Eight journalism students from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are receiving a national award for an in-depth report on ethanol.

The report titled “Ethanol: Salvation or Damnation?” has taken first place in a student reporting category in the Society of Environmental Journalism’s 2009 awards.

According to SEJ, “the students took a vital issue in their community and shone a light on a wide variety of angles. That they went far enough to find people in their community affected by ethanol’s varied impacts — from farmers to families shopping for tortillas — made this a clear-cut winner.”

The full-color magazine – with this clever graphic depicting the seal of the United States with a fuel gauge, gas nozzle and corn plant – will be available in August.