Project Spotlight: SciGirls Launch

March saw the launch of SciGirls, one of our highly anticipated sites for PBS. With a focus on safe social networking for kids, Dana, the project’s producer, walks us through the challenges and solutions of developing such an immersive interactive experience with education in mind.

RM: What is SciGirls?
Dana: SciGirls is a site that allows girls to connect with each other and with working female scientists in a way that is safe, educationally robust and very fun. On our project pages, girls can submit their science projects for other girls to try, or try out a project submitted by someone else. These project pages are also used to help other girls connect with those of similar interests. By sharing ideas with each other and creating highly customizable profile pages that feature their interests, girls can stay engaged for long periods of time in a completely safe way.

RM: What makes this site stand out from other kids and education oriented sites?
Dana: I think that this site sets a precedent for safe social networking in the 'tween' age group. There is intensive interconnectivity, and the entire site is built to be easily scalable as it grows in popularity (both in content, features and from a backend perspective).

RM: What were some of the challenges you encountered and how were they solved?
Dana: The main challenge of the entire show was to engage girls of a particular age group so that they were attracted to science, not put off by it for fear of appearing "nerdy." We geared the site so that it showcases things that are scientific in nature, but do not feel like a classroom - space, animals, technology, etc. The scrollable homepage environment is full of animations, widgets, and frequently updated features such as female scientists, stars and lunar calendars.

RM: What is your favorite feature of the site?
Dana: It's only a detail but I have to admit, I love the "black hole" instead of a trashcan on the profile customization pages!

RM: Will there be any updates to look forward to in the future?
Dana: And how! Not only will there be more aesthetic customizations available for user profiles, but the entire backend is built for even bigger improvements. Also, the future will likely see a series of games. Be sure to check back often as content is always being updated!

You can visit the website at: http://pbskids.org/scigirls/

Tomato Soup Du Jour: The iPad

If the iPad and its clones are as popular as some predict, content for this new medium is going to explode over the next year. BBT and its developers are busy preparing and our Senior Producer and technical guru, Ryan Ring has a few thoughts on the subject.

Ryan: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Real Life Tomato: YJ Kim

From Disney “Imagineer” to creative force and Art Director at BBT, YJ has brought some of the best brands on earth to life. He continues to break through the digital clutter with new and exciting work, and this issue’s Real Life Tomato tells RM what’s next.


Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

RM: How did you get started?
YJ: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

RM: What has been one of your favorite projects to work on at Big Bad Tomato?
YJ: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

RM: What do you do for fun when you're not working?
YJ: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

RM: What do you see for the future of BBT?
YJ: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat.

The Big Bad Bloody Mary

A fun, spicy way to celebrate your company's next digital triumph, the Big Bad Bloody Mary is the next step in the evolution of tomato-based libations!

So log off, gather your team, and follow these three simple steps.

Step 1: Find a good glass. A Big Bad Bloody Mary shall never be served in a red plastic cup. We recommend something with a squiggly stem.

Step 2: Grab a shaker and pour a little Creole seasoning on a plate to put around the rim of your glass.

Step 3: The recipe. The Big Bad Bloody Mary relies on a little extra Tabasco, fresh organic tomato juice, Creole seasoning, a garnish of celery and 3 cherry tomatoes. If you have any "Creative Soup" handy, now's the time to crack it open!

• Now that you're done work for the day, you'll need 2 oz of vodka
• 2 dashes of black pepper
• 5 drops of Tabasco sauce
• Cover the spices with a layer of Worcestershire
  
• 1 dash of lemon juice
• 1 handful of ice
• 3 oz of thick tomato juice
  

Shake it up, strain it into your glass, and then garnish your perfect Big Bad Bloody Mary with the reddest, shiniest cherry tomatoes you can find.