The Syracuse University School of Information Studies (iSchool) strives to provide a one-of-a-kind educational experience for students through its innovative and integrative programs. iSchool Professor Anthony Rotolo’s “Trek Class,” which debuted this past spring, is a perfect example of this harmonic relationship. This summer, Rotolo will be contributing to the StarTrek.com blog at the official web site of the long-running television and movie franchise.
In a recent post, Rotolo described “The Best of Both Worlds,” an episode in which the crew faces a threat from a Borg, and a younger, reckless Lieutenant Shelby threatens seasoned Commander Riker. This episode spurred much discussion in Trek Class, as students identified a disconnect between Millennials and Baby Boomers.
“Today’s college students, part of the so-called Millennial generation born between 1980 and 1995, are emerging to take the reins from their Baby Boomer predecessors,” Rotolo wrote in the blog post. “With each generation viewing the other to be quite alien in its goals, motivation and tactics, this process is resulting in its fair share of tense “first contact” situations.”
By the end of the discussion, however, students recognized the importance of working together to reach the best outcome.
“As students in Trek Class pointed out, success is achieved when experience and new ideas are each given consideration,” Rotolo said. “It is only when Riker allows Shelby to contribute, realizing that he, too, was once much like her, that the strongest ideas are formed. At the same time, Shelby is able to offer her best work after accepting the value of Riker’s experience as a leader.”
A new semester of Trek Class will begin August 30. Until then, check out StarTrek.com for more blog posts by Rotolo, and follow the #TrekClass hashtag on Twitter.
Rotolo holds a B.S. in Information Management and Technology and a M.S. in Information Management, both from the Syracuse University iSchool. In May 2009, he received the iSchool Outstanding Faculty of the Year Award, and in December, he received the Web-based Information Science Education Consortium’s 2009 Excellence in Online Education Award. He is also the co-founder of Enormo.us, a creative agency specializing in social media, animation and interactive content.