Best of CASE District VII Award
 

Institution: University of California, Los Angeles

Title of entry: Anastasia Pipi on the quantum mind

About this entry: Our team created this quantum explainer video to make a complex and often intimidating field accessible, engaging and relevant to the general public. The primary audience includes curious non-experts—students, educators, policymakers, industry professionals outside physics and lifelong learners—who are encountering quantum concepts through headlines but lack a clear, trustworthy foundation. By targeting this broad audience, the video aims to close the gap between cutting-edge research and public understanding as well as to inspire others to learn more about the field.

We centered it around the expertise of doctoral student Anastasia Pipi to put a human face on this complicated topic. She brought subject-matter credibility while remaining approachable to viewers without jargon or condescension. This positioning reinforces trust, signals academic rigor and humanizes the research process by showing that real people—not abstractions—are doing this work.

Strategically, the video supports three goals. First, it builds baseline quantum literacy, enabling viewers to better interpret news, policy discussions and emerging technologies. Second, it strengthens institutional visibility and thought leadership by demonstrating a commitment to public engagement and responsible science communication. Third, it contributes to long-term talent and interest pipelines by inspiring students and early-career audiences to see quantum science as understandable, meaningful and attainable--and UCLA as a leader in the field.

Working with an internal videographer colleague in a different department, one designer served as the creative director of the entire project, with support from one writer. The resulting video got huge engagement and has become the oft-used campuswide quantum explainer.