In less than four minutes, Sea Grant’s videographer Bonnie Willison breaks down research on Great Lakes historical food webs and a keystone fish species in those webs—the cisco. Willison made liberal use of both her video shooting and editing skills, as well as engaging and educational animations, in Past, Present and Future Ciscoes: Wisconsin Sea Grant Research, which was favorably received by the judges in the prestigious University and College Designers Association (UCDA) annual competition. Last week, the video captured an award of excellence.
Two other Sea Grant projects, both designed by Yael Gen, were cited as honorable mention entries in the competition. Winning were a marine debris teaching tool and the Sea Grant 2018-20 biennial report.
UCDA Design Awards recognize the best of exceptional design and creative work—print, digital, illustration, photography and student-work—completed by creative professionals to promote secondary, vocational and higher education.
Videographer Bonnie Willison.
Willison said, “This video was a challenge, as it was created during the pandemic. We did virtual interviews and masked shoots, and I supplemented the video footage with some scientific animation. All that being said, I’m honored to be recognized by the UCDA!”
Gen said, “Because I’m kind of a one-man-band, I often feel like I’m working in a silo. But to be recognized this year, when everyone was isolated, feels especially gratifying.”
Designer Yael Gen.
Material designed by Gen for an event commemorating last year’s Groundwater Awareness Week also won an award of excellence that went to Sea Grant’s sister organization, the University of Wisconsin Water Resources Institute.