Title: HISTORY%20OF%20WOMEN%20IN%20ENGINEERING
1HISTORY OF WOMEN IN ENGINEERING
- Kauser Jahan1, Beena Sukumaran1, Jennifer
Kadlowec2 and Harriet Hartman3 - 1 Civil and Environmental Engineering
- 2 Mechanical Engineering
- 3 Sociology
2Objectives
- Overview of history of women in science and
engineering in ancient times - Women have made many contributions and
advancements to science and engineering - Women have fought hard to gain equality
- Current status of women in engineering
3WOMEN OF ANCIENT TIMES
4Miriam the Alchemist
- Born in Alexandria, Egypt during the 1st or 2nd
century A.D. - Developed an early distillation process
- Developed a high temperature double boiler
- Inventions used primarily in the process of
trying to turn metals into gold - Founded a school of Chemistry in Alexandria
5Hypatia of Alexandria
- Lived in Ancient Egypt from 350-415 A.D.
- One of the most respected women of her time
- Many interests
- Philosophy
- Mathematics
- Astronomy
6Hypatia of Alexandria
- Inventor
- Instrument used in water distillation
- Device to measure gravity of water
- Planisphere (still used today)
- Shows where constellations will be on any given
night - Killed by fanatical Christian Monks who were
threatened by her popularity
7 8WOMENS RIGHTSAGE OF REFORM
9Seneca Falls Convention of 1848
- Designed/organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- Convention advocated womens equality
- Declaration of Sentiments outlined injustices
that women suffered
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
10Injustices Suffered By Women
- Married women were legally dead in the eyes of
the law - Not allowed to vote
- No voice in formation of laws
- Had to abide by them
- Husbands had legal power over and responsibility
for their wives - Could beat and punish their wives without fear of
punishment - Divorce and child custody laws favored men
11Injustices Suffered By Women
- Women had to pay property taxes
- no representation in the levying of these taxes
- Most occupations closed to women
- When women did work, they were paid a fraction
of what men earned - Professions such as medicine, engineering or law
were denied - No college or university would accept female
students
12Declaration of Sentiments
- Document written during the convention that was
based on the Declaration of Independence - In the document Stanton wrote,
- "We hold these truths to be self-evident that
all men and women are created equal that they
are endowed by their Creator with inalienable
rights that among these are life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness..."
13Mary Kies
- May 5, 1809
- Recipient of 1st US patent awarded to a female
- Developed a method for weaving straw with silk
14WOMEN IN ENGINEERING
15Engineering Education
- Engineering schools for men were established with
the advent of the Industrial Revolution - 1802 USMA, West Point (Military school)
- 1824, RPI, Troy, NY (Civilian school)
- 1821 Troy Female Seminary
- 1837 Mt. Holyoke Seminary
- 1865 Vassar College
- 1875 Smith, Wellesley
- 1885 Bryn Mawr
Age of Reform 1840-1860 Equal Rights Right to
Vote Rights for Education Morrill Act of 1862
16Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards
- First woman admitted to MIT
- 1876 Successfully lobbied to open the
- Womens Laboratory at MIT
- Worked as a Sanitation Chemistry Assistant at MIT
- Tested home furnishings and foods for toxic
contaminants - Investigated water pollution and designed safe
sewage systems - 1879 First female member of the American
Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers
17Elizabeth Bragg
- 1876 First engineering degree awarded to an
American woman - Civil Engineering, UC Berkeley
- 1884 Kate Gleason, Cornell University
- Gear Technology Gleason Works
- 1892 Elmina Wilson, Iowa State College
- First female instructor
- 1893 Berta Lamme, Ohio State University
- Electrical engineering focus
18 Rosalind Franklin Born London, England, July
25, 1920 Died London, England, April 16, 1958
Pioneer Molecular Biologist
Franklin was responsible for much of the research
and discovery work that led to the understanding
of the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA.
The story of DNA is a tale of competition and
intrigue, told one way in James Watson's book The
Double Helix, and quite another in Anne Sayre's
study, Rosalind Franklin and DNA. James Watson,
Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins received a
Nobel Prize for the double-helix model of DNA in
1962, four years after Franklin's death at age 37
from ovarian cancer.
19Maria Sklodowska Curie
- First woman to win a Nobel Prize
- 1903 Physics
- Discovery of radium and polonium
- 1911 Chemistry
- Isolation of radium and its chemical properties
- World War I
- Believed that X-rays could help locate bullets
and facilitate surgery - Invented X-ray vans and trained 150 female
attendants
20Rachel Louise Carson
- 1936 First woman to pass the civil
- service test
- U.S. Bureau of Fisheries
- Worked as junior biologist
- After 15 years, she was the chief editor
- of all U.S. Fish and Wildlife Publications
- Has been called the mother of the modern
environmental movement
21PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES
22Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education
- Formed in 1893
- Later named American Society for Engineering
Education - At the time of formation, only 3 women had
received engineering degrees
23American Society of Civil Engineers
- First woman to address was Emily Warren Roebling,
in 1852 - Nora Blatch de Forest inducted as junior member
in 1909. - Was not allowed further advancement
- Granddaughter of Cady Stanton
- Elsie Eaves became the first female member in
1957
24Society of Women Engineers
- Established in 1950
- First President was Beatrice Hicks (chemical
engineering) - SWE Objectives
- To inform young women, their parents, counselors,
and the public in general of the qualifications
and achievements of women engineers and the
opportunities open to them. - To assist women engineers in readying themselves
for a return to active work after temporary
retirement. - To serve as a center of information on women in
engineering. - To encourage women engineers to attain high
levels of educational and professional
achievement.
25Tau Beta Pi
- Established at Lehigh University in 1885
- Limited to men until 1969
- Badges were authorized for women as an
alternative to membership - In 84 years, only 619 badges were awarded by 98
chapters - Women were allowed full membership in 1969
26Engineering WorkPlace
- Only 16 of scientists, 9 of engineers and 4 of
computer scientists in the U.S. are women. - Women leave science and engineering careers twice
as frequently as men. - Women's salaries in science and engineering lag
behind men's by 12 to 15 percent. - AWSEM
27Women in Academia - of Female Faculty in
Engineering
- Full Professors 1.4
- Associate Professors 6.3
- Assistant Professors 13.7
28(No Transcript)
29Female Deans of Engineering Colleges
- Dr. Eleanor Baum - Cooper Union
- Dr. Kristina M. Johnson - Duke University
- Dr. Ilene Busch-Vishniac - Johns Hopkins
University - Dr. Janie M. Fouke - Michigan State University
- Dr. Dianne Dorland - Rowan University
- Dr. Zorica Pantic-Tanner - San Francisco State
University - Dr. Stacie Swingle Nunes - SUNY-New Paltz
- Dr. Linda C. Lucas - University of
Alabama-Birmingham - Dr. Jane C.S. Long - University of Nevada-Reno
- Dr. Denice D. Denton - University of Washington
- Dr. Nancy Jannik - Winona State University
- Dr. Linda Katehi Purdue University
- Dr. Maria Klawe Princeton University
- Dr. Belle W. Y. Wei-San Jose State University
30CURRENT STATUS
31Undergraduate Enrolment in Engineering Programs
Source NSF
32Edith M. Flanigen
- Earned over 102 U.S. patents
- Innovations in petroleum refining and research
- Made gasoline production cleaner and safer
- Same filtering devices used to purify water and
clean up the environment - Elected to the National Academy of Engineering
33Why do we have lower numbers of women in
Engineering?
- Gender differences in preparation for science
and mathematics - Lack of female role models
- Lack of Advancement
- Glass Ceiling in the Management
- Lack of Mentoring
- Guidance and Encouragement from peers
- Lack of Training Opportunities
- Family Issues
34Acknowledgements
- Crystal Mattson, Sophomore in Civil and
Environmental Engineering, Rowan University - Betty Reynolds and Jill Tietjen (2001) Setting
the Record Straight The History and Evolution of
Womens Professional Achievement in Engineering,
White Apple Press.