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Digital Dissertation Award

Incorporating Innovative Technology in Doctoral Research and Publication

2022 awards will be announced in April.

The New Media Lab promotes the inclusion of digital components in doctoral dissertations at the Graduate Center. Complementing recent efforts to support and promote the innovative use of new technologies at the Graduate Center, this award aims to encourage the creation of digital productions as a part of doctoral dissertations. Digital components may take the form of data visualization and presentation, text analysis, app creation, simulations, and geospatial mapping, among others.  Up to three awards will be made yearly. A submission must include a digital component in any stage—from a preliminary or prototype stage to a near final stage.

Recent Awardees

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

Eligibility

Awards will be granted to Graduate Center doctoral students in good standing who have worked at the New Media Lab for at least one semester on a digital project that is intended to be a part of a doctoral dissertation.  Both students still working at the lab and who previously worked at the lab are eligible.  Each applicant must have the support of her or his dissertation advisor and must have submitted a dissertation proposal.

NML directors will be available to advise students who wish to apply and can communicate with faculty advisors at any stage of the dissertation project, either before an application is submitted or after.

The award committee of GC faculty members will base its decisions on:

  1. quality of the digital component (a submission must include a digital component in any stage—from a preliminary or prototype stage to a near final stage);
  2. clarity of the project narrative, including how the digital work is central to the dissertation topic; how the digital work shapes research questions and outcomes; and how the project makes innovative use of technology; and
  3. how the digital work is, or will be, incorporated into the traditional dissertation format.

This award will not be granted for a dissertation project for which the research was done digitally (using digital archives collections, blogs, the internet, etc.) but is otherwise presented in traditional print format. Nor will the award support a dissertation solely because its topic is related to digital technology.

Applications include

  1. A 250 to 500 word project narrative that includes a description of the project goals, an explanation of completed work, and anticipated work to be done. The major focus of the narrative should be on the digital component.
  2. Presentation of digital component (may be provided as links or submitted on disc, drive, etc.)
  3. Dissertation advisor’s letter of support indicating that she or he has read the NML Digital Dissertation proposal and understands and support the digital component of the dissertation.
  4. Applicant’s current CV (no more than 2 pages)
 
  • Dates worked on this project at the NML:
 

Verification

Please direct any questions to Marco battistella.

2022 awards will be announced in April.