A group of Wayne State communication students will be the social media voice for this weekend’s Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.

Nearly 20 students will volunteer their time — in exchange for credit hours — leading up to and during race weekend. The students will team up with marketing agency OTTO Detroit and Franco Public Relations Group to create, publish and manage the social media content for the Grand Prix social channels, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

“The real-time nature of doing social media for an event requires students to constantly adjust, adapt and be resourceful – something we can't make happen in the classroom,” said Shelly Najor, director of the undergraduate public relations program at Wayne State. “We welcome these partnerships, which allow our students to get this sort of experience as part of their education.”

In conjunction with Najor’s PR social media team, WSU broadcast journalism and television production professor Kim Piper-Aiken and her squad of eight journalism students were brought in to write, shoot and edit video, among other digital media tasks.

“The three-day race weekend will be all hands on deck, with 12- to 14-hour days,” Piper-Aiken said. “There will be international media right across the hallway from our media center at the Grand Prix. This will be an experience unparalleled for Wayne State’s PR and media journalism students.”

Penske Corporation, led by Detroit billionaire businessman Roger Penske, approached WSU with the idea of having students handle the racing event’s social media presence. In turn, the company paid for each student’s COM 3990 one-credit directed study course.

But the students will receive much more than a free class.

“They’re getting to see how professionals in these social marketing companies engage with Twitter, Facebook and others to make sure all social platforms are covered,” Piper-Aiken said. “It’s real time, real experience and uses cutting-edge technology. It’s fantastic.”