My SPW NewsPage View

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers^® (SMPTE^®), a leader in motion-imaging standards and education for the communications, media, entertainment, and technology industries, issued a call for papers for the SMPTE Student Paper Award and announced that it is accepting applications for the Louis F. Wolf Jr. Memorial Scholarship, which is designed to help students further their undergraduate or graduate studies in motion pictures and television, with an emphasis on technology. Both announcements come as SMPTE reaches new landmarks in student membership and engagement with the Society.

"Education is a fundamental part of SMPTE's mission," said Pat Griffis, SMPTE education vice president. "We are pleased to have so many students looking to expand their academic education by joining SMPTE and taking advantage of practical, standards-oriented training and networking opportunities that can help them advance their future careers."

A variety of initiatives aimed at students and recent graduates have helped student membership climb to nearly 15 percent and the number of SMPTE Student Chapters to increase to nearly 25. The SMPTE Student Membership Challenge fund, founded and funded by William C. Miller, SMPTE membership vice president, along with a growing number of his SMPTE colleagues, pays for the first year of membership for new Student Members. SMPTE also supports Student Chapters at colleges, universities, and institutions where courses are offered in technical areas of film, video, and television. Student Chapters give students the opportunity to meet industry leaders and professionals, and to interact outside of the classroom with other students and faculty who have an interest in the motion-imaging industry. A full list of Student Chapters is online at www.smpte.org/studentchapters.

"SMPTE has been using outreach and educational events to make the Society more accessible to students, and our local Sections have done great work with Student Chapters to fuel greater engagement and participation in SMPTE events," said Miller. "We're very proud of the Society's recent growth in student membership, and we look forward to corresponding increases in submissions for the Student Paper Award and Louis F. Wolf Jr. scholarship."

The Student Paper Award honors a SMPTE Student Member who prepares and submits an outstanding paper dealing with some technical phase of motion pictures, television, photographic instrumentation, or their closely allied arts and sciences. The paper will be published in the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, providing recognition both for the author and the institution at which the work was done. The application form, requirements, and examples of award-winning papers from previous years are online at www.smpte.org/student-paper-award. 

The Louis F. Wolf Jr. Memorial Scholarship offers $5,000 toward the cost of tuition at the student's educational institution. The scholarship is open to SMPTE Student Members who are full-time undergraduate students enrolled in an accredited two- or four-year college or university. Applicants must be majoring in a program emphasizing the engineering, science, advanced technologies, or fundamental theories associated with motion imaging, sound, metadata, and workflows consistent with SMPTE's field of interest, and each must have completed a minimum of four courses toward said major and be in good academic standing. The application form and requirements are online at www.smpte.org/scholarships. 

The application deadline for both the Student Paper Award and Louis F. Wolf Jr. Scholarship is May 18. Recipients will receive a full conference registration for the SMPTE 2016 Annual Technical Conference & Exhibition (SMPTE 2016), Oct. 24-28 in Hollywood, California, where they will be recognized during the SMPTE 2016 Honors and Awards Ceremony on Monday, Oct. 24. 

SMPTE 2016, in partnership with the Hollywood Professional Association (HPA^®), will feature the SMPTE-HPA Student Film Festival on Wednesday, Oct. 26, which welcomes entries from all over the world. Submissions are being accepted now, and further details are available at www.smpte.org/film-festival. 

To learn more about these programs, SMPTE invites students to the Society's booth (L28) at the 2016 NAB Show on Tuesday, April 19, for a social mixer. Students will have the opportunity to interact with SMPTE Members, including board members, directors, and staff, who will discuss their work in the media and entertainment industry and how students can become involved with SMPTE. Complete details are available at www.smpte.org/students. 

Further information about SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org.  

About the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers^® (SMPTE^®)
Winner of an Oscar^® and multiple Emmy^® Awards, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers^® (SMPTE^®) is a global leader in the advancement of the art, science, and craft of the image, sound, and metadata ecosystem. A professional membership association that is internationally recognized and accredited, SMPTE advances moving-imagery education and engineering across the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries. For a century, SMPTE has published the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal and developed more than 800 standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines. 

Nearly 7,000 members — motion-imaging executives, engineers, creative and technology professionals, researchers, scientists, educators, and students — who meet in Sections worldwide, sustain the Society. Through the Society's partnership with Hollywood Professional Association (HPA)^®, this membership is complemented by the professional community of businesses and individuals who provide the expertise, support, tools, and infrastructure for the creation and finishing of motion pictures, television programs, commercials, digital media, and other dynamic media content. Information on joining SMPTE is available at www.smpte.org/join. 

All trademarks appearing herein are the property of their respective owners.