October 26, 2021
A partnership between Journalism’s student-run public relations firm, Agency 398, and Autonomy Research Center for STEAHM, (ARCS), has been solidified, adding to a growing list of clients for the agency and broadening awareness for the NASA-funded research center at CSUN.
“The ARCS and Agency 398 collaboration this semester helps achieve simultaneous goals,” said ARCS’ Marketing Manager David Perez.
It gives the Agency 398 students a chance to apply their skills and promote ARCS to the CSUN community and externally to the public, he said.
In addition, the agency helped with recruitment and worked on the entrepreneurial event called the CSUN Make Anything Matadors Challenge, an Autodesk-sponsored initiative.
“It is like ‘Shark Tank,’ but for science,” said Professor Stacy Long, Agency 398 director.
Kylie Shannon, an Agency-student team member, said the PR students are developing a workshop to promote the sponsored Autodesk event and bring exposure to what they describe as an exciting experience. They will craft news releases and work with on-campus clubs to spread the word, she added.
ARCS’ leadership encouraged students to join the program and to participate in this innovation challenge that funds students’ products or designs. Those who qualify and win will be rewarded with $30,000. The transdisciplinary campus-wide contest is open to all CSUN students in all majors who have an innovative product idea they would like to see come to life, said ARCS event organizers.
One of these challenges is a “Shark Tank” – styled pitch, such as posting a YouTube video that explains the product, how it works, and its designed purpose, said organizers.
Perez, a CSUN graduate student in Mass Communication, predicted the Agency 398 and ARCS partnership would be mutually beneficial. He connected with a recent Journalism Department Public Relations graduate Anessa Quintanilla (Class of 2021), who also worked with the agency, for her thoughts on the partnership. He, in turn, worked with tie ARCS leadership team to get this approved, he said.
The ARCS team then reached out to Professor Long to formalize the mutual partnership. Students are now working alongside ARCS staff to create a public relations social media content plan and to execute it.
“JOUR 398 B/C, a practicum class required of all PR majors, provides opportunities for a hands-on experience to not only practice what they have studied, but to apply the concepts with real-world client,” said Long. “Bringing in ARCS creates an even more diverse portfolio of clients that serves as important training for the students,” she added.
ARCS, a NASA-funded program at CSUN, provides under-represented students an opportunity to enhance their skills in their majors and become workforce-ready graduates.
“While ARCS tends to target students studying STEAHM, such as science-based subjects they cannot emphasize enough, that no matter a student’s major, they can be part of NASA, JPL and other organizations,” said Kylie Shannon, Agency 398 team member.
– By Karoo Meyer