Prizker Molecular EngineeringBig Problem

Problem

The Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering is one of the newest schools at the University of Chicago, working at the frontier of science to solve problems at the molecular level. The ambition of that work is hard to communicate — it's technically deep, spans multiple disciplines, and doesn't fit neatly into how most people think about science or engineering. PME had no existing video or accessible format for explaining what they do to people outside the field. Prospective students, donors, alumni, and curious followers of UChicago needed a way in — something that could make complex, cutting-edge research feel exciting and comprehensible without dumbing it down.

Decision

Unlike a typical client handoff, this project was genuinely collaborative from the start. I worked directly with PME to shape the script — helping translate highly technical concepts into a visual narrative that a non-specialist could follow and feel energized by. The same hand-drawn whiteboard animation approach I used for Yale proved equally effective here, though the subject demanded a different kind of visual thinking: finding concrete, drawable analogies for ideas that exist at scales invisible to the human eye. I also handled the video editing, taking the project from illustrated frames through to a finished, polished single video.

Outcome

PME and UChicago Admissions Office uses the video as a core piece of their recruiting toolkit and as a first introduction for anyone unfamiliar with the school and its work. It does the job that no brochure or faculty bio page could — giving a general audience a genuine sense of what molecular engineering is, why it matters, and why PME is a place worth paying attention to.