Register for the $1M Museum Initiative info session

7 min readMar 8, 2022

Media. If you had any doubt that it was of critical importance in our interconnected world — the events in Ukraine should answer that question beyond any doubt. Make no mistake, it’s a real war with real danger and death. But it’s also an info-war, and watching on the ground video going toe to toe with misinformation has the team at the Media Lab thinking hard about how we can be of service. You can donate and provide priority supplies to people in urgent need here.

Meanwhile, the Media Lab is thriving — with new projects launching with ASCAP (project here), Bertelsmann (project here), Verizon (project here), and more. We’re growing our amazing team with two new members, and we’ll introduce you to our first-ever Director of Membership in the days ahead.

We’re also adding new Membership Benefits , and inviting you to join our NYC Media Lab Membership site. If you’re a Media Lab member, or a student or faculty — you can email membership@nycmedialab.org and we’ll get you logged in.

Steven Rosenbaum
Steve@NYCMediaLab.org
Executive Director
NYC Media Lab
steve@nycmedialab.org NEW & NOTEWORTHY March 8th & 18th Info Sessions: NYCML & Verizon $1M Museum Initiative

Last month, NYC Media Lab & Verizon announced the $1M Museum Initiative — a nationwide open call for museums and cultural institutions to develop and offer new educational content on the Verizon Innovative Learning HQ portal.

To all US-based museums, science centers, zoos, aquariums, and cultural institutions: If you’re interested in connecting with experts and learning more about the $1M Museum Initiative — and how your organization could be awarded up to $100,000 in educational funding — we encourage you to register for one of our free virtual info sessions:

• (Today!) Tuesday, March 8th from 3–4pm ET (Register here)
• Friday, March 18th from 12–1pm ET (Register here)

Please note: For first-time users, you’ll be asked to quickly create a free account.

ICYMI: Watch the Recording of “David Chalmers: Reality+ from the Matrix to the Metaverse”

On February 2nd, leading philosopher David Chalmers took us on a mind-bending journey through virtual worlds as he illuminated the nature of reality and our place within it.

ICYMI, head to the NYCML YouTube channel to watch the full recording and/or short clips from our virtual event, “David Chalmers: Reality+ from the Matrix to the Metaverse.”

NYC Media Lab Welcomes Iryna Lambrianides as Associate Director of Projects

We’re thrilled to welcome Associate Director of Projects Iryna Lambrianides to the NYC Media Lab team!

Iryna is an innovative leader in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors with a doctorate in education and certification in project management. She is skilled in planning and executing strategic and operational projects across multiple organizations, developing strategic goals and organization-wide business performance metrics, creating and improving processes, and building strong internal and external partnerships.

Her experience in program monitoring and evaluation, research, and quantitative and qualitative data analysis make her an invaluable addition to our team. …and Omar Faruk as Associate Director of Marketing

And a big welcome to Omar Faruk, Associate Director of Marketing!

Omar is a results-driven marketing and technology professional who has consistently demonstrated the ability to develop and introduce strategies and campaigns that enhance company branding and growth. He is a leader and a manager who has mastered the process to execute any project or campaign from idea to completion, delivering outstanding results.

Omar is an expert in many fields, including digital and traditional marketing, branding, strategic planning, and implementation.

NYC Media Lab Announces Inaugural Cohort of AI & Local News Challenge

An exciting update on the AI & Local News front: NYC Media Lab recently announced the inaugural cohort for the AI & Local News Challenge!

During the first half of 2022, the five selected teams will be building AI applications for local news to support quality information for local news audiences and sustainable news outlets. The teams represent a dynamic mix of technological and journalistic backgrounds, ranging from news organizations and startups to university research and development.

These five innovative teams are:

• Information Tracer: Zhouhan Chen, Joshua Tucker
• Localizer: Jessica Davis, Steve Dorsey, Danny Sanchez, Mike Stucka, Eric Ulken
• Overtone: Philip Allin, Christopher Brennan, Natalia Gutierrez, Reagan Nunnally
• SimPPL: Harshit Agarwal, Swapneel Mehta, Surabhi Ranjan, Shwetanshu Singh
• Social Fabric for Publishers: Brad Friedman, Evan Friedman

Learn more about each team’s research, skill sets, and Challenge goals on the NYC Media Lab website. The AI & Local News Challenge officially began in mid-February and will conclude with a Demo Day in May 2022.

EVENTS Save the Date: NYC Media Lab Gala (May 24th)

Save the date! On May 24, 2022, NYC Media Lab will host our Spring Gala. You won’t want to miss this networking event of the year where we’ll be awarding three incredible honorees. More Spring Gala info to come, including honorees, venue, etc. Stay tuned!

Register Now: AWE USA 2022 in Santa Clara, CA (June 1st-3rd)

The 13th annual AWE USA 2022 is taking place from June 1st-3rd in Santa Clara, CA!

This year’s gathering will include 5,000+ attendees, 250+ exhibitors, and 400+ speakers. Featured companies attending include Amazon, Facebook, Disney, Google, Shopify, and more.

Since 2010, over 5,000 companies and 60,000 professionals have trusted AWE to connect, learn, and grow their business in the XR ecosystem. Join this inspiring community of XR professionals and register today!

NOW LIVE: NYCML’S ANNUAL REPORT

NYC Media Lab’s 2021 Annual Report is now live! Experiencing yet another unprecedented year, the NYC Media Lab team proved resilient and nimble. Despite uncertainty, team members continued working remotely for a majority of 2021, then in September, seamlessly shifted from 100% remote to a hybrid working environment.

Highlights of the year include: The 5th annual Machines + Media gathering in partnership with Bloomberg; our largest annual event, “Summit 2021: Future Imperfect,” which brought together hundreds of virtual attendees from NYCML’s core community; and the launch of AI & Local News, a new initiative and community that bridges people, ideas, and tools from artificial intelligence and news to support sustainability and innovation in the journalism industry. #SupportUkraine

In collaboration with the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), Long Island Chapter, we’re asking the NYC Media Lab community to support Ukraine in any way you can.

We’ve compiled a few ways you can show your support, including advocacy, donations, and priority supplies. And of course, we thank you in advance for your support. KEEP IN TOUCH

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NYC Media Lab connects media and technology companies with NYC’s universities to drive innovation, entrepreneurship, and talent development. Visit our website or contact us at info@nycmedialab.org with any questions or comments.

Register for the $1M Museum Initiative info session

Written by NYC Media Lab