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ACE Awards 2021

The Innovative Media Research and Extension Team is excited to be recognized by our professional development association, ACE (Association for Communication Excellence) and their Critique and Awards program. Our work was awarded four gold, one silver, and four bronze awards; as well as a “Best-In Category” award (Called the “Outstanding Professional Skill” award) in the Information Technology category.

While we are proud of the quality of our finished products, to have this external validation from our peers is always nice and helps us feel part of a community. We want to thank all of our team members for working so hard on all of our products and showing such professionalism and care in putting together effective, engaging and beautifully produced products.

This year, we had six award-winning products recognized in the ACE critique & awards:


  • Gold for Innovative Use of Communication Technology

  • Outstanding Professional Skill award for Information Technology

  • Silver in Diversity

  • Bronze for its Website

CONSERVE's Water Sampling and Water Testing Interactives homepage. Different water testing sites in the mid Atlantic and western parts of the country are highlighted in the background.
Water Sampling & Water Testing Interactives

The Water Sampling and Water Testing interactives are online, digital “virtual labs” that teach the user how to effectively collect a valid irrigation water sample and then test that sampled water for E. coli, an indicator organism for fecal contamination.The CONSERVE project was a collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Public Health with support from the National Institute of

Food and Agriculture in the U.S.


Zinkicide Animated Videos

  • Gold for Scriptwriting


The University of Florida Citrus Research and Education Center and and New Mexico State University. This work is supported by the Specialty Crop Research Initiative, USDA-NIFA.




  • Gold for Interactive Multimedia Graphics

  • Gold for Illustrations

The home screen of the Virtual Insect Collection Lab. There are pinned monarch butterflies, true bugs, beetles, and pointed ants. A magnifying glass highlights the title.
Virtual Insect Collection Lab home screen

Virtual Insect Collection is an online 4-H learning lab where users can practice pinning, pointing and spreading insects to preserve them for scientific study. This project was created in collaboration with the Arthropod Museum, part of NMSU’s Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Weed Sciences, with financial support from the SPECA

Virtual Insect Collection Lab home screen. Challenge Grant, USDA-NIFA.



  • Bronze for Illustrations

The Movement and Storage of Water in Soils home screen. The use can either select Metric Potential interactive graph or Flow & Pressure interactive graph.
Movement & Storage of Water in Soils home screen

Movement & Storage of Water in Soil is an interactive graph that demonstrates matric potential and water flow & pressure in clay, loamy, and sandy soils. This project was a collaboration with NMSU’s Department of Plant & Environmental Sciences with support from the U.S. Department of Energy.





  • Bronze for Technology Education

A red poster with white text advertising the NM 4-H Technology & Design Project.
New Mexico 4-H Technology & Design banner

This project was a learning series directed by the Department of Innovative Media Research & Extension for local 4-H youth groups. This series explored various ways of creating media, including graphic design, animation, game design, programming, and videography.









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