The AP-Google Journalism and Technology Scholarship Program fosters new journalism skills in undergraduate and graduate students developing projects at the intersection of journalism and technology. Katie Zhu is one of six inaugural Scholars.

Current location: Evanston, Ill. 
Current gig: Part-time Developer at GOOD / full-time student at Northwestern University (Computer Science and Journalism) 
Six-word memoir: Learn all the things, add coffee. 
Quick and dirty resume: I came into Northwestern as a journalism major and spent my first summer interning at ABC News in Beijing. I picked up computer science my sophomore year, worked at GOOD over the summer and helped build its mobile website. I spent my first two years on campus writing, editing, designing and producing for North by Northwestern. I received a grant to study living labs in Finland and was selected as a Knight-Mozilla News Technology Partnership finalist.
Favorite fictional character: Abed from “Community.”

The AP-Google Journalism and Technology Scholarship Program fosters new journalism skills in undergraduate and graduate students developing projects at the intersection of journalism and technology. John Osborn is one of six inaugural Scholars.

Hometown: Medford, N.Y.
Current location: Oakland, Calif.
Current gig: I’m a graduate student at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism studying multimedia and data visualization. When not hitting the books, I freelance for the East Bay Express, a weekly newspaper based out of Oakland, and I also work as an independent contractor for Dygest Inc., a company that has developed a news prediction app called Scoople.
Six-word memoir: Political Junkie. Data Nerd. Media Revolutionary.
Quick and dirty resume: Learned the grim realities of the newspaper industry after my first job at the Eureka Reporter was cut short when it folded in 2008. Jumped into the freelance foray after that. Built a website to cover the 2010 election in Humboldt County. Moved to the Bay Area in 2011 and have since worked with the East Bay Express, Bay Citizen, Patch.com, and Berkeleyside.
Favorite fictional character: Nerd Alert. My favorite fictional character is Cecil Harvey from the Super Nintendo role-playing game classic Final Fantasy 4. I was always inspired by his empathetic and kind nature, his leadership ability, and his strong sense of purpose when it came to, well, in this case, saving the world from an ancient lunar-borne demon. Crossing fingers that we will never have to face a similar fate …

The AP-Google Journalism and Technology Scholarship Program fosters new journalism skills in undergraduate and graduate students developing projects at the intersection of journalism and technology. Rebecca Rolfe is one of six inaugural Scholars.

Hometown: Greenville, N.C.
Current location: Atlanta, Ga.
Current gig: Grad student studying Digital Media at Georgia Tech
Six-word memoir: I’d love to hear your story.
Quick and dirty resume: J-school at UNC-Chapel Hill with professors who greatly opened my mind, one summer learning design from the amazing Virginian-Pilot staff, and three years watching online journalism explode on the mobile front with a stellar design team at CNN.com. Somehow you can’t get through even a quick and dirty resume without thanking all the people who made it such a valuable experience. More than anything, major props are owed to the small-town papers and ad agencies that take a chance on newbies like me, hiring us even when our design portfolio consisted of a cut-out magazine art project held together with Elmer’s glue. The first experiences are always the formative ones, and I learned so much from everyone along the way.
Favorite fictional character: Harvey, the kindest and most inspiring 6-foot tall invisible rabbit you’d ever hope to meet.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Associated Press and Google today announced the first recipients of a new national scholarship program targeted at college students whose innovative projects exemplify the new journalist in the digital media age. The Online News Association, the world’s largest membership organization of digital journalists, administers the program.

The AP-Google Journalism and Technology Scholarship provides $20,000 scholarships for the 2012-13 academic year to six promising undergraduate or graduate students pursuing or planning to pursue degrees at the intersection of journalism, computer science and new media. A key goal is to promote geographic, gender and ethnic diversity, with an emphasis on rural and urban areas.

The students were selected by a committee of digital media leaders from applications across the country.

There’s just two days left to apply for the Student Newsroom at the Online News Association’s annual conference, Sept. 20-22, in San Francisco. Application deadline is 6 p.m. ET, March 29.

One week left to apply for the ONA12 Student Newsroom
We’re accepting applications for the ONA12 Student Newsroom until March 29. The 20 selected students get to report on ONA12, network with the top minds in digital media, work with other talented student journalists and receive an all-expense trip to San Francisco, courtesy of a Google sponsorship.

ONA12 registration opens April 10
Registration for the 2012 Online News Association Conference and Awards opens soon. There’s a lot to do while you’re waiting. Help us refine the conference by voting on sessions submitted through the ONA12 Session Selector. Interested in speaking at the conference? Speaker applications are due by March 27. And don’t forget to register on April 10 to join the top minds in journalism Sept. 20-22 in San Francisco. Connect with journalists and technologists from around the world, as well as the Bay Area’s innovative media, tech and entrepreneur communities and the hundreds of biotech and information technology companies that are thriving in Silicon Valley.

Over the past month, members of the digital journalism community have submitted 229 session proposals for the Online News Association’s 2012 Conference and Online Journalism Awards Banquet, Sept. 20-22, in San Francisco.

Now it’s time to vote for your favorites.

New deadline for Session Selector submissions: March 15
What do you want to hear from the top minds in digital media? What can you teach journalists, technologists and entrepreneurs? Submit a session idea or apply to speak at ONA12. Extended deadline is March 15. After voting closes, the ONA community will vote on the proposed sessions. Voting opens March 20 and closes April 12.

ONAvation Webinar: Comics and Illustrated Journalism
Interested in visual storytelling? ONA members get a discounted registration to our upcoming ONAvation webinar on April 5, in partnership with Poynter’s NewsU, in which Erin Polgreen, recent winner of the McCormick New Media Women Entrepreneurs initiative, will show you how to incorporate new forms of visual narrative, including comics and illustration, into your newsroom. She’ll talk about the types of stories that can be turned into effective illustrated journalism and you’ll see some concrete examples of successful (and not-so-successful) projects. ONA members price: $9.95. Non-member price: $29.95. Not a member? Join here.

Students, are you looking for a great opportunity to cover digital media and learn from top leaders in the industry? Apply to be a part of the all-expenses-paid ONA12 Student Newsroom at the Online News Association’s annual conference, Sept. 20-22, in San Francisco.

Applications are now open — find the full application here. Application deadline is 6 p.m. PT, March 29.

It’s not too early to plan your trip to the 2012 Online News Association Conference & Awards Banquet in San Francisco, a city that epitomizes the pioneer spirit.

ONA12, Sept. 20-22, will tap into the Bay Area’s innovative media, tech and entrepreneur communities and the hundreds of biotech and information technology companies that are thriving in Silicon Valley. Add world-class restaurants, museums, theaters and orchestras and a ballpark, and you have the makings of a terrific three-day (or longer) stay.

Here’s a guide to who’s running the show, where you can stay and how much you should budget.