On the evening of August 11, 2015, the winner of the CinémaWie: Ingeniería para todos video contest was announced at the Figueroa Chapel amphitheater to an audience of faculty members and students from most disciplines and faculties. CinémaWie is a collaboration between student groups Cinémathéque and Women in Engineering, and this project’s principal aim is helping female high school students become motivated to study engineering and to consider it as a possible career. The contest—which is sponsored by UPRM, WORATV Channel 5, and the Corporación para la Difusión Pública—consisted in creating a short Public Service Announcement that promotes engineering as an empowering field of study for women. The winner of the competition would win prize money, as well as have his or her video distributed online and through local TV channels in Puerto Rico.
The night’s keynote speaker, Dr. Gladys Ducoudray—a professor from the Department of Electrical Engineering—, emphasized the importance of teaching girls and young women about women’s impact in STEM fields, particularly engineering. While quoting from Robert Frost’s famous poem “The Road Not Taken”, she encouraged young women to pursue fields of study like engineering and physics, which are seldom considered by women after being raised “to play with dolls”. Her empowering speech featured a mini-Women’s Studies lesson in scientists who have invented groundbreaking artifacts such as carbon nanotubes, remote-control operations and liquid crystalline polymers. Dr. Ducoudray made special emphasis in the fact that some of those women engaged in and enjoyed traditionally “feminine” life experiences, like marriage and having children. Her closing statement was punctuated by a roar of applause from the audience: “[these scientists’] appearance has little to do with their abilities or intellectuality. Their ability has nothing to do with their personality: their abilities are a result of hard work, blood, sweat and tears”.
Dr. Gladys Ducoudray addressing the audience during her keynote speech.
The winner, Bianca Dávila, was promptly announced after all the participating videos were presented. The mechanical engineering freshman’s video featured her working with various lab instruments, and explained how engineering has empowered her and excited her from a young age.
According to current Cinémathéque president Carlos Carrero, the idea for this contest was conceived “about a year ago” by the former presidents of Women in Engineering UPRM (WiE UPRM) and Cinémathéque, Kevin Marrero and Pablo Torres, respectively. For Kevin Marrero, former president of WiE UPRM, the goal of this contest was to impact as much women as possible and to “take the message” nationwide to students to study engineering. Carrero, furthermore, hopes that the project will not only celebrate women in engineering but women in general.
Both Carrero and Marrero envision this project growing further and its impact reaching younger students, and Marrero adds that he hopes that someday it could involve not just Colegio students but students from other universities in Puerto Rico, or even Puerto Ricans living in the US mainland. Moreover Professor Peter van der Meer, from the Department of Civil Engineering, emphasizes that he thinks this project could and should grow towards promoting engineering studies in Puerto Rico specifically—and to inspire current and prospective students on the island to stay.
The winning commercial will air on local television channels very soon, while all the participating videos will be streaming on WiE UPRM and Cinémathéque’s social media account within the next couple of days.
WiE president Kevin Marrero embracing contest winner, Bianca Dávila.