Scott Lathrop, E&O head of network technology, was named Busey Bank Economist of the Year in April. Lathrop was recognized at the 40th Semiannual Busey Bank Seminar by Ed Scharlau, chairman of Busey's board, because he most accurately predicted Champaign County's economic status at the last seminar (fall 1994).
Producer Bill Poorman, graduate assistant in the Media Technology Resources Group, and coproducer Jamie Flaherty won a Regional Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for their documentary "Whatever Happened to Saturday Night?" The documentary explores the ways Americans have celebrated Saturday night from 1915 to the present and examines social and economic changes driving those developments.
Poorman and Flaherty traveled to Los Angeles in March to receive the student Emmy award. WILL-TV, Champaign-Urbana's PBS outlet, aired the documentary three times in the early spring. "Whatever Happened to Saturday Night?" features NCSA footage including portions of the "Visualization Study of the NSFNet" by Donna Cox and Robert Patterson.
Both Poorman and Flaherty are master's degree candidates at the UIUC School of Journalism. Poorman is also pursuing a master's in business administration. In the fall, Poorman plans to begin his next film, which will deal with social issues of the burgeoning information society.