Best of CASE District IV Award
 

Institution: The University of Texas At Austin

Title of entry: The Science of Birdsong

About this entry: The Science of Birdsong started off as a simple press release that presented findings from three related scientific studies on the bird vocal organ. This release was aimed at journalists and resulted in positive media attention, including a segment on the NPR show Science Friday.

We decided to turn this release into a larger storytelling vehicle by repackaging it into different forms for distinct audiences. The strategic goal in doing so was to build awareness of the foundational scientific research happening at the Jackson School. This awareness can help attract students and collaborators while also building a sense of pride among the Jackson School community and enhancing reputational standing among peer institutions.

We repackaged the story for two publications: The Geoscientist (published twice a year in print, and sent to leadership at ~300 peer institutions and available online) and The Newsletter (published once a year in print for 5,200 alumni and donors and available online). We also created social media materials that complemented each version of the story, so we could share it with our followers online. Many of these followers are current students and alumni. The subject matter of the research - birds - has inherently broad appeal and presented an opportunity for us to get creative with artwork, photography and design.

This storytelling approach has helped us reach and build broad audiences and spread awareness of a unique area of research happening at the Jackson School of Geosciences.