- Author: Saoimanu Sope
After 13 years of telling the UC ANR story through written articles and video production, Norma De la Vega retired on June 29. De la Vega joined UC ANR's News and Information Outreach in Spanish team in 2009 as a senior writer.
NOS fulfilled UC ANR's vision of developing educational and informational programs in Spanish to serve the Latino community. For more than 40 years, NOS has been producing information formatted for radio, television, and online audiences, and De la Vega has played an instrumental role in helping NOS expand its reach and diversify its creative approach to storytelling.
When she started, most of her writing focused on nutrition, highlighting groups like the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program and the Nutrition Policy Institute. “Norma's contributions were spot on,” said NOS Program Manager Ricardo Vela. “Her impact has been bringing the importance of nutrition into the stories that we bring to the community.”
De la Vega earned a bachelor's degree in science communications from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in her hometown of Mexico City. “Learning how to produce videos when I went to school was very different than now,” said De la Vega. “We didn't have the kind of cameras we do today.”
Following college, De la Vega worked as a television reporter in Tijuana before moving to San Diego County where she started focusing on writing. Prior to UC ANR, De La Vega worked as a writer for the Enlace Union-Tribune's Spanish newspaper in San Diego for nearly a decade.
Before it became NOS' primary medium for storytelling, De la Vega helped lead the team's video production effort despite her limited experience. “We weren't experts, but we realized the importance of video production to get our information out. It was a team effort,” she said.
In 2010, De la Vega wrote a story and produced a video on the importance of planning for old age. In many cases, adult children had to manage their parent's care without guidance, and most caregivers of the elderly spoke Spanish as their first language and needed more resources to do a better job.
De la Vega's story relied on research conducted by Patti Wooten Swanson, UCCE nutrition, family and consumer science advisor in San Diego. Not only was Swanson honored at the 2013 Galaxy Awards for her contribution to the story, but De la Vega, a member of the NOS team at the time, won first place at the Western Region Television/Video Communications Award Ceremony despite the lack of a Spanish language category.
In 2016, De la Vega produced a video of the first bilingual 4-H club, the result of a partnership with the Community Settlement Association in Riverside County. “A lot of good things were happening at that time and are happening now because ANR is evolving with more bilingual experts on different topics,” De la Vega said.
Although she started as a senior writer, De La Vega evolved and became a broadcast communications specialist. Her success in the role allowed her to become well-connected to other communicators and community leaders. “Norma always had a contact we needed for a story that we were working on,” said Miguel Sanchez, another broadcast communications specialist on the NOS team.
Lisa Rawleigh, NOS administrative assistant, established a personal and professional relationship with De la Vega. “Norma ensured that our Spanish articles were written properly and that we did not miss any accents or typos. I can always count on her to proofread my posts on social media,” said Rawleigh.
De la Vega said that she feels “enormously satisfied” to have worked with a team of fellow pioneers. “Although we were not experts, we learned so much every day and together,” De la Vega said. “Today, there are several experts in the production of community videos, and we helped enrich the graphic archive for UC ANR's community programs. I think our contribution was to lead the way in that direction.”
Looking ahead, De la Vega will be spending her retirement traveling and exploring other countries and cultures. Since she was a girl, De la Vega enjoyed swimming and can't wait to do more of it. “I love to swim because being in the water always makes me feel young,” she said.
Finally, De la Vega will enjoy quality time with her grandchildren, teaching them Spanish and volunteering at the Spanish immersion school they attend.
To read this story in Spanish, visit https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=57440.
- Author: Pamela Kan-Rice
ANR offers online training on how to make videos. To further hone video-production techniques, Jeff Mitchell, UCCE specialist, is wondering if ANR colleagues would be interested in an informal way to exchange ideas.
“I am talking about an active, quick-fire workgroup of similarly interested folks who could share tips and skills,” Mitchell said. While he doesn't have a specific communications mechanism in mind, Mitchell would like to hear from others who would like to share techniques about video production. If you're interested, please contact Mitchell at jpmitchell@ucdavis.edu.
In the Frontiers in Communication article “Why Should Scientists be on YouTube? It's all About Bamboo, Oil and Ice Cream,” USDA-ARS scientist Eric Brennan writes, “DIY videos are not a silver bullet that will automatically improve science communication, but they can help scientists to 1) reflect on and improve their communications skills, 2) tell stories about their research with interesting visuals that augment their peer-reviewed papers, 3) efficiently connect with and inspire broad audiences including future scientists, 4) increase scientific literacy, and 5) reduce misinformation.”
Brennan and Douglas Gayeton, creative leader of The Lexicon of Sustainability, recently joined Mitchell to give a presentation to ANR communicators on the use of video in science communication. Brennan, a research horticulturist in organic systems, noted that while his peer-reviewed journal articles may get a couple dozen citations, videos about his research get as many as 200,000 views. To view a recording of the presentations, visit https://youtu.be/FXxvbHV7Ois.
- Author: Mark Bell
Unify-Communicate-Advocate
June - sharing skills
Want to try a virtual consultation?
Save time, get the job done and keep safe by consulting virtually. Here are some notes from Dan Macon on virtual consultations. Please send any related tips or other suggestions to Mark Bell.
Food System Resiliency Webinar Series begins July 14
Join the Sustainable Food Systems and Healthy Families and Communities Strategic Initiative leaders for the Food Systems Resiliency Webinar Series taking place on the second and fourth Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., beginning July 14.
Webinar presentations will provide up-to-date information and identify resources available for UC ANR and community partners. Ample time will be used for questions and answers, identification of information gaps and connecting people with like interests.
Food system resiliency will be viewed through food safety, California food systems partnerships and resources and Victory Gardens Then and Now to name a few. Other perspectives include input from growers, ranchers, shippers, marketing, consumers, farmers markets, CSAs, families and youth. If you are interested in submitting a panel proposal, link to https://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=30391.
July 14, 10 a.m. – Food safety and COVID-19 presented by Erin DiCaprio and Alda Pires
This webinar introduces food safety concerns that have arisen during COVID-10 pandemic. Useful videos, websites and access to print materials will be shared. Additional information on consumer food and garden safety will be shared that have broad application beyond the current pandemic.
Register at http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=30589.
July 28, 10 a.m. – California Food systems: Partnerships and Resources.
Please join moderator Kamal Khaira, UC CalFresh director, as we learn more about programs, resources and services that can support children and families during this unprecedented time. The main topics will cover ways to secure benefits and access nutritious foods. Speakers include:
- Brian Kaiser, California Department of Social Services bureau chief for CalFresh and Nutrition Program Family Engagement and Empowerment Division
- Andy Naja-Riese, CEO Agricultural Institute of Marin
- Leyla Marandi, program manager for California Food for California Kids Center for Ecoliteracy
Register at http://ucanr.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=30590.
More information will be posted at https://ucanr.edu/sites/Professional_Development/Monthly_WebANRs.
Growing reach - "Owning YouTube"
Thank you to the more than 180 individuals who participated in the recent four-part video training series. If you missed the training, it is available online. More than 40 UC ANR staff and academics, who participated in the training, accessed funding provided to purchase equipment and software.
The pipeline for submitting your how-to video productions and having them posted on ANR's main YouTube channels (UCANR and UCANRSpanish) is open for business. Be on the lookout for an ANR how-to video contest in the coming year.
Let us know what skills or tips you found useful and what more you'd like to learn.
For more on the SIs and their activities, contact:
Jim Farrar (EIPD)
David Lewis (Water)
David Lile (SNE)
Deanne Meyer (SFS)
Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty (HFC)
Mark Bell (Strategic Initiatives and Statewide Programs)
- Author: Mark Bell
Our digital journey: progress on video clinics, the Knowledge Stream blog and thematic websites.
Video clinics moving ahead - interested?
Stay tuned for two Strategic Initiative-sponsored "how to" video clinics in April - one in the north and one in the south. We expect to train around 20 participants per clinic.
What next? 5 steps to increased impact:
Step 1: an email to all from the SI leaders inviting indications of interest to participate
Step 2: a pre-clinic webinar to learn the basics of storyboarding, branding, titling and describing videos, and more (applicable to all)
Step 3: two days of hands-on experience, working with others on how to produce 1-5 minute branded “how-to” videos
Step 4: development of an online course and other resources to support on-going video production
Step 5: people share with colleagues, using what they learn and upload. Best practices for uploading to the UC ANR YouTube channel (Strategic Communications will begin some serious curating and reorganization of our YouTube channel to facilitate discoverability of content).
Currently available resources (please share if you have other good resources):
Strat Comm communications toolkit.
For more information about the video clinics, Contact David Lile and David Lewis
Trivia Question: What is our top-viewed video with more than 1.5 million views?
(Answer: Bed Bugs in Spanish)
Knowledge Stream blog and thematic websites
Join the movement: contribute!
The Knowledge Stream helps people find practical, "how-to" information. Submit a short story (200-800 words with picture and URL links) here. Stories will appear in the Knowledge Stream Blog and in the main web site Focus Areas. Stories may also appear on the home page tiles and in social media posts.
Focused, thematic websites like the UC IPM site are effective in delivering research-based, how-to information. Two other thematic sites are being further developed: Fire and Healthy Soils. Feedback and suggestions welcome. Please also share your suggestions for other potential thematic sites with the SI leaders.
For more:
Fire: Max Moritz or Ricky Satomi
Soils: Mark Bell
SI leadership team:
- Jim Farrar (EIPD)
- David Lewis (Water)
- David Lile (SNE)
- Deanne Meyer (SFS)
- Lynn Schmitt-McQuitty (HFC)
- Mark Bell (Strategic Initiatives and Statewide Programs)
The University of California has launched the “I am a UC Entrepreneur” campaign to highlight entrepreneurship across the UC system.
Students, faculty, staff, postdocs and alumni are invited to submit a 30-second video sharing what makes them an entrepreneur to: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/entrepreneurs. The videos will be used to highlight and publicize individual stories, as well as the breadth and depth of entrepreneurial efforts across the UC system.
Everyone who submits a video will receive a "UC Entrepreneur" T-shirt. In addition, one eligible student from each campus will be selected at random to attend a special lunch with Christine Gulbranson, senior vice president of innovation and entrepreneurship, and UC President Janet Napolitano.
“This campaign is about celebrating and recognizing the creativity and passion that makes UC an innovation powerhouse,” Gulbranson said. “Entrepreneurial activity is booming across the UC system. I can't wait to see everyone's stories.”
The campaign launched during Global Entrepreneurship Week (Nov. 14-20), an annual celebration in over 160 countries that aims to inspire people around the world to explore their entrepreneurial potential. In the United States, Global Entrepreneurship Week has fostered more than 2,000 local events.
UC has a growing focus on entrepreneurship, with more than two dozen incubators and accelerators across the system and myriad student clubs devoted to the topic. Student entrepreneurship groups and clubs are encouraged to promote the campaign, host video parties and assist budding UC entrepreneurs in making their 30-second video.
Videos submitted as part of the campaign will be featured on the website. Participants who want to be in the drawing for lunch with Gulbranson and Napolitano must submit their video by 11:59 p.m. PST, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017. The site will continue to accept and feature video submissions through 2017, however, with participants continuing to receive T-shirts.
