ASU Research Magazine is best in nation


ASU Research Magazine has won the gold medal as the best university research magazine in the United States. The award was presented as part of the 2008 Circle of Excellence program sponsored by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) based in Washington, D.C.

“We’ve won a lot of gold, silver and bronze medals from CASE in past years for illustration, design and individual writing, but this is the biggest award our magazine has ever won in my 23 years as editor,” says Conrad J. Storad, director of ASU Research Publications.
Storad and his staff are reveling in the fact that they produce the very best research magazine in the country, but they’re not stopping there.

To date, staff members at Research Publications have won 28 awards for their work in 2007-2008 alone. The honors come from six different regional, national and international professional communication organizations.

In May, staff members brought home three Silver Communicator Awards of Distinction from the International Academy of the Visual Arts based in New York. The Award of Distinction is presented to projects that exceed industry standards in quality and excellence.

ASU’s winners include:

• Best Educational Institution Magazine – ASU Research Magazine.

• Feature Articles – “The Art of Leaving” by Melissa Crytzer Fry.

• Feature Articles – “Saguaro’s End” by Adelheid Fischer.

Storad’s staff also went eight-for-eight in the 2008 Cactus Quill awards program sponsored by the Tucson chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). The competition was open to professional communicators from across Arizona.

ASU’s 2008 Cactus Quill award winners were in the following categories:

• Magazine – ASU Research Magazine.

• Magazine Design – ASU Research Magazine.

• Electronic Communication/Web Site – ASU Research e-Zine.

• Writing – “Cosmic Playground” by Diane Boudreau (ASU Research Magazine).

• Writing – “Fuels of Green” by Diane Boudreau (ASU Research Magazine).

• Writing – “The Art of Leaving” by Melissa Crytzer Fry (ASU Research Magazine).

• Illustration – “Taking Leave” by Michael Hagelberg (ASU Research Magazine).

• Illustration – “Filling Green” by Michael Hagelberg (ASU Research Magazine).

Hagelberg, the art director on Storad’s staff, also won national recognition from the University and College Designers Association for his outstanding illustration work. His original art was displayed as part of an international exhibit in Toronto, Ontario.

Other new awards won for the Research Publications’ trophy case this year include three Silver Quill Awards from the IABC Southern Region, three silver medals and one bronze medal from CASE District 7 (which includes competition from professional communicators working at colleges and universities in seven western states) and six IABC/Phoenix Copper Quill Awards.

“Our research publications team is second to none,” says Rick Shangraw, ASU’s vice president for research and economic affairs. “They are committed to communicating ASU’s research in compelling and creative ways, and their approach keeps achieving results and earning recognition.”

Debra Fossum, debra.fossum@asu.edu
Office of Research and Economic Affairs