Thought-Provoking Ideas for Increasing Diversity in Entertainment Engineering

Kellie McKeown, Wendy Aylsworth, Renu Thomas, Andrea Berry, Marilyn Pierce, Cindy Hutter Cavell, Jennifer Zeidan

With the average age of the SMPTE members increasing, we need to attract younger engineers to strengthen our ranks and our future. By widening our search to fully include women and minorities, we can maximize the opportunity to attract top engineers, while broadening the demographics, perspectives, and capabilities of our industry. This paper is a compilation of essays by women engineers in the entertainment industry, including three women of color, with observations, ideas, and recommendations on how to increase and sustain diversity.The essays include: “Start Early through Partnerships with High Schools and Universities,” by Andrea Berry“Increase Gender and Ethnic Diversity with Internships,” by Marilyn Pierce“Take a Risk—Give Opportunities to Young Women and Minorities,” by Renu Thomas“Women in Technology—More than a Pretty Face,” by Jennifer Zeidan“Colleagues Are Colleagues, No Matter Their Demographic,” by Kellie McKeown“How to Create Demographically Blended Engineering Teams,” by Cindy Hutter Cavell“Mentoring 101,” by Wendy AylsworthIt is hoped that these suggestions will be widely read, considered, and implemented, so the entertainment industry can benefit from the talents and energy of all demographics.

Print ISSN
Electronic ISSN
2160-2492
Published
2016-03
Content type
Original Research
Keywords
diversity, women, minority, minorities, ethnic, of color, demographics, engineers, engineering, careers, recruiting, hiring, STEM, STEAM, students, graduates, candidates, applicants, high school, college, university, intern, internship, mentor, mentoring, advisor
DOI
10.5594/j18689