The SPJ “Mark of Excellence” awards are given out annually for the best in student journalism in 43 different categories of print, radio, television and other online collegiate journalism. Students Edward Jacob and Heather Sinclair will officially receive their awards at a luncheon on Friday, Aug. 25, at the SPJ Convention and National Journalism Conference in Chicago.

Jacob, a senior, was awarded a national second place honor in the category of “radio feature” for his piece “Altered States Art Exhibit,” which was broadcast on the university’s award-winning public radio station KCSN-FM/88.5. Jacob utilized the auditory elements found in “Ecstasy: In and About Altered States,” an exhibit held at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Geffen Contemporary location last fall.

“There was so much sound in the exhibit from running water, to classical music, to even the soundtrack from a 1950’s Zsa Zsa Gabor movie that I knew instantly it would make a good radio piece,” Jacob said.

Jacob narrated the visual elements of the exhibit while playing the auditory track simultaneously.

“In radio, in addition to natural sounds, there are also ambient sounds,” said Keith Goldstein, KCSN news director and journalism professor. “Edward had a special talent of finding the ambient sounds within the ‘Altered States’ exhibit and, through recording them, creatively made the radio listener feel as if they were there. Most people are content with the visual aspects of an exhibit. However, Edward heightened the exhibit by taking listeners to about six different elements of sound.”

Jacob also received an “Edward R. Murrow” award earlier this year for the use of sound in his “Altered States Art Exhibit.”

Currently interning at KLSX radio station in Los Angeles, Jacob will graduate from CSUN this December with a degree in broadcast journalism and hopes to pursue a career in radio broadcasting.

Sinclair, who recently graduated, was also awarded a national “Mark of Excellence” honor, finishing third in the category of “radio in-depth reporting” for her story “Tigers in Captivity.”

“Heather did an excellent journalism job of following up on an isolated incident of a tiger that was wandering loose through Moorpark,” Goldstein said. “She investigated the necessity of fish and game officials having to shoot the tiger, and then went on to further investigate the use of tigers in captivity, both in homes and animal sanctuaries.

She did a good job of digging and thorough investigating, and then objectively covered all sides of the issue.”

“With a story so emotional it was hard to stay objective, but I tried to see the story from an outside perspective,” said Sinclair.

Sinclair is currently working as an editorial assistant at KNBC and plans on returning to CSUN in the fall to pursue a master’s degree in mass communication.

“Being nationally recognized can offer these students the advantage of credibility for the capability of a professional level of work,” Goldstein said. “There is a tremendous amount of competition in radio broadcasting so anything a student can do to make them stand out will help them in the future.”

The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation’s most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior.

KCSN-FM is run by students majoring in broadcast journalism and directed by Goldstein, the station’s only full-time employee. Throughout the years, KCSN news has won more than 400 awards in national and state competitions against professional broadcasters and other university students.