UBC Faculty of Applied Science

Dr. Carolina Tropini, a renowned researcher and professor in UBC’s Faculty of Applied Science, received the prestigious Johnson & Johnson Women in STEM2D Scholars Award. Coldwater Communications built a media campaign to bring awareness to Dr. Tropini’s work, her status as the first Canadian to ever win the award, and to the Faculty of Applied Science as a hub of innovation. 

Approach‍

The team did a deep-dive into high-impact science media and communications, Dr. Tropini’s work, as well as the efforts made on behalf of past winners of the award. This became the foundation of the following tactics:  

• Developed three separate pitches that focused on each specific story angle: some text
  • A general announcement of Dr. Tropini’s award
  • An exploration of Dr. Tropini as a woman working in STEMM, and her advocacy for diversity and inclusion in the field
  • The exciting explorations and potential impact of her research
• Created media lists that would address the target audiences for each pitch category
• Pitched standard media outlets covering award announcements, business, science, health, diversity and inclusion, academic research, scientific podcasts, as well as those outside the standard covering Italian language and culture, and immigration space.

Results‍

Coldwater’s campaign delivered coverage that activated entirely new audiences, going well beyond the typical reach of an award-winning researcher’s story:  

• Secured coverage from 12 media outlets including Healthing.ca, The Province, and the Vancouver Sun, as well as a two-page spread in Canadian Immigrant Magazine 
• By focusing on Dr. Tropini’s push for diversity and inclusion, and sharing her immigration story, we reached a wider audience outside that of the science community.

Impact‍

The campaign served as a proof-of-concept approach to science news for UBC researchers and activated follow-on client and campaign work with the UBC School of Biomedical Engineering.  This work landed op-eds in key outlets like the Hill Times, and brought national attention to the work of its roster of researchers and the potential of the school’s new, state-of-the-art building for teaching, research and innovation. 

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