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Hubble Space Telescope captures largest near-infrared image to find universe’s rarest galaxies (June 2022 news release distributed to media and posted to owned channels)
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Researchers reveal a galaxy sparkling with the universe’s oldest star clusters (September 2022 news release distributed to media and posted to owned channels)
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Forbes: Why the Webb telescope’s incredible new images don’t mean the end for Hubble (international top-tier media coverage of first research paper featuring expert commentary of the Webb image release. This story took the angle of Hubble versus Webb by interviewing Mowla about her first research project.)
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BBC Science: Shiny, sparkly object in James Webb space image (international top-tier media coverage of second research paper for a science-minded/mainstream audience; interviews with Mowla and co-author Kartheik Iyer; also covered in BBC Science Focus Magazine)
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Space.com: James Webb Space Telescope spots 'Sparkler Galaxy' that could host universe's 1st stars (international science media coverage; interviews with Mowla and co-author Kartheik Iyer)
Rising star: U of T astronomer’s out-of-this-world research
Category
Communications > Storytelling
Description
Best of CASE District II Award
Institution: University of Toronto
Title of entry: Rising star: U of T astronomer’s out-of-this-world research
About this entry: The Faculty Arts & Science (A&S) is a major driver of the University of Toronto’s research excellence – and extraordinarily talented postdoctoral researchers like Lamiya Mowla are at the core of this success. Mowla, a Dunlap Fellow at the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics situated within A&S, is an observational astronomer studying the universe’s earliest galaxies with the Hubble Space Telescope and its eventual successor, the groundbreaking James Webb Space Telescope.
What began as a conversation about upcoming research with this young scientist gave rise to three impactful storytelling opportunities throughout 2022, where we could craft content for our owned channels via web and social media and ultimately share with a wider audience through media. The first of these opportunities was the largest near-infrared image ever taken by Hubble (June). Second, the highly anticipated public release of the first images ever taken by Webb (July). Third, the discovery of the universe’s oldest star clusters in a sparkling galaxy (September). Mowla’s exposure throughout the year due to media relations efforts culminated in top-tier year-in-review coverage.
Strategic media relations – including developing a trusting relationship with a new spokesperson, leveraging existing relationships and sparking new ones with key journalists at targeted outlets, and strong storytelling chops– raised Mowla’s profile as a just-out-of-the-gate scientist already making waves with her work. Resulting international and national media coverage boosted awareness of A&S as a significant contributor to game-changing Webb discoveries, inserting its researchers into ongoing worldwide conversation and news cycle– a truly competitive space.