Best of CASE District V Award
 

Institution: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Title of entry: LSI Magazine

About this entry: LSI Magazine is the U-M Life Sciences Institute’s most prominent print publication, distributed to more than 3,000 external and campus recipients, as well as LSI visitors. Produced annually, the magazine provides an opportunity for more in-depth exploration of both the stories behind and the impacts of the institute’s cutting-edge research, educational programs, and collaborations across campus and beyond.

The 2023 issue was built around a theme of ‘networks’. This theme was reflected through the topics of the various articles — from the complexity of the neuronal connections that form a nervous system, to professional networks that help shape LSI trainees’ careers as future scientific leaders, to the industry-academia networks that can advance new medicines — as well as through the string art found throughout the magazine. The designer, Rajani Arora, chose this artistic theme specifically to augment the theme of the content; and she conceptualized, created, and photographed all of the original string artwork included in this issue.

The result of the writing, original artwork, and overall design is a publication that cohesively communicates the impact of the LSI’s work. The magazine uses feature-length articles and artwork to demonstrates how fundamental discovery science connects to human health and disorders such as Down syndrome and anorexia nervosa; how our trainees’ experiences here connect them to their futures in science; how connections between academia and industry can ignite new discoveries; and even how connections across generations of neurons help shape complex tissue.