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Maryville College Senior Thesis
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Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Web Site Design / Management
Maryville College Senior Thesis
I have recently (December 2008) finished the largest project of my life, the Senior Thesis that is required to graduate from Maryville College. Over a year, I gathered information, collected sources, and discovered new information about a topic of my choosing. My focus is on Web Credibility in Journalism. With the knowledge that journalism as a medium is moving to an online format, I researched and formulated guidelines for creating a credible journalistic web site. I also judged and reported on five journalistic web sites. This project has its own web site, which can be found at http://www.downingwebcred.com.
Over the course of the 2008 Fall semester, I had an internship at the Knoxville News Sentinel. I worked in the online news section with the online producers, updating and creating content for the knoxnews.com web site. I learned a great deal about video editing, using a content management system, and how a journalistic web site is run. Not only did this experience add to my Senior Thesis (above), it also helped me see how this field of work operates. I was graciously given the opportunity to do my own "RandomThis" video, a feature of knoxnews.com's Online Producers. For this video, I shot and edited footage of moving my horses to a new farm.
Video shot and edited:
RandomThis: Whitney moves her horses
November 12, 2008
Videos edited:
How the ESF supports community gardening
Video editor | December 2, 2008
Champagne with wild hibiscus flowers
Video editor | November 27, 2008
The Bates children sing a Western song
Video editor | November 24, 2008
The Bates family sings "God has been so good
to me"
Video editor | November 24, 2008
Talking with Kristy Lee Cook
Video editor | October 29, 2008
Logan Little: Grace Christian Academy
Video editor | October 20, 2008
Sights and sounds of ETTAC Toy Tech training
Video editor | October 18, 2008
Baling switchgrass
Video editor | October 7, 2008
Preparing radioactive materials for
transportation
Video editor | September 24, 2008
Transuranic waste leaves Oak Ridge
Video editor | September 24, 2008
Topiary Joe
Video editor | September 12, 2008
In the summer of 2007, I was a part of the Research Alliance in Math and Science (RAMS), which allows minority students to conduct research at the Laboratory's facilities. I worked in the Information Technology Services Division, and also wrote pieces for the Communications and External Relations Department. My project focused on the means of communication at ORNL, both internal and external. It was a great chance for me to do some early research for my Senior Thesis, and also to use the facilities at the Laboratory.
I have done some web site design and management projects for small businesses and groups. These sites are a good look at my learning progress, with earlier sites being less sophisticated and clean than later sites. I am still learning, and believe that a good web designer is always learning new things about his or her craft.
Highland Echo (http://echo.maryvillecollege.edu) 2006-2009
ORHS Class of 1969 (http://www.orhs69.com) 2007-2008
Graffiti Guy Gifts (http://www.graffitiguy.net) 2007
Jumpstart Your Meeting! (http://www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com) 2006-2008
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