From the Nominator

"By accessing internal expertise and assets to create an inexpensive, sustainable framework for episodic, immersive storytelling, WashU was able to engage and educate multiple audiences on our efforts to measure and mitigate the effects of climate change and elevate Missouri’s natural resources and the work of our researchers as pivotal in this effort. These stories were tailored for each of our channels, resulting in over 370,000 impressions over all channels.  

Hosted by Washington (WashU’s flagship magazine), each installment of “Our World By Degrees” focuses on a different aspect of the same climate story and how researchers and students alike are working to understand the powerful forces behind climate change and the tools we’ll need to combat it. The inaugural story in the series, “In Search of Refuge,” looks at a collaborative research effort to determine whether climate change refugia—habitats that preserve cooler temperatures or other favorable conditions for animals and plants—can be found in Missouri and the Ozark mountains. The print story was entirely reported on location at Washington University’s lesser-known environmental field station, Tyson Research Center, located about 25 miles from the university’s main campus. Elements of the video were recorded on the grounds and in the herbarium at Missouri Botanical Garden, one of the world’s top botanical research and conservation institutions."

From the Judges

This story took a global issue and explained it using a local approach. The way WashU leveraged content across multiple channels is one that could be replicated by other institutions. The page view statistics are impressive and speak to the coordination across channels.