Ingrid Pfau

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“My way of learning changed in 8th grade when I was admitted into the Alabama School of Fine Arts in the Math and Science department. The teachers gave me a means to use experimentation and creativity to solve problems instead of pure memorization of equations. It was there that I began to experiment with melding my interest in the sciences with more creative mediums such as film.”

  • Program: 2011 Graduate Scholarship Recipient
  • Resides: Birmingham, AL
  • Hometown: Birmingham, AL
  • Age: 24

Biography

Profile: It’s about 1,600 miles between Montana State University in Bozeman and Ingrid Pfau’s hometown in Alabama ... but that will be this brilliant young student’s next stop in her academic journey thanks to her selection as a Graduate Arts Award recipient.  Already a well-known videographer, Ingrid has chosen the great Northwest for graduate studies because of Montana State’s excellent program in Science and Natural History Film Studies.  It was in her freshman year at the University of Alabama at Birmingham that her mind opened to her future.  “When I took the Ethnographic Filmmaking Class as a freshman I began to realize how much power film could have on me as a person as well as on the public. Documentary filmmaking became something more than a filmmaking process for me. It became a way of life. I began to become more interested and more motivated to talk to strangers about all sorts of topics. I was still interested in scientific topics, therefore I found a way to meld my interests in science and filmmaking by making films about some of the research that was occurring at the university.”

Inspiration: Michele Forman and Rosie O'Beirne are the teachers that have influenced Ingrid the most. They were her Ethnographic Filmmaking professors and she took various classes from each of them during her years at UAB. “They both influenced my style of learning, making me have a strong ‘thirst’ for experiential learning versus memorization,” said Ingrid.  “I enjoyed being able to experiment with how to tell different stories whether it be via video, blogging, or simply an arrangement of pictures.”

Aspiration: She hopes to become a professional documentary filmmaker.

Making a Difference: Ingrid is proud to say that she created the first individually designed major at UAB that combined film and biology. “My passion for wanting to study whatever I found interesting and applacable for my dream to become a professional documentary/nature filmmaker has influenced many of my other friends to make their own individually designed majors.”

Accolades: Ingrid won the Print for ColorsOfLife@University international photo competion in 2010 and was elected Chair of the University Honors Program Steering Committee (2010-2011) where she was in charge of making sure all the Honors Committees were on task. During her sophomore year she won the Best Writers award and was a recipient of the Gilman International Scholarship.  In addition she won the Silver Medal for her animated short in the Koronis Fest (National Public Service Announcement Competition).

Interesting Fact: Ingrid is an identical twin. “I was born before midnight on December 18 and my twin sister was born after midnight on December 19, 1988.” 

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