Having the world's best science judges converge online during the largest high school academic competition on the planet means preparing cutting-edge research and hitting tight deadlines with high value communication products, among which are stills and video that become part of the researcher's presentation for scoring and for viewing by members of the public. Working with a production studio meant that the student and mentor could focus on the science and the edit instead of having visual limitations restrict their options in post.

If you need to see whether one coral species is potentially affecting the health of different species that surround it, be prepared to make a lot of coral frags, then observe them carefully over long periods, and take spectral data measurements that capture bleaching, no matter how fleeting. The student researcher made her equipment appeal (and won!) in an international contest by helping judges visualize the rationale behind her method, along with clear demonstration that the request would fulfill the required application exactly.