Project: PAYDIRT

…blastoff.

TPSM welcomes undergraduate participation in Project: PAYDIRT, a new initiative in collaboration with UT’s noted Intellectual Entrepreneurship Consortium, designed to equip students from any discipline with a holistic comprehension of the economic and cultural ecosystems of the sports and media industries. This is an extracurricular activity, designed to be completed in four sessions, 4:30 to 5 pm on March 28, April 11, 18 and 25. All sessions will be held in GEA 127.

Participants will work closely with Dr. Steven Ungerleider, a noted psychologist, author and participant in the Olympic movement. Through a unique educational process facilitated by IE’s Dr. Tommy Darwin, Project: PAYDIRT participants will work in small self-selected groups to craft a Guiding Document that informs a global perspective on American sport, which may be the basis for future academic study or a job search. PAYDIRT is an acronym for Professional Application of Youth-Directed Industry Research for Tomorrow.

Project: PAYDIRT is an acronym for Professional Application of Youth-Directed Industry Research for Tomorrow.

The Texas Program in Sports and Media (TPSM) is collaborating with UT’s noted Intellectual Entrepreneurship Consortium (IE) to offer a unique opportunity for graduate and undergraduate students with an interest in either a career in sports or extended scholarship on issues related to sport and society.

TPSM sees sports as a vehicle for precipitating beneficial social change and economic development and media as a vehicle for stimulating human engagement and inter-connection.  TPSM is seeking to expand the opportunities for students across the academic spectrum to study sport and develop professional opportunities in the industry.

Utilizing the IE intern/project framework, students will work on an intensive 6-week project to develop a white paper/strategy for TPSM to 1) weave itself into the academic fabric of the University and 2) put students in a position to actively engage the broad world of sports for career purposes.

Participants will work closely with Dr. Steven Ungerleider, a noted psychologist, author and participant in the Olympic movement. Dr. Tommy Darwin, IE’s chief facilitator, will lead students in the creation of Guiding Document, which can be used as the basis for future academic research or a tool for job search.

This is an ideal opportunity for students with a professional interest in sports to expand their network in the sports industry, develop professional experiences and increase sports-related career opportunities on campus. For students with interest in advanced academic training on issues of sport and society, this will be a forum to test a thesis, develop an interdisciplinary perspective and share ideas with your academic cohort.

This collaboration will happen on the UT-Austin campus in four meetings (March 28, April 11, 18 and 25) from 4-5:30 pm. Space is limited.