For International Women in Engineering Day on June 23rd, we wanted to share some influential women in engineering to help motivate and courage you women to get into STEM/STEAM careers.
Lillian Gilbreth
Lillian Gilbreth completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree in literature, then earned a Ph. D. in psychology. Together with her husband, Gilbreth published Motion Study and other papers which focused on time efficiency and management. After her husband’s passing, Gilbreth reinvented her career as a solo consultant, and became the first female engineering professor at Purdue University. Among other inventions, she transformed the design of kitchens and numerous kitchen appliances. In 1965, Gilbreth was the first woman elected to the National Academy of Engineering, and in 1966 she was awarded for public service as an industrial engineer.
Read more about Lillian Gilbreth here: https://www.womenshistory.org/lillian-moller-gilbreth
Margaret Hutchinson Rousseau
In 1937, Margaret Rousseau became the first woman to earn a doctorate in chemical engineering. While working at Pfizer during WW II, Rousseau designed a fermentation process enabling large scale production of penicillin which saved countless lives during the war, and became a turning point in human history as the first real defense against bacterial infections. In 1945, she became the first woman member of the Institute, later she became one of the first women elected as an AIChE Fellow, and was the first woman to receive AIChE’s Founders Award, the Institute’s highest honor.
Read more about Margaret Rousseau here: https://www.aiche.org/chenected/2024/03/chemical-engineering-pioneer-and-some-her-descendants
Beatrice Hicks
Beatrice Hicks broke new ground for women as an engineer, inventor, and engineering executive. She earned degrees in chemical engineering, electrical engineering, and physics, and became the first woman engineer employed by Western Electric Company. Hicks pioneered and patented a molecular density scanner and developed an industry model for quality control procedures, leading to the success of the Apollo mission. In 1950, she was chosen as the first president of the newly organized Society of Women Engineers.
Read more about Beatrice Hicks here: https://www.invent.org/blog/inventors/beatrice-hicks
Mae C. Jemison
Mae C. Jemison was a doctor, engineer, and NASA astronaut. In 1992, Jemison became the first African American woman to travel in space. Jemison has also written several books and appeared on television programs. In addition to her many awards, Jemison has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the International Space Hall of Fame.
Read more about Mae C. Jemison here: https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mae-jemison
Who are some other women in engineering that have been a role model to you? Let us know in the comments.
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