To overcome this barrier, the Undergraduate Advising & Research Department (UGAR) launched MAD (Made At Dartmouth) Research in 2019 in partnership with Dartmouth Libraries Jones Media Center (JMC). UGAR's role is to connect you with faculty mentors across all departments and programs at Dartmouth.

When you're ready to make your video, the JMC team is here to help you translate your research into engaging videos. The team can provide the technical gear for filming and editing and generally chat with you about best practices for digital storytelling.

I love being involved because what we’re doing helps amplify students’ research, moving it forward. They’re showing the world their amazingness in three minutes! It’s enriching for me to help student researchers convey their message in an easily digested format that hopefully gets them more funding. – Susan Simon, Jones Media Center

Need inspiration? See the previous year's winners.

Why Enter the Competition?

This is a great opportunity to communicate your research in a more accessible way, grow your skills, and expand your resume. Creating a video also builds engagement with your research as you translate your work into a digital story. The process encourages you to be creative in a way a written thesis, poster presentation, or formal talk may not allow. 

Plus, there are cash prizes! The grand prize is $1,000. We also award up to six additional $250 prizes for categories like “people's choice,” “most creative video,” and “coolest research project.”

Who is Eligible?

If you're a Dartmouth undergraduate engaged in research outside the classroom (including honors thesis research) with a Dartmouth faculty mentor, you can enter the competition. 

Are you working in a group? We accept group submissions as well! Please choose one person from your research project group to be the main contact for the competition.

• Submission is free, and the equipment necessary for the production can be checked out from JMC with a valid Dartmouth library card or ID. All costs incurred in production are the sole responsibility of the respective participants.
• All submissions must be no longer than 3 minutes, inclusive of all title cards, credits, and the required “MAD Research Video Contest” bumper.
• All projects must be a digital media project created in connection with research affiliated with Dartmouth.
• Submissions must be able to be displayed or presented in JMC and other media outlets (yet to be determined by the judging committee).
• All necessary rights from media subjects must be secured, and clearance for use of copyright-protected content used in the final product must also be secured and documented. Please see Jones Media Center’s resource guide for copyright-free music, images, and video.
• ​Submissions must be original work of the team, must not infringe on third parties' rights, must be suitable for public screening, and cannot be obscene. They may not contain defamatory statements about any person, organization, or entity and may not invade privacy or other rights of any person, organization, or entity. Entries containing prohibited or inappropriate content as determined by the judging panel, at its sole discretion, will be disqualified.
• Production must not break any federal, state, or local laws and must adhere to campus rules and policies.
• Submissions will be released to JMC to show in JMC, on the Dartmouth Library YouTube channels, and otherwise at the discretion of JMC.

Resources

JMC Workshops

JMC offers ‘Workshops on Demand’. We can work with you and a group of friends (minimum of three) to develop a custom workshop to specifically meet your goals to create a media composition for the contest. Our staff offers various training sessions for hardware and software, including, but not limited to,

• video cameras
• lighting
• audio recording
• iMovie
• Adobe Premiere
• Adobe Premiere Rush
• Final Cut Pro
• Photoshop
• InDesign
• PowerPoint and more.

To set up a Workshop on Demand, send a detailed email to Jones.Media.Center@Dartmouth.edu. 

Free Equipment

JMC has an extensive equipment borrowing program! Whatever you may need to create your video, you can loan it for seven days. Please reserve what professional equipment you need at least 24 hours before the requested pick-up time.

For more information, go to the Equipment Loan Page. If you're uncertain about what to get, set up a consultation with a JMC staff member by emailing Jones.Media.Center@Dartmouth.edu.

JMC Spaces

If you want a professional-grade recording space, look no further than the Innovation Studio! This space is perfect for presentations, on-camera interviews, simulations, and more. Equipment you may consider when you reserve this space includes green screens, teleprompters, and camera rigs. Book in advance to avoid disappointment.

Reserve the Innovation Studio on our Spaces page.

Quick Reference Tutorials

Don't have time to attend a workshop or meet with a specialist? We have just the thing for you! Refer to our quick reference tutorials. These two-page, step-by-step guides help make editing, scanning, and importing tasks less time-consuming. Find PDF tutorials via our Quick Reference Tutorials page, or request a printed copy at the JMC service desk.  

Contact Us

For more information, email Jones.Media.Center@dartmouth.edu or call 603-646-2165.