On Friday, October 25, the PILOT NextGen TV fellows from Howard University, the University of Missouri, and the University of Minnesota gathered at NAB Headquarters for the official in-person program kickoff event. Special thanks to AWS for its continued support and sponsorship of the PILOT NextGen TV Fellowship.
While in Washington, D.C., students experienced the power of NextGen TV firsthand. They observed the Broadcast Positioning System™ (BPS) in action and tested live NextGen TV apps currently broadcast from three D.C. stations. Additionally, they explored groundbreaking projects from last year’s fellowship, where fellows harnessed ATSC 3.0’s datacasting capabilities to support rural healthcare needs.
The 2024-25 PILOT NextGen TV fellows pictured left to right are University of Missouri students Praise Aruwajoye, Mikayla Higgins, Kenney Jackson and Kavya Ramesh; Howard University students Justin Davis, Emily Jones, Richard Brobbey, Rickelle Jones, and Jordan Thomas; University of Minnesota students Eitan Schoenberg, Carter Dooner, Varshini Bomma and Emily Glickman
After these demos, the students collaborated within their teams to refine project plans for the year and then shared their visions with fellow students and NAB staff.
Each team’s project focus is unique:
- Howard University: This team plans to develop tools to help further demonstrate the capabilities of BPS.
- University of Missouri: Building on the work of last year’s fellows from Mizzou, this team plans to expand ATSC datacasting applications to underserved communities.
- University of Minnesota: This team is creating an app to provide stats and information about teams and players for the Minnesota high school hockey championships, showcasing NetGen TV’s potential for sports engagements.
In the months leading up to the 2025 NAB Show in Las Vegas, each team will refine, develop and ultimately showcase their projects. We’re thrilled to see the innovations this year’s fellows bring to life as they push the boundaries of NextGen TV technology.