WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has awarded two international gold and one silver medal to Washington State University for its 2011 Circle of Excellence Awards. The awards acknowledge superior accomplishments that “have lasting impact, demonstrate the highest level of professionalism and deliver exceptional results.”
Gold medals were awarded to:
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Zach Mazur Photographer of the year for his work with Washington State Magazine on “Of Time and Wilderness in the North Cascades,” and “Cultivated Landscapes.”
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WSU News Service Excellence in news writing involving a review of a body of work.
Silver was awarded to:
- Washington State Magazine Excellence in design for the 2010 cover, “Cultivated Landscapes.”
For Zach Mazur, the award represents a body of work he has produced for the magazine.
And for WSU News, the award represents five individual stories that received significant coverage in the past year. They are:
· John Reganold’s work on organic strawberries and perennial wheat.
· Craig Parks’ work on “Why we don’t like working with unselfish colleagues.”
· Chemistry professor Choong-Shik Yoo’s use of super-high pressure to create “super batteries.”
· WSU astrobiologist Dirk Schulze-Makuch offering a ‘road map’ for a one-way Martian mission.
Of note, four of these five news releases were produced by WSU science writer Eric Sorensen, along with the fifth by writer Rob Strenge.
In judging the awards, the committee took into consideration advanced use of technology and the success of media attention. The stories received significant coverage in publications such as the London Daily Mail, the Economist, Wired, the Associated Press, PopSci.com, the Spokesman-Review, Science Friday, Washington Post, Grist.org, NPR and Technology Review.
The CASE Circle of Excellence awards are judged by panels of advancement practitioners who understand the challenges, opportunities and rewards inherent in the advancement profession. Awards are given in 41 categories in the primary areas of Advancement Services, Alumni Relations, Communications and Marketing, Fundraising and Integrated Advancement Projects.