This past fall, the Science in Video (SciVid) competition accepted submissions of short, two-minute videos about a wide range of materials science topics that were intended to teach, amaze, and amuse a broad audience. During the 2017 MRS Fall Meeting, SciVid spotlighted the finalists from the competition, where 23 video entries were received. Sponsors included the MRS Foundation, Goodfellow Corporation, and A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute. First place was awarded $1000, second place $500, third place $300, and People’s Choice received $700.

The video finalists were posted to YouTube, where viewers were able to vote for their favorite submission for the People’s Choice Award. There were 6500 video views in less than 10 days, with more than 1400 people voting.

Back row, left to right: Armin Vahid Mohammadi, Honorable Mention; Babak Anasori, Drexel University; Stephen Aldersley, President, Goodfellow Corporation; Yury Gogotsi, Drexel University. Front row, left to right: Antoni Forner-Cuenca, 3rd place; Monica Morales, accepted award on behalf of 1st place team; Chandana Kolluru, 2nd place.

Babak Anasori, Drexel University, created and chaired the competition. “It takes weeks to make a good video. It is much more difficult than a photo. I saw this competition as a way to encourage students to work with other departments and to help them learn communication skills without ‘teaching’ them,” said Anasori.

Because of the success of the competition, it has received funding to continue through 2018.