Taking break from exhibition news, we would like to share the impressive achievement of Senior Content Specialist, Rondi Davies.  Many of Rondi’s extracurricular activities involve long distance running and open water swimming all around New York City and environs. Recently she and friend Dave Barra organized the 8 Bridges Hudson River Swim, a 120 mile marathon down the Hudson River from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in Catskill to Brooklyn’s Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. Over 7 days in July, Rondi, Dave and 19 other swimmers dove into the river at a different bridge each morning, sometimes swimming as many as 20 miles a day, navigating changing currents, large boats, and sweltering heat. The event raised money for environmental and open-water swimmers groups, and plans are underway to do it again in 2012. Our congratulations to Rondi and Dave on the success of the 8 Bridges Swim! Learn more about the event, see pictures, and read lots of great news coverage at the link above.

For 31 years, the Industrial Designers Society of America has presented the International Design Excellence Awards, a collection of the year’s best design. “The IDEA program is considered by many as the ‘Oscars’ of design competitions because the judging process is rigorous and judged by the experts in their field,” said IDSA’s CEO Clive Roux.  This year the jury reviewed over 2,000 entries, a record number, to select  27 designs for a Gold Award.

Science Storms won Gold in the Environments category. “This is such a visually rich and interactive exhibit which communicates the immense scale and principles of nature and connects all individuals regardless of age,” notes Lance Hussey, Vice President and Creative Director of IDSA. Read more about the award at IDSA or at its media partner, Fast Company.

Congratulations to all our Science Storms partners.

Science Storms received the Cross Media Award in the “365: Design Effectiveness 2011″ competition sponsored by AIGA, the professional association for design. According to AIGA, “The competitions this year were about evaluating design on a more meaningful level, one that strives to showcase excellent design that has both ‘beauty and brains.’”

In September when the formal announcement is made, winning designs will be become a part of a permanent collection online and in the AIGA Design Archives housed at the Denver Art Museum. The jury’s selections will also be mounted as a traveling public exhibition first opening at the AIGA National Design Center in New York.

Congratulations to MSI Chicago and our wonderful team!

On June 3rd The Society for Environmental Graphic Design (SEGD) honored Science Storms with a Merit Award for Environmental Graphics. The SEGD Design Awards Program recognizes exceptional environmental graphic design illustrating the pandisciplinary nature of visual communications in the built environment.

The Jury commented: “A totally integrated dynamic environment, encouraging interaction with the audience that truly inspires. The dynamic content, static environmental graphics, and exhibits all work harmoniously together to form a magnificent space.”

Congratulations to all our Science Storms partners!

On May 18,  Science Storms received an Award of Merit at the 28th Annual International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) International Lighting Design Awards. “Lighting designers [on the panel] became enthralled children looking at the pictures of this project,” shared one judge. “Prisms, subtractive color mixing, lens effects, particles or waves? We got downright dizzy imagining ourselves in this playground. The design team has masterfully applied their skills as technicians of light in this theatrical and artistic project.”

The IALD Lighting Design Awards program, established in 1983, honors lighting projects that display high aesthetic achievement backed by technical expertise. Congratulations Focus Lighting!