of Communications AdLab campaigns received national recognition and awards in the CommArts journal. These projects include a video ad, a documentary and an emoji design campaign.
The “Decisions” campaign for LA Times highlights the moral and legal dilemma of Americans who harbor illegal refugees who cross the Mexican-American border. BYU’s Connor Dean, Quinn Frehner, Enoch Lui, Cameron Tribe and Jeff Sheets worked on the project.
“I think I speak for my team when I say that this project wasn’t made to win awards; it was made to share an incredibly important message,” recent graduate Dean said. “That’s the kind of work that we want to make: the work that actually impacts the world for the better.”
The “Lionheart” documentary tells the story of two young men competing in a boxing competition in Ghana. Art director Cameron Tribe, a 2020 BYU graduate, was inspired by the church mission he served in Ghana. BYU’s Tribe, Stew Tribe, Connor Dean, Bentley Rawle, Spencer Goff, Drew Tekulve, Mikey Bready and Zach Olson created the film while Christian Darais added an original music score. “Lionheart” also won awards at the Brooklyn and Las Vegas Film Festivals.
BYU AdLab students’ “Handimojis” project creates animated emojis with hands that can be used for sign language. BYU’s Coni Ramirez, Sam Carlson, Emily Ellis and Amanda Rasmussen executed the campaign.
“The most meaningful experience for me wasn’t the completed project or the awards — it was the reception from the Deaf community,” Carlson said. “It was amazing to see how excited the deaf community was about this technology. That’s the power of inclusive innovation.”
Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering
The Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering received $40,000 in donations from a long-time supporter. Brigham Young University alumnus King Husein donated the money to support BYU Engineering’s IMMERSE program that trains undergraduates to focus on ethics in their research. Husein’s donations will be used to fund the ethics-based group and its related outreach activities as it focuses on cultivating an environment in which students contribute to the education of others.
“BYU students should be the most prepared of any students anywhere to handle ethical dilemmas in their careers,” professor Willie Harrison said.
Harrison is pleased with this year’s success but hopes to see the ethics emphasis expand over time in the program.
“Not taking ethics into consideration won’t help your research, and it won’t help you personally or as a professional,” said BYU electrical and computer engineering student Naomi Debaene. “It should just be part of who you are.”
Marriott School of Business
A new specialization in the BYU Marriott School of Business MBA program will be offered to all MBA students starting Fall 2021. Management Science and Quantitative Methods, or STEM management, will be available regardless of students’ field of study with the goal of giving all students an advantage in the workforce. Students who pursue the STEM management program will take 15 extra credits in addition to the 12 STEM credits already required in the MBA program. Approved topics include data analysis, modeling and forecasting, statistics applications and risk management. Required courses cover tech-related classes including coding, programming and analytics. This competitive new program will also benefit international students by extending their visas to work longer in the United States, MBA director Daniel Snow said.
BYU Marriott professor Grant McQueen called the STEM specialization “the next step” in helping students prepare for an evolving field of work.
“The specialization will better prepare our MBA students to enter the workforce,” McQueen said. “Over the last decade, both our students and the companies that hire them have become more technology focused; consequently, we’ve gradually tilted our curriculum towards the tech industry and quantitative skills.”
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