From the Nominator

"The COVID-19 pandemic had us thinking about how we prepare for emergencies along with the scientists and researchers who plan for and mitigate future disasters. This video explores how scientists anticipate terrible events and why having a plan beforehand is crucial.   

For this video, we focused on what would happen if a large asteroid were headed toward Earth. We usually see this as a staple of Hollywood blockbusters, but what would we actually do to stop one? Luckily, there are people like Kirsten Howley, a Lawrence Livermore National Lab researcher, who has a game plan for dealing with this potential danger.   

Investing in this type of research is essential if we want to be prepared for the next disaster. Institutions like the UC-managed Lawrence Livermore National Lab are dedicated to solving these big, scientific challenges for our country. The video also demonstrates how scientists need to take into account diplomacy and politics in order to save the world. 

Alongside the video, we developed a companion article that expanded on the video and includes animated GIFs to help explain the information. This helps make the information more search-friendly and accessible to those who would rather read than watch a video."

From the Judges

This video spoke to a lay audience with a nice blend of animation and information. We appreciated the way the information was made accessible and used popular culture to explain a difficult (and frightening) topic.