SMPTE Announces New Student Chapter at Barnard College

SMPTE announces the formation of a new SMPTE Student Chapter at Barnard College. This will mark the first-ever SMPTE Student Chapter at a Seven Sisters’ College.

“We are thrilled to welcome Barnard College to the SMPTE family,” says SMPTE Executive Director David Grindle. “SMPTE is dedicated to diversifying the media tech workforce, and that starts with presenting students interested in STEM with opportunities to advance their careers.”

Barnard is an all-women’s college and one of the Seven Sisters, a group of historic liberal arts colleges created to provide women with an equivalent education to that of historically all-male Ivy League colleges. Barnard is currently in a partnership with Columbia University.

“I was told that there would not be a whole lot of interest from students at Barnard College, a predominantly liberal arts college with no engineering program,” says Barnard Director of AV Services Rosana Chang. “But I believed that there was interest but no opportunity — an ‘if you build it, they will come’ scenario. The students are career oriented and excited about internships and job opportunities.”

Every member of the Barnard SMPTE Student Chapter will have access to a SMPTE student membership. This means access to discounted events, including the 2024 SMPTE Media Technology Summit. They will also have access to all SMPTE standards and independent study courses at no additional charge.