Project brief: To inform the general public about the interlocking relationship between research and education and to highlight undergraduate research opportunities at the University of California.

Approach: Using a slideshow-driven narrative and covering topics ranging from neuroscience to dance, the project consists of nine segments, each focusing on one researcher and one University of California campus at a time. The stories can be browsed by project, student name and campus location. The importance of research to a well-rounded education is told in the students’ own voices. The usage of audio and candid photography personalizes the stories and captures the students’ enthusiasm for the opportunity to work with some of the top researchers in their fields.

Effectiveness: The project was enthusiastically welcomed on the University of California campuses and received awards from Communication Arts, the University and College Designers Association and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. To quote Catrina L. Wagner, assistant director of academic and first-year transition services at UC Davis: “This site is so ‘rich’ for highlighting undergraduate research and speaking to today’s generation of students. Kudos to the entire project team who put these remarkable student stories together.”

UC Riverside is using the project as a recruiting tool in the lobby of their admissions office.

All about the storytelling. A site for the whole UC system. As a prospective student, it would help you make the decision.

The theme of good design is telling stories and bringing in people. Execution in stories could have been better, but the site is engaging and raises the bar for the category. The whole university talks to prospective market. The interface speaks in an elegant way (except the sound).