From the Nominator

"Oregon State University’s College of Engineering ranks second nationally among land-grant universities in the percentage of tenured or tenure-track engineering faculty who are women, and third among the nation’s 94 public R1 universities, according to the American Society for Engineering Education.   The college wanted to highlight this accomplishment and tell the stories of why women in engineering were choosing Oregon State. 

To accurately represent their experience, we spoke to several women about their journeys in engineering and what brought them to Oregon. We wove their stories into a short film, called Rooted in Community. The film featured six faculty, all women, who represented the themes that emerged from the interviews, as well as a diversity of backgrounds, areas of study, and stages of career.    

Completing the film became challenging when the university shut down due to COVID. We creatively adapted when we were not able get planned shots by instead using archival footage or gathered shots following strict COVID-safety protocols.    

Rooted in Community premiered at the 2021 Celebration of Women in Engineering online event attended by more than 200 alumni, industry partners, prospective students and families, and community members. The showing was followed by a lively Q&A with an engaged audience featuring the women in the film.   

Following the premiere, we distributed the film as a YouTube ad. Analytics show people were engaged with the film, which has more than 15,000 views."

From the Judges

The judges all agreed that this video really captures the viewers' attention throughout, and shared a touching story related to Oregon State's initiative to highlight women at their institution.