Tag Archives: (US) National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE)

Girls Day (Feb. 25.21) during (US) Discover Engineers Week 2021

Discover Engineers Week is being held from February 21 -27, 2021 by the (US) National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE). Included in the schedule of events is a special day, February 25, 2021, dedicated to introducing engineering to girls.

There is a poster celebrating 10 female engineers on a February 18, 2021 blog posting at wetheparents.org. I’ve excerpted a few of the images and biographies,

#5 Henrietta Vansittart

Born Henrietta Lowe, a young Vansittart was raised in poverty. Her father, a machinist, studied ship propulsion and made efforts to obtain patents using connections and income from his wife’s wealthier family. His repeated failures to succeed at profiting from his patents nearly drove the family to bankruptcy, leading to a young Lowe’s marriage to Lieutenant Frederick Vansittart in 1855.

A self-taught engineer, Vansittart began the study of her father’s work shortly after marriage. The Lowe Propeller, her father’s most noteworthy invention, never successfully created income for the family due to infringement issues; after his death in 1866, Vansittart’s focus became perfecting the propeller. The Lowe-Vansittart propeller allowed ships to move faster while utilizing less fuel, earning her a patent in 1868; it was later used on many ships, including the S.S. Lusitania.

Both the inventor and her patent were awarded a number of awards for her engineering prowess, and Vansittart’s name was mentioned in The Times and other key newspapers of the era. She was the first female to read, write, and illustrate her diagrams for a scientific article, and is considered to be one of the first female engineers.

#7 Kimberly Bryant

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, electrical engineer Kimberly Bryant earned her EE degree with a minor in Computer Science at Nashville’s Vanderbilt University. There, Bryant’s studies focused on high-voltage electronics, informing her early career with Westinghouse Electric and DuPont, two leading innovators in the industry. Bryant’s focus later shifted to biotech and pharmaceutical engineering, where she worked for Genentech, Merck, Novartis, and Pfizer.

Bryant’s most recognizable achievement is the founding of the not-for-profit organization Black Girls Code. She created BGC after her daughter attended a tech summer camp, finding herself disappointed to be the only African American girl in the small handful of female attendees. Seeing a lack of coding and computing camps for underrepresented communities, Bryant encouraged Genentech colleagues to join her in the creation of a coding initiative for young girls of color.

As of late 2019, BGC has 15 chapters and is an internationally recognized not-for-profit organization. Bryant has been named a White House Champion of Change for Tech Inclusion, was the recipient of Smithsonian Magazine’s American Ingenuity Award for Social Projects, and was named one of 2013’s 25 Most Influential African-Americans in Technology by Business Insider.

#9 Judith Resnik

The daughter of Ukranian Jewish immigrants, Judy Resnik’s talents quickly became clear during childhood. Recognized for “intellectual brilliance” in kindergarten, Resnik entered elementary school a year early, remaining an outstanding student throughout high school. She graduated as high school valedictorian, and was one of only 16 women to have ever received a perfect store on the SAT at the time.

Resnik received a B.S. in electrical engineering from Carnegie Mellon, and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering with honors from the University of Maryland. She worked as a design engineer on RCA’s missile and radar projects, built custom integrated circuitry for the Navy’s radar control systems, and developed software and electronics for NASA. She qualified as a professional aircraft pilot during the completion of her Ph.D. and was ultimately recruited into NASA’s Astronaut Corps at age 28.

Resnik’s first space flight was as a mission specialist on the maiden voyage of the Space Shuttle Discovery. There, she became the first Jewish woman, second Jewish person, and second American woman in space. While Resnik enjoyed a successful first mission, she tragically lost her life in the 1986 Challenger explosion. Her life and accomplishments have been posthumously recognized by Carnegie Mellon, the University of Maryland, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and the Society of Women Engineers, among many others.

While I encourage you to go see the other seven in the February 18, 2021 blog posting, I suggest you also double-check the information you find there and, for that matter, here on this blog, too, with other sources.

Finally, there’s an event being hosted by Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology (WWEST), which is the operating name for the 2015-2020 NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (CWSE), BC and Yukon Region. Complicated, yes? Thankfully the event description is much simpler from the What’s Happening webpage (on the WWest at Simon Fraser University webspace),

The Future of Tech (All Girls) – Grade 11

February 25, 2021

As technology continues to evolve in our daily lives, we are able to leverage new technologies for new applications. The Future of Tech creates the bridge and identifies the differences between electrical and computer engineering through hands-on workshops. Engineering students [from the University of British Columbia] share ideas and perceptions bringing you closer to this exciting domain.

This event is open to all girls in grade 11. We have an inclusive view of the word ‘girl’ and we welcome trans*, genderqueer and non-binary folks interested in these workshops.

Date: Thursday, February 25
Cost: Free
Location: Online
Register: Here