How to become an overnight sensation in just 8 years

Finding the story and telling it

Some context

• The writing on the all– Ag, energy, military economic cornerstones

• Demographic trends– Out-migration– Rural depopulation

Some context

• EPSCoR 1985

• Higher Education Roundtable– Local, state, federal (Congressional), private

sector

• Trends are not inevitable

What’s happened

• North Dakota’s image is not high tech

• But we’ve got a good story to tell– Microsoft– Alien Technology– Tech Park

• Ingersol Rand

• John Deere

What’s happened

• Enrollment, program and research growth

• Jobs creation

• Political support

• Private sector support

“Fargo has blossomed into a hip, college town enjoying the fruits of prosperity…North Dakota State University is the economic engine in the middle of it all.”

—USA Today, February 24, 2004

“The greater Fargo region of some 180,000 people is becoming a force not only in software, but in electronics manufacturing, research and development, and biotechnology.”

—The American Enterprise, August 2005

Becoming an overnight sensation

• EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement award to Mark Nawrot - 1995

• Detailed research for theory development - 4 years

• NIH grant, study, experimentation - 2 years• Data analysis, peer review - 2 years

What the PIO offers

• Relationship building– Media– PI’s

• News judgment– Significant, Local, Balanced, Timely,

Unusual, Famous

• Ability to tell a story

Nawrot’s research

• Already known that drinking and driving don’t mix

• What’s new: motion parallax– Ethanol intoxication reduces depth perception

• Psychological Science, Dec. 2004

Carol’s work

• Took advantage of holiday timing - dead time• Copy that built around New Year’s Eve theme,

made science relate• Targeted media list, distribution/wire services• Told a good story• Coached Mark

The results

• National distribution– Print and electronic

• World wide distribution– In languages we don’t speak

• Broke through tsunami coverage

Final thoughts

• Not every faculty wants/appreciates coverage

• Leap of faith to give up control of their work

• Big bang for buck - just a good team