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Join the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center for ConnectED: Innovation in Data & Journalism

April 9, 2026

HATTIESBURG — The Roy Howard Community Journalism Center will host ConnectED: Innovation in Data & Journalism, a lineup of eight mini-workshops covering topics ranging from data journalism to networking, digital productivity and artificial intelligence.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, April 17, in Room 108 of the Liberal Arts Building at The University of Southern Mississippi. All sessions are free and open to the public. Registration is not required, but attendees are strongly encouraged to register in advance.

ConnectED gives the Roy Howard Community Journalism Center a way to bring resources from national conferences back to students in south Mississippi. Presenters based their sessions on topics from both the National Institute for Computer-Assisted Reporting conference, NICAR 2026, in Indianapolis, and the Connect & Emerge conference hosted by Emerge Events in Hattiesburg. Rather than simply repeating those sessions, presenters will draw on their own experience and knowledge to create new opportunities for attendees to build practical skills.

Session topics

Blockchain Sleuthing 101: Following the Money on the Blockchain

Presenter: Kiran Siwal

This session will show attendees how to read blockchain transaction data to uncover stories. It covers tracing public wallet activity, exploring prediction markets such as Polymarket and identifying leads hidden in plain sight. Attendees will leave you with two free browser-based tools and a simple framework for spotting newsworthy patterns in blockchain data.

Clustering and Mapping Text Data for Journalism

Presenter: Pragesh Adhikari

This session focuses on analyzing large text datasets through visualization. Using semantic maps, attendees will learn how texts with similar patterns can be clustered to uncover hidden insights and potential stories. Participants will also have access to code they can use later to explore datasets in their own work.

Networked: Modern Strategies for Meaningful Connections in a Digital World

Presenter: Ame Posey

This session will help attendees maximize online engagement and build a thriving professional network grounded in authentic human connection. It will provide practical tools, tested strategies and simple tips for networking with confidence.

PMTiles: Making Web Mapping More Accessible

Presenter: Rabindra Giri

Attendees will learn how open-source tools are making custom web maps more accessible, without the need for expensive servers. The session covers what PMTiles are, why they matter for data journalism and storytelling, and how organizations can move away from costly commercial mapping services. Participants will see real-world examples and leave with resources to begin building basemaps for less than $10.

From Passion to Proof: Creating Value From What You Already Know

Presenter: Abria Turner

This session explores how existing skills, authentic interests and personal strengths can be turned into tangible, meaningful work. Attendees will learn how to identify patterns in their expertise and turn them into projects that demonstrate real value.

Automating Mass Scraping With AI

Presenter: Sonam Sherpa

Scraping data from the web is familiar territory for journalists, but collecting information spread across hundreds of websites and dozens of formats can be far more difficult. This session examines new methods that allow users to rely on large language models to analyze website structure and automatically generate working scrapers, opening the door to more ambitious data collection on deadline.

Prompt Smarter, Not Harder: Getting More From AI Tools Like ChatGPT

Presenter: Whitney Argenbright

This mini-session will show attendees how to use ChatGPT more effectively by writing stronger prompts, refining responses and avoiding common pitfalls. It also covers privacy settings and custom instructions that can help users tailor AI tools while protecting sensitive information.

R: Intro to R and Its Place in Data Journalism

Presenter: Nischit Sharma

This session offers an introduction to R, the open-source programming language widely used for data analysis. Attendees will learn a few fundamentals, why R matters in data journalism, and how to begin using it in their own work.