A

Project Report
On
“Increasing Contribution of Women in Engineering”

Submitted in Partial Fulfilment for the Degree of

Bachelor of Business Administration

S.S.JAIN SUBODH P.G. (AUTONOMOUS) COLLEGE, JAIPUR

(2020-21)

Submitted By Submitted To
TejasviGoel Faculy Guide
B.B.A.IV SEM Dr. Tripti
Vijaywargiya
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the Project Report entitled “Increasing Contribution of Women in
Engineering” is a record of project work done independently by Ms. TEJASVI GOEL under my
guidance and supervision and that it has not previously formed the basis for the award of any
degree, fellowship or associate ship.

Dr.TriptiVijaywargiya

S.S.JAIN SUBODH P.G(AUTONOMOUS) COLLEGE

JAIPUR
 DECLARATION

TejasviGoel student of BBA Sem IV hereby declare that the project work presented in this report
is my own work and has been carried out under the supervision of Dr.TriptiVijaywargiya of S.S
Jain Subodh P.G(Autonomous) College. This work has not been previously submitted to any
other university for any examination.

TEJASVI GOEL

S.S. JAIN SUBODH P.G.(AUTONOMOUS) COLLEGE

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is not often in life that you get a chance of appreciating and expressing your feelings in black
and white to thank the people who have been a crucial part of your successes, your
accomplishments, and your being what you are today. I take this opportunity to first of all thank
the Faculty at S.S. Jain Subodh P.G(Autonomous)College, especially Dr. K.B.Sharma, Principal,
and Dr. Chitra Rathore, Head, Department of BBA for inculcating and instilling me the
knowledge, learning, will-power, values and the competitiveness and professionalism required
by me as a management student. I would like to give special thanks to Dr.Tripti Vijaywargiya
(Faculty Guide) for educating me silver lining in every dark cloud. Her enduring efforts,
guidance, patience and enthusiasm have given a sense of direction and purposefulness to this
project and ultimately made it a success. I express my sincere and heartiest thanks to everyone
who has contributed towards the successful completion of the Project. Last but not the least; I
would like to thank my family: my parents for supporting me spiritually throughout my life. The
errors and inconsistencies remain my own.

TEJASVI GOEL
 INTRODUCTION

The importance of mainstreaming gender in all walks of life cannot be over-emphasized.This is

not just to make sure that women get a chance to give expression to their creativity and abilities
but also because it is essential for the balanced development of any society. In fact when
considering women in science, it is even truer: research is a highly creative and individualistic
activity and each person makes his/her unique contribution. The process of scientific
development, innovation and discovery can only benefit from diversity, gender being just one
component. Also given the fact that women are 50% of humanity, their intellectual potential
issomething that we can ill afford to ignore.

Despite the great strides made toward gender equality over the last century, there are still a
number of arenas where women are underrepresented in the workforce. Currently, engineering is
one of those industries. Despite efforts being made to increase the number of females working in
STEM fields according to the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, only 14 percent of all
professionals working in the engineering are women. This number is drastically lower than the
percentage of women who are part of the entire U.S. labor force as a whole. The Department of
Labor reported women made up 47 percent of the country’s workforce as of 2010.
However, while engineering remains disproportionately filled by male professionals, the
imbalance does not tell the whole story of the state of the industry. Though less than a quarter of
engineers are female, that number has been consistently growing over the last several decades,
adding a large number of qualified women to the engineering workforce. As more women
choose to pursue degrees in and enter the field, there is still much that can be done to continue to
encourage this trend.

We all know that nothing has ever been easy for women, since history, women being the
suppressed section of the society always had to fight for whatever they wanted or to even seek
their most basic rights. Many girls and young women in developed countries today have their
pick of advanced mathematics and science courses, as well as encouragement to pursue careers
in engineering and technical fields. It wasn't always so. Most women who paved the way for
others to enter these professions decades ago had neither the opportunities nor the support on
their sides. Nevertheless, they managed to shake up the world of science in all sorts of
groundbreaking ways.

Some women came by their dam, bridge and manufacturing genius by taking up an interest in all
things technical, mechanical or electrical, and they signed up to work alongside men in schools
of engineering and in building and technical professions where no women had calculated or
computed before. Family and economic hardship often further stacked the decks against them.
Numerous female innovators also had a strong interest in advancing career and academic roles
for their gender. But some simply had a love of engineering or designing new tools and
processes -- and they just happened to be women. Thus getting into the field of STEM wouldn’t
have been an easy deal for them. So to get a deep and proper insight of how women got into the
field of science & engineering, let’s ponder the history of women in engineering.

History of Women in Engineering:

The history of women in engineering predates the development of the profession of engineering.
Before engineering was recognized as a formal profession, women with engineering skills often
sought recognition as inventors. During the Islamic Golden Period from the 8th century until the
15th century there were many Muslim women who were inventors and engineers, such as the
10th-century astronomer Mariam al-Asturlabi.
In the 19th century, women who performed engineering work often had academic training in
mathematics or science, although many of them were still not eligible to graduate with a degree
in engineering, like Ada Lovelace or Hertha Marks Ayrton. Rita de MoraisSarmento was one of
the first women in Europe to be certified with an academic degree in engineering in 1896. In
the U.S.A. at the University of California, Berkeley, however, both Elizabeth Bragg (1876) and
Julia Morgan (1894) already had received their bachelor's degree in that field.
In the early years of the 20th century, a few women were admitted to engineering programs, but
they were generally looked upon as curiosities by their male counterparts. Alice Perry (1906)
and Elisa LeonidaZamfirescu (1912) were some of the first European to graduate with a degree
in engineering. The entry of the United States into World War II created a serious shortage of
engineering talent as men were drafted into the armed forces. The GE on-the-job engineering
training for women with degrees in mathematics and physics, and the Curtiss-
Wright Engineering Program had "Curtiss-Wright Cadettes" ("Engineering Cadettes", e.g.,
Rosella Fenton). The company partnered with Cornell, Penn State, Purdue, the University of
Minnesota, the University of Texas, RPI, and Iowa State University to create an engineering
curriculum that eventually enrolled over 600 women. The course lasted ten months and focused
primarily on aircraft design and production.
Kathleen McNulty (1921–2006), was selected to be one of the original programmers of
the ENIAC. Georgia Tech began to admit women engineering students in 1952.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had graduated its first female student, Ellen
Swallow Richards (1842–1911), in 1873. The ÉcolePolytechnique in Paris first began to admit
women students in 1972. The number of BA/BS degrees in engineering awarded to women in the
U.S. increased by 45 percent between 1980 and 1994. However, from 1984 to 1994, the number
of women graduating with a BA or BS degree in computer science decreased by 23 percent.

19th Century:
Engineering began to be taught as a formal academic discipline in the late 18th and early 19th
centuries.The ÉcolePolytechnique in France was established in 1794 to teach military and civil
engineering; West Point Military Academy in the United States established a program modeled
after the ÉcolePolytechnique in 1819. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) began to teach civil
engineering in 1828. However, none of these institutions admitted women as students at the time
of their founding.
In the 19th century, women who performed engineering work often had academic training in
mathematics or science. Ada Lovelace (1815–1852), Lord Byron's daughter, was privately
schooled in mathematics before beginning the collaboration with Charles Babbage on
his analytical engine that would earn her the designation of the "first computer
programmer." Hertha Marks Ayrton (1854–1923), a British engineer and inventor who helped
develop electric arc lighting, studied mathematics at Cambridge in 1880, but was denied a
degree, as women were only granted certificates of completion at the time. Therefore moving to
the University of London, which granted her a bachelor of Science degree in 1881.
Similarly, Mary Engle Pennington (1872–1952), an American chemist and refrigeration
engineer, completed the requirements for a BS degree in chemistry at the University of
Pennsylvania in 1892, but was given a certificate of proficiency instead.
Elizabeth Bragg and Julia Morgan became the first women to receive a bachelor's degree in
engineering, by the University of California, Berkeley - U.S.A, in civil engineering (1876) and
mechanical engineering (1894). In the same year of Morgan's accomplish, Bertha Lamme was
also graduated from Ohio State University in mechanical engineering. Rita de MoraisSarmento
(1872–1931) was the first woman to obtain an Engineering degree in Europe. She has enrolled at
the Academia Politécnica do Porto to study Civil Engineers of Public Works, which she
concluded with various distinctions in 1894. Two years later, she was granted with the "Civil
Engineering certificate of capability" to practice as a professional engineer, despite she would
never do it, which means she was the first formally and fully recognized European female
engineer. Other women in engineering in the same time period include three Danish women:
Agnes Klingberg, Betzy Meyer, and Julie Arenholt, who graduated from 1897 to 1901, at the
PolytekniskLæreanstalt, today known as the DanmarksTekniskeUniversitet.

Women without formal engineering degrees were also integral to great 19th century civil
engineering feats. Emily Warren Roebling is recognized as managing the construction of the
Brooklyn Bridge, and was the first person to cross the bridge at its opening ceremony in
1883. Roebling's husband, Washington Roebling, worked as the chief engineer for the Brooklyn
Bridge project until he fell ill of decompression sickness. Upon her husband's illness, Emily
Warren Roebling assumed her husband's duties at the project site, and taught herself about
material properties, cable construction, calculating catenary curves and others subjects.

20th Century:
In the early years of the twentieth century, a few women were admitted to engineering programs,
but they were generally looked upon as curiosities by their male counterparts. Nora Stanton
Blatch Barney (1883–1971), daughter of Harriot Stanton Blatch and granddaughter of Elizabeth
Cady Stanton, was the first woman to receive a degree in civil engineering from Cornell
University in 1905. In the same year, she was accepted as a junior member of the American
Society of Civil Engineers; however, twelve years later, after having worked as an engineer,
architect, and engineering inspector, her request for an upgrade to associate membership was
denied. Olive Dennis (1885–1957), who became the second woman to graduate from Cornell
with a civil engineering degree in 1920, was initially hired by the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad as a draftsman; however, she later became the first person to claim the title of Service
Engineer when this title was created.

CleoneBenest passed the City and Guilds of London Institute's motor-engineering examination,

the Royal Automobile Club's mechanical test in 1908 and took the Portsmouth
MunicipalCollege examination for heat engines in 1910. Using the professional name of C. Griff,
she joined several engineering organizations and established a consultancy business in Mayfair.
Alice Perry s one of the first formally recognized female engineers in Europe, graduated with a
degree in engineering in 1908 from Queen's College, Galway. Elisa LeonidaZamfirescu (1887–
1973), due to prejudices against women in the sciences, was rejected by the School of Bridges
and Roads in Bucharest, Romania. However, in 1909, she was accepted at the Royal Academy of
Technology in Berlin. She graduated from the university in 1912, with a degree in engineering,
specializing in chemistry, possibly becoming one of the first women engineers in the world.

Edith Clarke, the inventor of the graphical calculator, was the first woman to earn a degree in
MIT's electrical engineering department in 1918. Clarke also became the first woman admitted to
the American Institute of Electrical Engineers, the precursor to the IEEE. She taught at the
University of Texas Austin, where she was the only woman faculty member in the engineering
department.

World War II Engineering Programs For Women:

The entry of the United States into World War II created a serious shortage of engineering talent
as men were drafted into the armed forces at the same time that industry ramped up production
of armaments, battleships, and airplanes. The U.S. Office of Education initiated a series of
courses in science and engineering that were open to women as well as men.

Private programs for women included GE on-the-job engineering training for women with
degrees in mathematics and physics, and the Curtiss-Wright Engineering Program had Curtiss-
Wright Cadettes (e.g., Rosella Fenton). The company partnered with Cornell, Penn
State, Purdue, the University of Minnesota, the University of Texas, RPI, and Iowa State
University to create an engineering curriculum that eventually enrolled over 600 women. The
course lasted ten months and focused primarily on aircraft design and production.

Thelma Estrin , who would later become a pioneer in the fields of computer science and
biomedical engineering, took a three-month engineering assistant course at Stevens Institute of
Technology and earned University of Wisconsin B.Sc, M.Sc, and PhD degrees.
Through an accelerated program brought on by the war, Lois Graham (1925-2013) graduated
from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1946was the first woman in the United States to receive
a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology . In 1946, Hattie Scott
Peterson gained a degree in civil engineering, believed to be the first African-American woman
to do so.

1950s-1970s:

The Cold War and the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union created
additional demands for trained engineering talent in the 1950s and 1960s. Many engineering
schools in the U.S. that had previously admitted only male students began to tentatively adopt
coeducation. After 116 years as an all-male institution, RPI began to admit small numbers of
female students in the 1940s. Georgia Tech began to admit women engineering students in 1952,
but only in programs not available in other state universities. It would be 1968 before women
were admitted to all courses offered by Georgia Tech.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had graduated its first female student, Ellen

Swallow Richards (1842–1911) in 1873; she later became an instructor at MIT. However, until
the 1960s, MIT enrolled few female engineering students, due in part to a lack of housing for
women students. After the completion of the first women's dormitory on campus, McCormick
Hall, in 1964, the number of women enrolled increased greatly. Influenced in part by the second
wave feminism movement of the late 1960s and 1970s, female faculty members at MIT,
including Mildred Dresselhaus and Sheila Widnall, began to actively promote the cause of
women's engineering education. The ÉcolePolytechnique in Paris first began to admit women
students in 1972.

Margaret Hamilton is also notable for her contributions to computer and aerospace engineering
in the 1970s. Hamilton, the director of the Software Engineering Division of the MIT
Instrumentation Laboratory at the time, is famous for her work in writing the on-board guidance
code for the Apollo 11 mission.

1980s-1990s:

As more engineering programs were opened to women, the number of women enrolled in
engineering programs increased dramatically. The number of BA/BS degrees in engineering
awarded to women in the U.S. increased by 45 percent between 1980 and 1994. However, during
the period of 1984–1994, the number of women graduating with a BA/BS degree in computer
science decreased by 23 percent (from 37 percent of graduates in 1984 to 28 percent in 1994).
This phenomenon became known as "The incredible shrinking pipeline," from the title of a 1997
paper on the subject by Dr. Tracy Camp, a professor in the Department of Mathematical and
Computer Sciences at the Colorado School of Mines.[24]
 As more engineering programs were opened to women, the number of women enrolled in
engineering programs increased dramatically. The number of BA/BS degrees in engineering
awarded to women in the U.S. increased by 45 percent between 1980 and 1994. However, during
the period of 1984–1994, the number of women graduating with a BA/BS degree in computer
science decreased by 23 percent (from 37 percent of graduates in 1984 to 28 percent in 1994).
This phenomenon became known as "The incredible shrinking pipeline," from the title of a 1997
paper on the subject by Dr. Tracy Camp, a professor in the Department of Mathematical and
Computer Sciences at the Colorado School of Mines.[24]

Some of the reasons for the decline cited in the paper included:

 The development of computer games designed and marketed for males only;
 A perception that computer science was the domain of "hacker/nerd/antisocial"
personality types;
 Gender discrimination in computing;
 Lack of role models at the university level

Statistics from the U.S. Department of Education show that in 1998 -1999, women earned 57%
Of B.S. degrees, 58% of M.S. degrees and 43% of doctorate degrees1. More women than men
earn associate, bachelors, and master’s degrees. Also, the number of women receiving all types
ofdegrees has increased at a faster rate than for men. Between 1989-90 and 1999-2000, the
numberof bachelor’s degrees awarded to men increased by 8 percent, while those awarded to
womenrose by 26 percent1. However, in 1999 – 2000, women earned only 19.5% of B.S.
degrees,19.7% of M.S. degrees and 14.3% of doctorate degrees in engineering and engineering
relatedtechnologies. As can be seen from the statistics, women are underrepresented in the
engineering

Fifteen years ago during the computer, microelectronics, and aerospace boom, there were
concerns about a shortage of engineers. Everyone was thinking that the solution was to attract
women to engineering. However, because of corporate restructuring and productivity increase
for engineering activities, some people thought that there was no more need for so many
engineers. So, the question that one might ask is: “Do we still need to attract women to
engineering?” The answer is definitely “yes!”

There are several reasons for attracting women to engineering such as the fact that more than
50% of consumers are women. If those designing the products are able to relate to the female
section of the population, there is a better chance of selling the products. So, we need to have
women designers. Another reason for attracting women to engineering is to employ the best
engineers and scientists in order to keep our leadership in technology. Microsoft Chief
Technology Officer, Nathan Myhrvold, said: “There are breakthrough ideas we are waiting for
someone to have. The smaller the number of people in industry, the fewer of those ideas we will
get. That’s more in focus in our industry because growth is directly related to human talent”. To
employ the best engineers, if we can attract more women to engineering field, we will have a
largerpool of candidates to choose from. Another reason is that the women’s talent can be used
to improve the work environment. Studies has shown that women excel in verbal and
interpersonal skills and are very good collaborators.

Interest in the world around us, intellectual ability, a passion for learning, a critical mind, a will
to make the world a better place… and being male. Science is a young discipline which has made
its mistakes in the past: the list of necessarycharacteristicsin a scientist given above shows one
that shouldn’t be there, but which has been current for too long.

Looking back on the centuries gone by, we can see significant changes in society, particularly in
regards to social and gender equality, but also in the fact that past scientificprogressowes more to
womenthan wemay think. Intelligent women – and women who additionally had the great
courage that was required back then – emerged at a time when knowledge was denied to them
precisely to help us create such knowledge.
 Women Contributed Much More to Science and Engineering Than
You Think

The algorithms you use on a daily basis began with Ada Lovelace… and you
didn’t know it

A computer programme is an algorithm (a mathematical formula) which allows you to perform a

calculation to solve a problem. Today, algorithms are everywhere, but there were none when
Augusta Ada Byron (as she was called then) developed hers in 1842. Alan Turing is famous for
his algorithms and the “machine that defeated the Reich”, but it is necessary to remember this
happened a long time after Ada put down on paper history’s first ever algorithm.

Ada’s story starts much earlier, on 10 December 1815, in London. The 17 th century was a great
time for science, but not particularly so for women, who, once married, were relegated to doing
the housework and looking after the children. And they were encouraged to get married as soon
as possible.

Ada was fortunate enough to receive high-level education as a childthanks to her mother, Anne
Isabella Noel Byron, who is considered one of the most important activists in the struggle for the
abolition of Afro-American slavery. An 1841 oil painting by Benjamin R. Haydon captures a
meeting of the Anti-Slavery Society, with Anne Isabella, Lucretia Mott and Mary Clarkson as
the only female members. Even in such circles they were considered ‘agitators’, although we
now know them as history’s first feminists.

Anne Isabella, nicknamed Lady Byron (in the portrait), exercised a very positive influence on
Ada, guiding her towards mathematics, which was to become her great passion. Moreover, her
social status gave her the chance to meet some of the famous people of the time, such as Faraday
or Dickens, and this led her to the work of a friend, Charles Babbage. It was Babbage who
showed Ada what a difference engine was, and that was when she fell in love with the
mathematics of the machine.

Babbage was a famous British mathematician who, though holding Ada in high regard, wasn’t
interested in her mathematical capabilities (which were, in fact, greater than his in certain areas).
Ada Byron longed to work with him (as he was what today would be the equivalent of Ramón
López de Mántaras in the field of Artificial Intelligence), so she set herself the task of impressing
him – and did so by a generous margin.

With determination and resolve, Ada took an article in French by Italian engineer Luigi
Menabrea titled Sketch of the Analytical Engine invented by Charles Babbage, and translated it
into English. However, Ada was a mathematician, not a translator, so she added a series of
annexes that clarified and complemented the article. She had enriched it hugely.
Annex G is probably the most important one because it provides an algorithm for the
computation of Bernoulli numbers. Unfortunately, the machine was never built, and so the
algorithm was never used. However, it’s now known to be correct for the knowledge of the time.

Today, our power network runs smoothly thanks to… Edith Clarke

Although thousands of other men and women engineers who  have worked on power lines for
decades have played their part, there is one particularly important article on Steady-State
Stability in Transmission Systems, by Edith Clarke, which served to make the power system
more reliable from 1926. In that same year, the New York Times announced the news that Miss
Edith Clarke [was] the only one of her sex to read a paper at engineers’ meeting.

Edith was at the time working at General Electric, not as an electrical engineer (which is what
she would have liked and what she had trained for), but as the computer supervisor in the
company’s turbines department, a job she found extremely boring. In that year, she invented an
incredible device (for the time) which helped calculate electric current, voltage and impedance. It
was a graphic calculator which she simply named the Clarke Calculator

Most notable in Edith Clarke was her dedication to studies from a very early age. She lost both
of her parents when she was 12 years old, and spent a large proportion of the money she
inherited on getting the best possible education. It wasn’t easy and, although she was determined
to be an electrical engineer, she had to earn money along the way by working as a human
calculator. If anyone reading this has seen how accountants of insurance companies worked
towards the middle of the 20th century, what she did was similar and just as hard.

She got into MIT and in 1919 became the first woman ever to achieve a master’s degree in
electrical engineering. It was after this student period that she joined General Electric, where she
was completely undervalued until she left just after inventing her calculator.

Barely a year later she received a job offer from the Engineering Department at GE’s main plant.
Here her work was valued fully, and she was employed as the first female electrical engineer in
history. She continued writing scientific articles which have contributed greatly to her field of
work, and won various awards.

Do you use GPS, WiFi or Bluetooth? All thanks to HedyLamarr

In 1941, in the midst of World War II, intercepting a ballistic missile was relatively easy. Once
the missile was launched, the enemy (in our case the Nazis) only had to make sweeps to identify
the correct frequency, triangulate their position and divert the trajectory of the explosive device.

HedyLamarr, the actress, devised the idea of controlling the missiles using an ingenious
mechanism: instead of a continuous beam, messages would be fragmented and emitted by pulses,
continuously but on different frequencies, following a seemingly random pattern. She had
invented FHSS (Frequency-Hopping Spread Spectrum), a technology which could be used to
build both an emitter on land or on a ship, or a receiver on the missile. Synchronization,
however, was not part of her job as an engineer…

Oh, yes, HedyLamarrwasanengineer, beginning her studies at the age of 16. However, in 1933,
her mother’s pianist spirit defeated her father’s tendency towards calculus. She became an
actress – and a very good one –, who played roles which, even by today’s standards, may seem
rather daring (let alone for a woman back then).

It was then that she met her future husband, Friedrich Alexander Maria Fritz Mandl, who
supplied ammunition, fighter jets and ballistic control systems for the German and Italian army.
It was because of Fritz’s work that he learned the ins and outs of radio waves and the remote
control, a Fritz that he describes as “possessive” in his memories. Later he fled to London, with a
brief stop in Paris.

Great Britain was losing World War II when the USA asked its citizens, through the National
Inventors Council programme, to submit patents that would help win the war against the Nazis.
It is unclear who Lamarr hated more: the German army or her husband (who, it should be
recalled, sold weapons to the army), but what is certain is that she offered her engineering
knowledge, having finished her degree while escaping from Fritz. She didn’t have it easy in life.

After an initial rejection from the National Inventors Council, she managedto raise7 million
dollars inwar tokens selling kisses in just one night. In those days, people could help the army
fight against the Third Reich with their own capital, and she had an idea which we would now
call pyramidal business: a kiss from the actress for whoever sold the most tokens. Not satisfied
with her achievements, she started making the devices that would lead to FHSS. At a dinner
party she met George Antheil, a pianist and one of the first known futurologists, who years
earlier had managed to wirelessly synchronise 16 pianolas.

He helped with the problem of synchronizing the two devices, and on 10 th June 1941 they jointly
submitted a patent application, with her name as main applicant: H. K. Markey, or Hedwig
Kiesler Markey. She was born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler, but changed her name to HedyLamarr
to escape from Fritz. Her life is the stuff of novels, but the invention was archived because the
device was too big to fit in a torpedo. Nevertheless, this wasn’t the end of the story, since science
is cumulative, and all knowledge is used in the end.

Meanwhile, Arthur C. Clarke was ‘rambling on’ (or so it seemed at the time), imagining a
system of geostationary satellites orbiting the Earth. Such satellites would indeed be launched
decades later by the American government into different orbits, under the acronym G.P.S., using
the technology Lamarr and Antheil had created earlier. They didn’t beat the Nazis, but they
connected us all. BluetoothandWiFi based their first creations on a similar design, so you should
thank them both.
Valentina Tereshkova proved space is for everyone

Certain persons require an introduction because they didn’t get recorded in history. Others, like
Yuri Gagarin or Valentina Tereshkova, the first man and woman in space, do not. The Russians
managed to reach Space, the last frontier, during the Cold War. They first launched the Sputnik
in 1957, then they sent Gagarin in 1961 and, finally, Tereshkova in 1963. These last two returned
safely to Earth, but the Sputnik burned up on re-entry.

Tereshkova’s trip on Vostok 6 in 1963 was tough to say the least, especially taking into account
that Valentina suffered from vertigo, and that a space journey involves the feeling of falling in all
directions at once. Although hers wasn’t the most difficult experience in space – think of the
crew of Apollo 11 while landing on the Moon, or Chris Hadfield’s tears, both without doubt
traumatic experiences –, the dedication of the world’s first female astronaut is
striking:  shehidhervertigofromhercolleagues and managed to pass all her tests.

Valentina had already shown her potential when, a few years earlier, she joined a leisure
parachute club. It’s important to note that in those days the technology wasn’t as developed as it
is today, and that landings weren’t quite as smooth (much less smooth, actually).

Tracing her history back further, Tereshkova was the daughter of immigrants from Belarus, her
father working as a farmer, her mother in a textile factory where she herself would work some
years later; as a child she had already helped out in a tyre factory. Russian children of the time
were tough, and this future astronaut even more so.

In 1961, when Gagarin returned from space, Sergey Korolyov, chief rocket engineer at the
Russian Aviation and Space Agency (now the RFSA), had a brilliant idea: Why not take on
female astronauts? It seemed a great idea at the time in the then USSR, but there was the slight
problem that nowomenhadbeentrainedtogotospace. Nobody had thought of them until thenand
this in a Communist system which had already founded the Night Witches, an all-woman air
squadron which fought in World War II, in 1941.

Valentina Tereshkova was admitted in 1962 together with four other female parachutists to train
as astronauts. This is interesting, because to join the so-called Cosmonaut Corps, she had to first
be admitted into the Soviet Air Force. And so she became not only the first woman to travel to
space, but also thefirstcivilianintheworld to do so. Two records in just one trip, which was very
tough and in which she didn’t even have a toothbrush.

Years later she graduated as a space engineer at Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy,
and today she continues to be a beacon of hope for the world as an engineer and visionary. In
2013 she admitted that she’d love to go to Mars (even if it was just a one-way trip). In 2017, the
commissar of an exhibition held as a tribute to her in London said “Valentina Tereshkova
personifies that can do attitude which propels humanity towards great things”.

Doña Angelita, the visionary who thought up the modern eBook

Many people have contributed to the development of the modern electronic book, which first
appeared this century through LCD screens. But there were some very interesting precursors of
this device which usually do not receive the attention they deserve.

It was the 1940s, and school teacher ÁngelaRuizRobles (called Doña Angelita by her students)

realised, perhaps for the first time, the limitationsofteachingonpaper. Something that should be
put in perspective. Today, it is easy to think of an education combining pen and paper, in the
traditional sense, with a computer screen. But back in the 1940s the most advanced computer
was the BINAC (weighing in at 318 kg) or the Colossus (5 tones), amongst others.

Doña Angelita is one of those women who have shown us that you can fight for everything you
consider just, and shebelievedthatherstudentsdeservedbetter. Being a mother of three girls, a
teacher and a widow in the 1950s did not prevent her from putting revolutionary ideas into the
minds of her pupils and of the engineering community.

After teaching for several years in Santa Eugenia de Mandia (in Galicia), Ángela Ruiz realised
that it was absurd that the children should dragaroundheavytextbooksall day long. Surely there
must be another way to help her students learn and leave behind what she considered the
obsolete teaching methods of the time (based on memorizing everything).

Just think how far advanced for her time Doña Angelita actually was when, in 2018, one of the
strongest criticisms of our education system is still precisely the focus on memorizing rather than
comprehension. So advanced, in fact, that she put her basic knowledge of mechanics and
pneumatics (movement using the pressure of gases within a circuit) to work to design
herencyclopedia.

A few years before moving to Santa Eugenia de Mandia (Galicia) to teach, Ángela Ruiz had
spent a couple of years in León taking her first classes in shorthand writing, typing and
accounting. Remember those old typewriters? Mechanical, with keys that moved when your
fingers struck the relevant buttons.

It is possible that her experience with different machines helped her to build her mechanical
encyclopedia in 1949, a prototype, with the aim of “facilitating teaching, and achieving
maximum knowledge with minimum effort”. The device, which comprised several textbooks,
was also a medium onto which different teachers could load their own content. What we now
call an open system, which way back them was unimaginable.
The invention had little or no success at the time, partly because people’s minds were not ready
for such a device. Think of the Martín de Santos Auto Map of 1957, which also worked with
“cartridges” in the form of a roll and suffered the same fate. But even Bill Gates’ Tablet PC from
2001, a cutting-edge device, was a resounding failure. Society needs time to accept greatness and
adapt to technology.

We should take into account that even today a tablet in the classroom can be seen as an alien
device and highly criticized by some, despite its many advantages for students, something
that Doña Angelita was able to see already 70 years ago. In the days of Ángela Ruiz, optics were
only just beginning to develop, and the cutting-edge technology then was vacuum tubes and
pneumatic systems. Despite everything, self-taught, she managed to design a device which even
today is ground breaking.

The first Hispanic female to reach space… Ellen Ochoa.

Dr. Ellen Ochoa is an American astronaut who was the first Hispanic female to reach space. She
has an impressive career within NASA and is today one of the most famous female engineers in
our contemporary world.

She started as a research engineer in 1988, before climbing the ranks to hold prestigious
positions, such as director of flight crew operations, deputy center director and even Director of
the Johnson Space Centre.In 1990, she was selected to become an astronaut, going on to serve in
4 space missions, and clocking in at almost 1000 hours in space.
She even operated a robotic arm to transfer supplies and equipment from the shuttle to the
International Space Station.

She is also a gifted inventor, co-developing three patents on optical equipment, which get better
quality images and more precise information from further into space than were previously able.
We are very proud to be contemporaries with one of the most famous female engineers in the
world and a, most of all, with a woman that made critical contributions to space understanding
and explorations. 

Her contributions to the NASA missions and advancement of space technology has led to her
receiving many awards, including NASA’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Medal.
She has had six schools named after her, and she received even the Presidential Distinguished
Rank Award from the federal government for senior executives.
Ochoa strives to advance the science around the world for the benefit of all of humankind. A
fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, she serves on several
boards, including chairing the Nomination Evaluation Committee for the National Medal of
Technology and Innovation.
Despite having all of this under her belt, Ochoa somehow found time to learn to fly planes, play
the classical flute, and raise two sons with her husband, Coe Milles.

Katharine Burr Blodgett

Katharine Burr Blodgett was a famous female inventor in the field of molecular engineering,
working with monomolecular coatings. It led to improvements in everything from eyeglasses to
the camera on your phone.
Blodgett was born in 1898, the daughter of a famous patent attorney for General Electric, who
was tragically killed in a burglary while she was a child. After some time living with her mother
in France, she returned to New York and attended Rayson School, receiving a higher quality of
education than others of the time.
She showed a gift for physics and mathematics, going on to earn her Bachelor’s degree at Bryn
Mawr College and a masters degree from the University of Chicago. She then became the first
woman in history to receive a Ph.D. in physics from Cambridge University.
Blodgett worked at the General Electric research lab with Irving Langmuir, a former co-worker
of her father. Together they developed films that were only a few molecules thick and outlined
their potential uses.
After applying several films of barium to the glass, she dramatically reduced the amount of light
that would reflect from it.
Blodgett later applied this to eyeglasses, creating non-reflective lenses and also improving the
lenses used for cinematography.
When it comes to famous female engineers and some of the most revered women inventors in the
world, Blodgett’s name will still shine bright for generations.
During the war-torn times of the early 20th century, Blodgett helped advance military
technology, using her research in the monomolecular coating to aid in the war effort – helping
create more effective smokescreens to allow soldiers to cover better their advance or retreat.
In 1963, Blodgett retired from General Electric, but we still use her finding today. Blodgett’s
research had a massive impact on the modern world, leading to the development of hydrophobic
coatings for almost any item imaginable:
 non-scratch camera lenses and glasses,
 better telescope lenses,
 non-reflective store windows,
 and weather balloon technology, to name a few.
So, next time you use your telescope for beginners to see those Saturn rings or pick
your astronomy binoculars to gaze at the Moon, give thanks to Katharine Blodgett.

Emily Warren Roebling, the woman behind the man who built Brooklyn
bridge

Emily Warren Roebling is famous for her part in building the Brooklyn Bridge. One of the most
famous female engineers of her times – although she never held such degree – Emily’s story is as
inspirationaltoday as it was then.
She was an honorary engineer, receiving no formal education, but that didn’t stop her from
leaving her mark.
As children, she and her brother strived for the best education that they could get. Her brother
went on to become the commanding officer of the V. Corps, while she met her husband,
Washington Roebling, at a soldier’s ball.
Washington was the son of John Roebling, the engineer responsible for designing the Brooklyn
Bridge. She had become a regular at the construction site, where she accompanied her husband,
and while honeymooning, they both studied underwater construction practices in Europe. Her
husband took over as chief engineer when his father suddenly passed.
Shortly after Washington was appointed chief engineer, he fell ill and became bedridden.
Emily cared from him at home and relayed information between him and his workers. During
this time, Emily dedicated herself to the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge.
She excelled so well at managing the day to day operations and site development that most
people assumed she was the next chief.

In 1882, she appeared before the engineers and politicians’ panel to advocate for her husband to
remain in charge, which they granted.
Construction ended the following year, and she traveled the first journey across the bridge in a
carriage, holding a rooster as a victory sign.
She received praise for her efforts and dedication in Abram S. Hewitt’s speech.
After the completion of the project, Emily dedicated her time to support many women’s causes,
such as the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Committee on Statistics of the New
Jersey Board of Lady Managers.
She published an essay titled “A Wife’s Disabilities,” which advocated for women’s rights.
The Brooklyn Bridge recently celebrated its 135th birthday and with it, Emily Roebling’s
contributions. The street where she lived with her husband while working on the Brooklyn
Bridge received her name as an honor.
Her obituary appeared in NY Times “overlooked” articles, which is rewriting the obituaries of
brilliant people who went unnoticed in their times.

Revolutionized World War II airplane engines… Beatrix Shilling

Beatrix Shilling is one of the famous female engineers of all times. She was a British mechanical
engineer serving in the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) during World War II.
She did not only develop a way to allow Spitfire planes to dive while in combat but was also a
successful race car driver – holding the title of the fastest female racer.
After leaving school, she became an apprentice at a local electrical engineering company, headed
by Margaret Partridge. Partridge was a founder of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) and
an advocate for women in science and engineering.
She encouraged Shilling to further her education, and WES supplied an interest-free loan to help
her study.
Beatrix gained her Bachelor’s with honors in 1932 and received her Master’s degree the
following year. Whilestudyingforthedegree, sheaccepteda position as a researchassistant, where
she helped G.F. Mucklow with his work on supercharged engines.
Shilling joined the RAE at Farnborough as a technical writer, an experimental engineer, and
finally, senior technical officer. She served her entire career with the RAE, her most
notablecontribution being “Miss Shilling’s Orifice.

During the Second World War, British RAF planes were unable to maintain control while
driving, as it caused the engines’ carburetors to flood and disengage, problems leading to many
pilots dying due to engine failure.
Beatrix Shilling devised a diaphragm to insert into the engine and prevent Spitfire andHurricane
aircraft from stalling, allowing the crew to operate the planes easier and safer.
While maintaining a successful career, she was also an avid motorcycle racer, modifying her
bike herself.
She was the second female ever to receive a Brookland’s Gold Star for reaching 100 mph. She
broke the record, reaching 106 mph, and thus becoming the fast female racer in the world.

Margaret Hamilton: Her code got humans on the moon – And invented
software itself.

July 20, 1960. The American nation and people across the Earth watched in awe as Neil
Armstrong made history by setting foot on the Moon. Today, almost everyone can recite Neil’s
monumental first words on the satellite: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for
mankind.” However, few people know that the landing of men on the Moon would likely not
have been possible without the brilliant work of one woman – Margaret Hamilton.1
 
Margaret Hamilton was born on August 17, 1936 in Paoli, Indiana. 2 As a child, she very much
enjoyed school, but there was something about mathematics she loved more than anything else.
Her talent in solving complex problems was noticed by her 11 th grade math teacher, Mr. Phillips,
who would later recall Margaret’s frustration with the lack of computer programming courses in
school curriculums. “Math and Computer Programming are the foundation for progress”, young
Margaret had said to him, as though she was able to see into the future. And little did anyone
know, time would prove her right.3
 
Following her passion for math, Margaret Hamilton obtained a BA in Mathematics from
Earlham College in 1958. While in college, she met her future husband James Cox Hamilton.
Margaret had initially planned to continue her education pursuing a graduate degree in math,
however she decided to first follow her husband to Boston where he attended Harvard Law
School. Despite delaying her own education plans to support her husband, Hamilton was far
more progressive than most married women at the time. For example, she refused to take part in
a Harvard social tradition, which required wives of law students to pour tea for the men. “No
way am I pouring tea!”, Margaret told her husband, asserting her rights in an era where women
did as they were told. 
 
In Boston, Margaret Hamilton took a job as a computer programmer for Professor Edward
Lorenz in the Meteorology Department at the Massachusetts Institute of technology (“MIT”).
Not having a formal education in programming, Margaret learned on the job, using the
instructions for a computer called “LGP-30”. Shortly after, the “Apollo” program came along
setting the bold mission to land men on the moon. Margaret enthusiastically pursued the
opportunity and became the Lunar and Command Modules on-board flight software team
leader. She was additionally assigned with creating the software for operation in case of mission
abortion, because “she was a beginner” and because it was believed that the mission “would
never abort.”
 
Knowing that human lives were at stake, Margaret Hamilton worked tirelessly to create software
that would lead the mission to success. At the same time, she was also raising her daughter
Lauren, who often ended up in the “Apollo” simulation room, playing astronaut while her mother
was working. One time, as Lauren was playing with the simulator, the system crashed
completely. Margaret quickly realized that Lauren had selected the wrong program, which in
turn had the system confused. Concerned about the risk of this happening during flight, she
sought permission to recreate an emergency situation in order to test the astronauts’ response.
Her concerns, however, did not seem compelling to the project leaders who believed the
astronauts were trained not to make such mistakes. Naturally, they were wrong.
 
Approximately three minutes before astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were set to land
on the moon, an emergency occurred. Hamilton’s software, which no one thought would ever be
used, came into play. Since she created the emergency program herself, she became the expert
who saved the day. Relying on her confidence in the program – a product of the rigorous testing
process she used in her work – NASA authorized the landing and the mission became a success.
 
In 2016, Margaret Hamilton was honored with the highest civilian award in the United States,
the Medal of Freedom, by President Barack Obama. Today, Margaret is the CEO of “Hamilton
Technologies” Inc., a software engineering company based in Cambridge Massachusetts, which
she founded in 1986. Through her work, Hamilton continues to inspire women and men alike to
believe in their dreams and to pursue them fearlessly, despite all odds.

Marissa Mayer: First female engineer to join Google

Marissa Mayer is an American software engineer who was the first female engineer to join
Google and went on to be the CEO of Yahoo. She has been an integral part of the design and
management of both companies.
She was in Fortune’s Under 40 and ranked among their most powerful businesswomen in the
world. Mayer is now one of the most famous women in science and engineering in our
contemporary world.
In her youth, she excelled in math and science, while also keeping a hectic schedule with a near
endless list of extracurricular and a part-time job at her local grocery store.
Mayer attended Stanford University and got the Bachelors in symbolic systems and the Masters
in computer science. Her specialty was artificial intelligence.

She has several patents in this area, as well as in interface design.

After graduation, Mayer had several job offers and declined high paying positions to join the
team at Google. She was their 20th member and the first female engineer to join the group.
Soon enough, she became climbing the ranks, becoming the production manager, director of
consumer products and vice president of Google search products
Mayer was involved in almost all Google flagship programs and applications over the years.
Her contributions include the design of the Google homepage, Gmail, Chrome, Google Earth, all
of them while she was one of the only three members to develop Google Adwords.
Mayer was offered the position of CEO of Yahoo in 2012, which she accepted. During her time
at Yahoo, she became the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Fortune ranked her 6th
on their 40 Under 40 list and the 16th most powerful businesswoman in the world.
Yahoo board members believed that appointing Mayer CEO would revive the declining business.
Unfortunately, her efforts did not save the company, and when Verizon bought it in 2007, Mayer
resigned from her post. 
After leaving Yahoo, Marissa teamed up with a former colleague and founded Lumi Labs, an
incubator for artificial intelligence. She is also a board member in various organizations, from
the National Design Museum to the New York Ballet.

Wish upon the moon: Woman's dream takes her from Costa Rica to NASA

Power Woman: Sandra Cauffman, deputy director of the Earth Science Division of the Science
Mission Directorate at NASA

Watching Neil Armstrong on television as he became the first person to step foot on the moon on
July 20, 1969, became vividly ingrained in little Sandra Cauffman’smemory, along with his
famous quote, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.
However, it was her mother’s support that gave her the courage to pursue her dream. “You can
do something big if you want to,” her mother told her, as she recalls.
“I told my mom I want to go to the moon someday and my mother, instead of telling me to forget
it, considering we’re from Costa Rica and we were poor, told me to just put my mind to it and
work very hard,” she said.
The annual Women in Tech conference featured dozens of keynote speakers including Sophia
Bendz, a former global marketing director for music streaming platform Spotify from 2007 to
2014, and ÖdgärdAndersson, the vice president of luxury vehicle company Volvo Cars, as well
as hundreds of participants from countries all over the world.
Cauffman currently serves as deputy director of the Earth Science Division at the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Science Mission Directorate.
She also served as deputy manager of NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution
(MAVEN) mission in 2014.
However, it was not an easy path for her to realize her dream, especially given her
circumstances, but that did not stop her from pursuing it through all means possible.

“By the time I was 16, I had to juggle school activities, work and house chores.” Nevertheless,
she graduated from high school with the second best grades in her class of over 400 students.
When she had to pick a major at university, she decided to pursue electrical engineering, which
suited her passion. However, someone told her she could not do it because she was a girl, and
suggested she enroll in industrial engineering, as it was the only engineering major that had
female students at the time.
Cauffman spent three and a half years studying a major that she had no interest, let alone
passion, in.
It was her stepfather who noticed her frustration and suggested she go to the United States to
pursue the major she was passionate about, with one condition, she had to work to pay her way.
She took on the challenge, and leaving everything behind, moved to Virginia and enrolled in
George Mason University where she earned a double degree in electrical engineering and
physics.
“To my luck, the first time I went for a job interview, I went to a company that was a contractor
for NASA and got a job right on the spot,” she said, adding that three years later, in 1991, she
was working for NASA where she has since built her career to become one of the top executives
in the Earth Science Division.
“I didn’t go to the moon and I don’t think I could ever be an astronaut, but I am working about as
close as I can get,” she said.
Cauffman challenged all women to “take responsibility for your own life. If you don’t do it,
somebody else will want to do it for you”.
She added that, “Sometimes you have to take a few steps back to go forward, but if that’s where
your dream pulls you, that’s what you have to do. So don’t be afraid of making those decisions”.

 
 Top 50 women in Engineering for 2019

Women are excelling across a wide range of sectors in engineering, as

demonstrated by this list of current and former apprentices.

In the UK in 2017, some 11% of engineers were women – but given this figure stood at just 6%
in 2011, education and training in science, technology, engineering and math (Stem) seems to be
making headway. The latest figures from the Women into Science and Engineering (Wise)
campaign show that the number of women working in core Stem careers (including engineering)
rose by more than 60,000 between 2016 and 2017.

After the government launched its new “trailblazer” scheme in 2013 to initiate industry-set
standards in apprenticeships, these pathways have played a key role in better representation for
women in engineering. Nevertheless, while women currently make up approximately 12% of
engineers in the UK, just over 7% of engineering apprentices are female.
This year’s Top 50 Women in Engineering highlights 22 current and 28 former apprentices at the
forefront of UK engineering, from HS2 to Typhoon jets and the 5G rollout. It was put together
by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), a charity that celebrates its centenary this year.
Elizabeth Donnelly, its CEO, says: “We want a world where women are as likely as men to
choose an engineering career, and it can be seen from this list that women are excelling across an
impressive range of sectors.”

Katrina-Rose Allen Apprentice engineer, GoviaThameslink Railway(GTR)Ltd

Current apprentice
Now in the third year of her apprenticeship, Allen has already become a role model for
apprenticeship hopefuls. After she appeared in one of GTR’s videos, her story was featured in
Metro and the Evening Standard, and on BBC Surrey radio. Colleagues noted that applications
from women for next year’s scheme are up by more than 200%.

Natalie Asimeng-GyanEngineering apprentice, GSKCurrent apprentice

After joining GSK’s automation team last year [May 2018], Asimeng-Gyan didn’t take long to
impress colleagues. On a critical cross-site project, she learned to configure control systems,
follow wiring diagrams and work successfully with external suppliers and contractors. The
project went on to win an industry award. Now in her second year, Asimeng-Gyan has gone on
to represent GSK on projects in Europe and at careers events to promote its apprenticeship
scheme.

Natalie AthertonZoneoperationsmanager, SodexoFormerapprentice

Atherton impressed from the start: after completing an apprenticeship at AstraZeneca, she won
sponsorship for a degree, graduating in 2015. Now a chartered building services engineer, she
manages a £15m warehouse – one of AstraZeneca’s key assets – for Sodexo. In charge of 12
staff and responsible for managing facilities across the site, including automation, Atherton is
passionate about mentoring women who’ve transitioned into the industry from facilities
management.

Abbie BeaverApprenticefabricator/welder, ADI GroupCurrentapprentice

Beaver joined a pre-apprenticeship programme at 14 and then the ADI Group two years later as
its first-ever female apprentice. Her tenacity sets her apart, and last year she became one of six
female engineers for WES’s campaign to promote engineering to primary school-age girls.

Jacinta CadenBusinessdevelopment (Europe), CriticalProjectServicesFormerapprentice

Of all the fields in engineering, refrigeration remains one of the poorest for equal representation.
Caden is the fourth woman ever appointed to the board of the 119-year-old Institute of
Refrigeration (IOR), and now sits on the IOR’s steering group for women in the sector. Her
experience also provided key insight for developing its new trailblazer standards for
apprenticeships in the sector.

Sophie CaffreyTechnicalapprentice, LeonardoCurrentapprentice

Though only in her fourth year, Caffrey has already designed printed circuit boards that have
been used in trials across the world. Last year, she was selected by Naomi Campbell to star in a
Nike advert alongside nine other young women, whose work disrupted cultural stereotypes. She
is studying for a degree in electronic engineering.

Emily CarrApprenticeelectrical/instrumentationtechnician, GSKCurrentapprentice

Carr was recently shortlisted for a “young talent in the chemical industry” award for her work as
a Stem ambassador in schools and was recently selected to develop her leadership skills on a
Fieri course. Now in the third year of an HNC programme, she hopes to become an industry
technician on completion.

Rachael Carr Senior systems engineer, BAE SystemsFormer apprentice

After Carr joined BAE in 2006, she moved swiftly through the company into a senior
engineering role, where she leads on key responsibilities including platform airworthiness
certification. A former BAE apprentice of the year, Carr is now a mentor and performance coach
to the next generation of women at BAE.

Nicole ChamberlainAutomationandMESengineer, NestléFormerapprentice

When Chamberlain started out, she was one of just three women in a 100-person cohort, and the
only female engineer in her workplace. But it was her dedication rather than her gender that
stood out – most obviously in her final year, when she was nominated for a future manufacturing
award. Chamberlain now sits on the board of governors for Nestlé’s apprenticeship scheme and
mentors young women at her site. She is studying for a degree in electrical and electronic
engineering.

Melissa ChigubuApprentice, Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC)Current

apprentice
Chigubu learned her first engineering skills thanks to her uncles in Zimbabwe, and on moving to
the UK in 2012 she joined the MTC’s apprenticeship scheme. She has since been named
apprentice of the month three times, and was the first woman to complete the foundation course.

Heather ClarkeTrustee, Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)Former

apprentice
Clarke’s career was shaped by not one, but two apprenticeships – one technical, and one
voluntary. At British Railways, building the Medway rail bridge and Heathrow Express line gave
her hands-on experience, and in 2006 she become a chartered engineer. In 2007, she joined the
IMechE as a president’s apprentice, and 10 years later was elected as a trustee.

Lisa-Jayne CookSenior sales and applications engineer, Aqua Temperature Control

SolutionsFormer apprentice
As an apprentice, Cook was one of the star pupils on her BTec, and was named a finalist in
RAC’s student of the year awards in 2004. Her passion for learning persisted: in her nomination,
colleagues at Aqua praised Cook’s commitment to training junior engineers.

Dr Katherine CritchleyConfiguration management BPM, SafranSeatsFormer

apprentice
As an apprentice in the 1980s, Critchley gained valuable experience in computer-aided design.
But after graduating from a master’s in the subject, she found it so hard to break back into
engineering that she ended up working in a chocolate shop. Critchley then completed a PhD and
developed a career in the aerospace sector, but her experience made her a vocal advocate for
other “returners” in Stem.

Alexandra Ellis-JonesJunior engineer, GSKFormer apprentice

Ellis-Jones has made significant cost savings through digital innovation at work. She’s also made
great efforts to promote apprenticeships among senior business leaders at a Science Museum
Late event – after-hours theme night – and in a film for the IET.
Jasmine EwersUndergraduate engineer, WSPCurrent apprentice
As a young female apprentice on HS2, Ewers has now represented her peers in interviews on the
BBC and ITV, as well as featuring in a short film for BBC Bitesize Careers about engineering
apprenticeships. She’s also written articles, attended careers fairs, and won the ICE Quest
Technician Plus scholarship for her writing.

Danielle FlynnDegree apprentice, Jaguar Land RoverCurrent apprentice

The only female apprentice in her year at Halewood, Flynn excelled in her work on equipment
standards for car-making machinery and was named Liverpool apprentice of the year in 2018.
She is her apprenticeship’s first female Stem ambassador and gave a speech to the Made in
Dagenham machinists.

Angela GeorgeMechanical design engineer, Diamond Light Source LtdFormer apprentice

As an engineer at Diamond Light’s synchrotron facility, George specialises in “insertion
devices” – 20-tonne precision-engineered machines that generate x-ray beams accurate to less
than one-millionth of a metre. As an apprentice at Harwell in the 1980s, she was the only woman
on her team; her dedication and experience has made her a role model

.
Natalie GoodmanPermit to work coordinator, Spirit EnergyFormer apprentice
Goodman finished her four-year mechanical apprenticeship early, was made operations manager
of an oil refinery at 23 and is Spirit’s first female employee to become an authorised issuing
authority for permits to work. She volunteers as a community project supervisor with schools in
Cumbria.

Bethany HolroydProject coordinator, WSPFormer apprentice

Holroyd has worked as a project manager in both the public and private sectors – perhaps her
biggest project to date being the development of an asset management system for harbours on the
Moray coast. In 2012, she was the first apprentice in the country to complete the ICE framework.

Kelly JefferyCivil engineer, JacobsFormer apprentice

Ten years of experience in the UK and overseas gave Jeffery a passion for showcasing rewarding
work in engineering. During her apprenticeship at WSP she completed a degree in civil
engineering at Exeter; now at Jacobs, she sits on the steering committee for its global women’s
network.

Grace JohnstonePrincipal engineer, BAE SystemsFormer apprentice

Aged 16, working on Tornado and Hawk jets, Johnstone was the first woman on the 100-person
team. She was named IET young woman engineer of the year in 2003 and, after a 26-year-long
career, has now taken a senior role on the Typhoon team. Her recent appointment to chair of the
Inspiring Women Network came as no surprise.
Charlotte JonesTechnician, AECOMCurrent apprentice
Now in her fifth year at AECOM, Jones is one of the scheme’s top-performing apprentices, was
its apprentice of the year in 2018, and also featured in AECOM’s Where Women Work
campaign. She achieved distinctions in her BTec, NVQ and HNC and is now studying part-time
for a degree in civil engineering.

Sharon LaneManaging director, Tees ComponentsFormer apprentice

Lane began an apprenticeship after dropping out of university, and went on to gain a BEng with
first-class honours. After a distance-learning MBA, she became GM, then MD, of Tees
Components in 2005. Passionate about training, she has become a key role model in the north-
east for women in engineering.

Catherine LeahyApprentice corrosion technician, TWICurrent apprentice

One of TWI’s Arkwright scholars, Leahy already contributes to collaboratively funded projects
into new renewable solutions, and last year was interviewed by ITV about her work. The only
woman on her course and team, she has a passion for research.

Chloe le GrandSenior design engineer, MBDA UKFormer apprentice

Having passed her HNC and HND in mechanical engineering with distinction in all areas, le
Grand now shares her enthusiasm for engineering widely: as well as arranging apprentice
placements in her team, she has for the past few years led a Robot Wars-style Rumble event for
local secondary schools.

Catherine Llewellyn-JonesUndergraduate aerospace engineering apprentice, AirbusCurrent

apprentice
Llewellyn-Jones was working as a graduate teacher when she made the switch into engineering;
she now specialises in aircraft ribs, and her work has been implemented in Spain and the US. A
case study for TUC and Unite, and a champion for women making career changes, she has
successfully campaigned to change university hours for students with caring responsibilities.

Sylvia Lu5G tech lead, u-bloxUKFormer apprentice

After completing an apprenticeship at Toshiba, Lu quickly rose to prominence as an expert in the
internet of things. She currently serves on the advisory board for the UK5G network. The first
female board director at Cambridge Wireless, Lu was named a finalist in the science and
technology category of the Asian women of achievement awards last year
Judith MairManufacturing laboratory technologist, Rolls-Royce PLCFormer apprentice
Having moved to Derby from rural Aberdeenshire to undertake her apprenticeship, Mair excelled
on placements and graduated first-class, as well as being named best of British engineering and
apprentice of the year at the Semta awards last year.

Jenny ManningAdditive manufacturing engineering lead, BAE SystemsFormer apprentice

Additive manufacturing (3D printing) is a relatively new technology for BAE’s Typhoon and
Hawk jets, something Manning – named national apprentice champion of the year and the Royal
Academy of Engineering’s rising star in 2012 – noticed early on. Colleagues say she has been
“instrumental” in the company’s development for aircraft parts. Her innovative approach singles
her out to senior staff as an emerging leader in her field.

RaisaMatadarTechnical support apprentice, Jaguar Land RoverCurrent apprentice

The primary contact for JLR’s new Women in the Know events for budding female engineers,
Matadar has excelled in her performance at the company. Colleagues noted her acumen and
exemplary behavior reviews as well as her diligence; she received distinctions in almost all her
technical certificates for her level 2 assessments.

Kirsty McDermottDesign assurance engineer, National GridFormer apprentice

The first-ever female apprentice recruited to the bus builders in her hometown of Blackburn,
McDermott learned early on in her career how she would have to prove herself. She undertook a
two-year apprenticeship at the National Grid, then was appointed technical lead on a £6m world-
first project for robotics for inspecting pipelines. Now an engineer on the longest tunnel pipeline
in Europe, she is also working towards IEng accreditation, as well as setting up a network for
women in engineering on the National Grid.

Eden McGlenApprentice engineering maintenance technician, UnipresCurrent apprentice

McGlen’s strong academic background made her an obvious candidate for university, but instead
she applied for an apprenticeship with Unipres. One of just two women on her course, McGlen
was invited to discuss the role of women in engineering at the House of Lords this year.

Paula McMahonChartered civil engineer, Sir Robert McAlpineFormer apprentice

An RSA and ICE fellow, McMahon uses her experience on high-profile projects such as the
Thames Barrier in her work as a civil engineer. She previously managed the highways structures
department and had significant input into Highways England’s system for structural asset
management. She currently mentors more than two dozen candidates, and has been named a
Wise role model.
Lauren McNaughtonApprentice building services engineer, ArupCurrent apprentice
Now in her final year, McNaughton has impressed colleagues and peers by taking the lead in
automating many of Arup’s design processes and chairing workshops for engineers on digital
design. Her performance has also caught the eye of the Construction Industry Training Board,
which has recently put her forward for a regional award.

Lois MedleyElectrical apprentice, WSPCurrent apprentice

A member of WSP’s electrical team since the age of 16, Medley has key responsibilities on its
HS2 project for software that calculates cable sizes, detects calculation errors and manages
models of the electrics. Last year, she was interviewed about her work on BBC Breakfast, and
has also taken part in a roundtable with Damian Hinds, the education minister, on policy around
apprenticeships.

Sarah MulvannyBIM Technician, ArupCurrent apprentice

Since joining Arup’s building information modeling team, Mulvanny has gained experience on
international projects including stadiums, airports, homes and hotels. She recently completed a
secondment to develop her skills in digital visualizations, and having completed an EngTech is
now studying for a degree in building services engineering.

Lesley NutterSenior engineer, engineering apprenticeships, BAE SystemsFormer apprentice

After graduating from the women-only TESS scheme in 1992 and working as an engineer for 17
years, Nutter joined BAE’s early careers team just before it introduced the new aerospace
engineering degree apprenticeship scheme in 2015. Under her guidance, now a fifth of its
apprentices are women.

Emma RobertsApplications engineer, Fairfield Control SystemsFormer apprentice

At just 25, Roberts has already achieved a first-class degree and assisted Fairfield on some of its
biggest projects. Most notably, she helped refurbish the control system for the world’s first
rotating boat lift, designing and assisting in the building of new control panels. She has also
represented former apprentices at the House of Commons.

Billie SequeiraTechnical apprentice, BAE SystemsCurrent apprentice

When Sequeira joined BAE she’d already been placed in the top 10% nationwide for maths, and
since joining, colleagues say she’s outperformed in her role as an apprentice on BAE teams. She
was named apprentice of the year by her training provider and is a keen Stem ambassador.

Jennifer SmithPrincipal engineer, MBDAFormer apprentice

The first female apprentice in the engineering department of MBDA’s Steven age site, Smith
was a young mechanical engineer of the year in 2017; she was praised for setting up an in-house
training opportunity for engineers in the same year.
Sophie SmithBuilding surveyor, AtkinsFormer apprentice
With 10 years’ experience under her belt, Smith’s mid-career sector switch gave her expertise in
both social housing and building control. As well as studying for a degree part-time (and
graduating with first-class honors), she has also fought back against barriers such as ill-fitting
“unisex” personal protective equipment by developing her own range.

Sarah SpeirProject engineer, SP Energy NetworksFormer apprentice

When Speir first started at SP on a year in industry programme after school, she expected to go
to university afterwards. Instead, she stayed to earn an HNC on a three-year apprenticeship. Now
in a full-time role as an engineer, she commissions power system protection and large-scale
control systems apparatus, while studying for a degree.

Courteney StoneEngineering technician apprentice, BMW Group ManufacturingCurrent

apprentice
Self-confessed petrol head Stone is the only woman on her work’s Mini Challenge racing team.
She mentors other apprentices and volunteers as a charity champion, and after she graduates she
hopes to stay on to improve production processes for the Mini body shell.

Laurie-ann Sutherland SmithReliability engineer, Musk Process ServicesFormer apprentice

Sutherland Smith has a flair for making significant improvement to processes in short timescales
at work, and she’s wasted no time applying her skills to improving equality at Musk. After
Wise’s ten steps campaign, she produced a strategic proposal and action plan for the company.

Charlotte TingleyQuality engineer, BAE SystemsFormer apprentice

As a former WES young woman engineer of the year winner, Tingley has gone from strength to
strength. After completing an advanced technical apprenticeship, at 20 she led the production
team for the Eurofighter Typhoon helmet. She’s now known as an industry expert in FRACAS,
making her a key asset to her new role on the team for the inceptor systems of the F-35 jet.

Tammy WhelanAssistant technician, ArupCurrent apprentice

Whelan joined Arup’s infrastructure team in Belfast after a career in the armed forces and
graduated from a B.Tech last year. She was named learner of the year by her college and
Northern Ireland’s apprentice of the year. As well as representing women in apprenticeships, she
is also a green champion, and has founded a steering group to improve sustainability in her
workplace.

Jade WhiteWelding engineer, SellafieldFormer apprentice

A specialist consultant in fabrication, welding and materials technology, White’s expertise was
highlighted last year after she was nominated for WES’s Karen Burt award for newly chartered
engineers. During her 10-year career at Sellafield, she has spoken widely on equality in
engineering.
Perdi WilliamsAssistant research scientist, National Physical LaboratoryFormer apprentice
Williams is one of the key engineers behind the creation of the new Kibble (Watt) balance, the
instrument that redefined the kilogram last year. Now 20, Williams started her apprenticeship
just four years ago and has already spoken at New Scientist Live.

AmbarYasinApprentice, Jaguar Land RoverCurrent apprentice

A rising star, Yasin has already been invited to present to the board of directors: not long after
starting her placement, she managed to reduce time on one process by more than 80%. The
youngest member and only woman on her team in the metrology department, she has a keen eye
for improving efficiency.

Daniela ZanniStructural technician apprentice, ArupCurrent apprentice

At Arup, Zanni already has responsibility for the building information model of Manchester
Metropolitan University’s new arts and humanities building, and she is involved in training and
running workshops for graduate engineers. Now studying for a BTech she completed her NVQ
in less than 18 months, and was shortlisted for this year’s TARGETjobs apprentice of the year.
 The First Woman Engineer in India

Electrical engineering was in her blood: A.Lalitha, the first woman engineer
in India
In 1940, Lalitha didn’t know she was making history. But she did – as the first woman engineer
of India, and the first woman to graduate from the oldest Indian technical institution, College of
Engineering, Guindy (CEG), University of Madras.

Early Life
Lalitha was born on August 27, 1919 in Chennai (then Madras). She had a middle class
upbringing in a Telugu speaking family (Chennai is predominantly a Tamil speaking city). She
had four older and two younger siblings.  Child marriages were the norm in India in the first
quarter of 1900’s, and Lalitha was married in 1934, when she was fifteen. Her studies continued
even after marriage, but came to a stop after receiving the Secondary School Leaving Certificate
(SSLC or Class X). Her daughter Syamala was born in 1937 and was only four months old when
Lalitha’s husband passed away.
As a young widow with a baby, Lalitha wanted to go to college and get a professional degree
that would allow her to be self-sufficient.  India was not a friendly place for widows in those
days, and actually continues to be so even in the modern times. This must have been in Lalitha’s
mind later when she represented India in the Women Engineers’ Society’s Society of Women
Engineers’ first international conference in 1964, where she is known to have said “150 years
ago, I would have been burned at the funeral pyre with my husband’s body”. 1939 wasn’t quite
as bad, and with the support of her family, Lalitha could think about making a life for herself and
her daughter.

Professional Education
Lalitha joined Queen Mary’s College in Chennai and completed her intermediate exam with first
class.

Women were already making a name for themselves in the field of medicine.  As early as late
1800’s there were a handful of women who graduated with western medical degrees. Lalitha
thought about medicine as a career, but the rigors of being a doctor, while taking care of a young
child didn’t appeal to her. The other option was to become an engineer, and follow in the
footsteps of her father and brothers, but even though Lalitha was a brilliant student and getting
into CEG today would have been a breeze, this seemed impossible in an age wheretechnical
education was considered a male prerogative. Luckily, her father was a professor of electrical
engineering, at CEG. He took up her daughter’s cause, and spoke to the then principal of the
college, Dr. K.C. Chacko. It appears he also had to get the approval from the British government
official Sir R.M. Statham, Director for Public Instruction.
Lalitha entered CEG in 1940 as a student of the four year electrical engineering
program. Campus life as a lone woman must have been challenging. None of the camaraderie
that the male students would have had in studying together, working on projects, having lunch
together etc.. However, being the daughter of a professor would have compensated in some
ways. The addition of two more women to CEG in 1940 was quite welcome. Both Leelamma
George and Teresa joined CEG to study civil engineering in 1940. All three of them would
graduate in 1943, the first batch of women to do so from CEG. Lalitha’s Honours degree in
Electrical Engineering was awarded in February of 1944.

WORKING LIFE
Lalitha completed her qualifying examinations for Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical
Engineering in 1943. The final requirement for the degree was practical training. Lalitha
completed her one year apprenticeship in Jamalpur Railway Workshop, which was a major repair
and overhaul facility.
In 1944, Lalitha joined the Central Standards Organization of India, Shimla, as an engineering
assistant. As a widow with a six year old daughter, she chose this job since she could live with
her brother’s family, and have help from her sister in law in raising her daughter. She stayed in
the job until December 1946. She also took the Graduate ship Exam of the Institution of
Electrical Engineers, London, UK.
At the instigation of her father, Lalitha left her job in order to help him with his
research. Lalitha’s father had a number of patents, including Jelectromonium (an electrical
musical instrument), smokeless ovens and electric flame producer. She couldn’t continue this
beyond 1948 due to financial reasons, and joined the Associated Electrical Industries (AEI) . The
post was to be in Calcutta, and Lalitha’s second brother lived there, which was fortunate, since
living by herself would have been problematic as a widow in those days. In AEI, Lalitha worked
in the engineering department, and sales division, Calcutta branch.
She had a very satisfying job there as a design engineer designing transmission lines. Her work
also spanned solving problems of protective gear, substation layouts, and execution of contracts.
A notable project was the work on electrical generators for the Bhakra Nangal dam, the largest in
India. Lalitha’s son in law, also an electrical engineer, knew of her work intimately, and had this
to say: “Gradually the designing part was discarded and the activity focused on contract
engineering, serving as an intermediary between the equipment manufacturers in England and
the local installation and servicing engineers. She continued to work in the same office of AEI,
which in later years was taken over by the General Electric Company (GEC) and retired after
over thirty odd years.”
As a contracts engineer, AEI engineers were required to visit frequently the installation sites and
the offices of the organizations which bought the imported equipment. Being a widow with a
child, Lalitha’s work was confined to providing the expertise and assistance to those who were
above her in seniority and she did this with great efficiency and satisfaction.

In 1953, the Council of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), London elected her to be an
associate member and in 1966 she became a full member.

One of the highlights of Lalitha’s career was being invited to the First International Conference
of Women Engineers and Scientists (ICWES) in New York which took place in June 1964. At
that time there was no Indian chapter of the organization, and Lalitha took it upon herself to
attend the conference in a private capacity, overcoming many hurdles to do so.

From Wayne State University’s Walter P. Reuther Library, which houses the WES archive:
“The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) held the first International Conference of Women
Engineers and Scientists (ICWES) June 15-21, 1964, to coincide with the SWE National
Convention and the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City, New York. Although ICWES planners
originally estimated 300 participants, the conference brought together over 500 people from
more than 35 countries to discuss the role of women engineers and the future of engineering.”

The goal of the conference was to increase the participation of women in STEM ( Déjà vu!) and
the women in the conference shared their experiences.  Lalitha noted:

“The conference resolved to encourage women to increase their participation in the professional
societies in their countries and improve their qualifications not only during their student days but
throughout their professional life. It also resolved to maintain the central file of Women
Engineers and Scientists used for this conference and enlarge it as much as possible.”

National and regional newspapers such as Times of India, Indian Electrical News, Dharmayug,
Hitavada, and Poona Daily News covered her trip to the conference.

On her way back to India, Lalitha spent three weeks touring UK, visiting AEI factories including
Trafford Park (Manchester) and Rugby works.

Upon her return, a number of popular women’s magazines in India such as Femina and Eve’s
Weekly interviewed Lalitha in which she was able to give voice to her belief that women should
be equal participants in the field of engineering.

Lalitha became a full member of the Women’s Engineering Society of London in 1965, and
agreed to act as their representative in India for the Second International Conference of Women
Engineers & Scientists, held in Cambridge, England in July 1967. She marketed the event in
India, and five women engineers from India were able to attend the event.

Engineer, Champion of STEM, Mother, an Inspiration to All Women

Lalitha’s accomplishments when she achieved then are awe inspiring. They would not have been
possible without the extensive support structure she had. Her parents encouraged her. Her father
went to bat for her in getting her admission to CEG. Her sister brought up Lalitha’s daughter
along with her own son so that Lalitha can focus on her studies. 

Syamala says she never felt the absence of her father because of the strong support she received
from her mother. Lalitha encouraged her to study science, and do extracurricular activities such
as tennis and swimming. Syamala, who is married to a scientist has degrees in science and
education. Her children are scientists as well. It is amazing that at the age of 79, she is still
teaching mathematics at a school in the USA.
She retired from working in 1977. Post retirement found her travelling in the Southern India with
her sister. In 1979, when she was only 60 years old, she was struck with a brain aneurysm and
passed away after a couple of weeks on October 12.

Lalitha once said “Electrical Engineering runs in my blood. My father, four brothers, nephew
and son-in-law are all electrical engineers”. Today, many girls get a STEM (science, technology,
engineering and mathematics ) education – both in India, and elsewhere. For any number of
reasons many of them decide to drop out of their fields. It takes grit and interest in the field to
stay in the course and Lalitha’s life is a beacon of light for all the women who came after her in
the 1950’s but also today.

Successful women engineers who have made India

proud.

India has grown economically in leaps and bounds in the last decade. Today, it is recognized as a
major IT giant. The middle class has been redefined in India today. A major contribution to this
has come from the women, who have stepped out of their houses and chosen professional
degrees. These women, have now entered the portals of engineering domain, contributing to the
growth, with their perceptions and styles. India, is one country, where the number of women in
professional courses and careers, is amongst the highest in the world. However, there are still a
number of challenges faced by women in engineering.

PriyaBalasubramaniam, Vice President of iPhone operations, Apple

No conversation regarding technological innovation in the modern age can be complete without
the mention of apple Inc, one of the biggest tech giants in today's world. And it is none other
than PriyaBalasubramaniam from India who is the Vice President of Apples iphone operations.
With a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Bangalore and an MBA in
supply chain management from Michigan State University, Balasubramaniam joined apple as a
procurement manager. In the course of the next 17 years, her rise has been meteoric.
Balasubramaniam was also instrumental in setting up Apple's supply chains in India. During her
commencement speech in MSU which in 2017 awarded her an honorary doctorate in mechanical
engineering to mark her contributions the field, she told the audience that in the early days she
had struggled to get a job the engineering sector. Factories are no place for women to work, she
had been told by some people looking to hire male engineers. Luckily for the world, she proved
them wrong and how. Number four on the Business Insider (India)'s list of 39 most influential
women engineers of 2018 in the world, Balasubramaniam is a role model for all the women
struggling to make a career in engineering today.

NandiniRamani, Vice President of Engineering, Twitter

Twitter’s vice president of engineering, NandiniRamani plays a vital role in the organization’s
engineering processes. She also played a crucial role in Twitter’s product strategy for emerging
marketing in the world and more importantly in India as well. NandiniRamani was involved in
several other projects, with one of them being Twitter’s Early Bird Camp internship program for
high school students. Interestingly, the former vice president of Oracle also happens to be the
executive sponsor of Twitter’s organization for women 

Anjali Joshi, Vice president of Product Management, Google

Google vice president of Product Management, Anjali Joshi has over 10 years of experience in
Google and she is fiercely known for being an engineer who can handle any kind of problems in
the organization. She has worked on Google’s cloud and infrastructure and has handled news and
finance as well. As a leader for the product and engineering team, she’s responsible for several
products that also include search, image search, health search, maps, translation and localization.

 KomalMangtani, Head of data intelligence, Uber

Before KomalMangtani joined Uber, she was the head of engineering at Box. Currently, she’s
the head of data intelligence at Uber. Her tech team provides the tech that helps the business to
explore new market opportunities and also analyzes the overall business performance. She also
acts as an advisory board member for Women Who Code. She focuses on developing
engineering culture at a large scale by promoting technical innovation. She is very keen on
encouraging women to enter the profession of engineering.

 AparnaRamani, Director of engineering, Facebook

AparnaRamani works at Facebook as the director of Engineering, Realtime Data where her team
helps in processing real-time data and analytics as they play a very important role in technology
for Facebook’s News feed. Internally, Aparna’s team is also known to handle unprepared
challenges very well.  Before working at Facebook, AparnaRamani was in charge on product
development at Cloudera.

RuchiSanghvi

 RuchiSanghvi in 2005 became the first woman engineer to be hired by social -media giant
Facebook. The Pune-born woman completed her education in electrical computer engineering
from Carnegie Mellon University. She was instrumental in developing the first version of
Facebook's 'news feed' section which was introduced in 2006. Sanghvi quit Facebook in 2011 to
start her own stealth collaboration startup called Cove, which was later acquired by virtual
storage magnate Dropbox, where she worked till 2013 as Vice President of Operations. She is
also one of the founding members of a silicon Valley lobbying organisation that works toward
bringing immigration reforms and more inclusive education in the US among other things.

 ReshmaShetty

If you thought that women engineers have only remained restricted to serving on the payrolls of
existing tech giants, think again. ReshmaShetty, a Ph.D in biological engineering from MIT, is
the founder of Gingko Bioworks, a cutting-edge start-up in the field of biotechnology. Her
company is recognised for its work in the firld of synthetic DNA, and has even been noted by
billionaire Bill Gates. His asset management fund invested $275 in Gingko. Active in the field of
synthetic biology for over a decade, Reshma was jointly responsible for organising the first ever
international conference in the field - Synthetic Biology 1.0. In 2008. She has been named by
Forbes magazine  as one of the eight people inventing the future in 2011.

Indian Air Force gets its first woman flight engineer

Jaiswal achieved the feat after completing the prestigious Flight Engineers’ course 112
Helicopter Unit, Air Force Station, Yelahanka.
Flight Lieutenant HinaJaiswal has created history by becoming the first Indian Woman Flight
Engineer. She achieved the feat after completing the prestigious Flight Engineers’ course 112
Helicopter Unit, Air Force Station, Yelahanka.

Commissioned on January 15 in the engineering branch of the IAF, she has served as Chief of
firing team and battery commander in a frontline Surface to Air Missile squadron, before being
selected for the prestigious Flight Engineers’ Course.
She successfully completed the course and earned her Flight Engineer’s wing on Friday. During
the course of six months of grueling training, she trained shoulder to shoulder with her male
counterparts, and displayed unflinching commitment, dedication and perseverance, said a press
release from the Ministry of Defence said.

Jaiswal, hails from Chandigarh and has completed her Bachelor of Engineering degree from
Panjab University. Hina describes her achievement as a “dream come true”. Since childhood, she
had aspired to don the soldier’s uniform and take on the skies as an aviator. Finally, her dreams
have manifested into reality after successfully  graduating from the alma mater of Heli-lift.

As a Flight Engineer, she would subsequently be posted to operational helicopter units of the
IAF. While in the unit, she would be routinely called upon to operate in demanding and stressful
conditions, right from the icy heights of the Siachen Glacier to the seas of the Andamans. Hina is
enthusiastic about her stint in aviation and looks forward to embracing challenges with open
arms….

..

These women helped power India’s mission to Mars

The face of India’s space program has always been a man.

The seven chairmen, including the incumbent, of the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO)—India’s equivalent of NASA—have all been men, and it is typically male scientists who
front the serious press conferences ISRO conducts after satellite launches.

But there’s a crucial band of women, working across the entire range of India’s space
programme, that comprise about 20% of ISRO’s total workforce of 14,246 employees. About
10% of the total staff, or 1,654, are women engineers.
While smaller than other programmes—at NASA, for instance, about 20% of all engineers are
women—Indian women space scientists have risen to prominence in recent years.

In 2011, the launch and deployment of the GSAT-12, a communication satellite, was helmed by
three women scientists at ISRO: Project director T.K. Anuradha, mission director
PramodhaHegde and operations director AnuradhaPrakasham.

“The feeling is like delivering a baby,” Anuradha, perhaps the first woman to head such an ISRO
project, told a newspaper after the launch.

Then, in 2012, N. Valarmathi led the launch of RISAT-1, a radar imaging satellite, sparking

celebrations in a small Tamil Nadu town of Ariyalur, where she spent her childhood.

There’s also Tessy Thomas, the scientist who headed the Agni-V programme, an intercontinental
ballistic missile. Thomas, though, works for the Defence Research and Development
Organisation, not ISRO, but is among the most recognizable women scientists in the country.

And at ISRO, the 500 scientists who worked on the agency’s Mars Orbiter Mission also include
women like MinalSampath, a systems engineer.

The Growing Presence of Women in Engineering

The increase in female engineers
When engineering first became a popular career choice in the U.S., working in math and science
was not a common career path for women. But as times have changed and the STEM fields have
become more inclusive, more and more women are pursuing careers that interest them without
worrying about gender stereotypes. While the fact that only 14 percent of the workforce is
composed of female employees, it is a drastic increase from the only 5.8 percent in the 1980s.

A number of factors are believed to have contributed to this trend. According to the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers, many K through 12 schools and universities alike are making
intentional efforts to encourage women to enter the field. By making STEM subjects come alive
for students earlier in their academic career and then following up with appropriate resources at
the collegiate level, women are more likely to pursue a career in engineering.
Many professional organizations are also partnering in these efforts.

“We work directly with superintendents to understand which schools need help in infusing
exciting STEM curriculum into the classroom,” Stephanie Hill, the president of Lockheed
Martin’s Information Systems & Global Solutions-Civil division, told the ASME. “In some
instances, we bring teachers into our facilities for externships, giving them hands-on experiences
that they take back to their classrooms. Our employees also partner with teachers, and visit
classrooms periodically to discuss their current work and answer questions about career
opportunities. This helps ‘put a face on engineering’ and provides career role models that many
students are seeking.”

Consequently, it is not surprising that the number of female engineering students is also on the
rise. A survey by the Cambridge Occupational Analysts reported that in the seven years leading
up to 2014, the number of women interested in studying STEM subjects – including engineering
– in college has increased more than that of their male counterparts. In fact, general engineering
was being considered by more than 20 percent of female respondents, a 16 percent increase over
the seven year period. Biomedical engineer Lina Nilsson, writing in the The New York Times,
additionally reported that many universities in the U.S. are beginning to see more women enroll
in their engineering programs than men.

Addressing gender barriers in the field

Despite the increased interest in engineering among women, there are still a number of
challenges that are contributing to the continued gender inequality. One barrier that is often
pointed to is the lack of female role models in the field. Because the number of women in the
field is low, there are also few female leaders in engineering, which can make it difficult for new
generations of female engineers to find mentors whom they feel they can relate to. This catch-22
is a hard one to resolve, as the best way to increase female leadership in engineering is by
encouraging more women to enter the field.
In addition to pursuing careers in engineering less often than men, women are also leaving the
industry at a higher rate. According to a longitudinal study presented at the American
Psychological Association’s 122nd Annual Convention in 2014, 40 percent of women who earn
an engineering degree either leave the field or never enter it at all. This number indicates that
simply encouraging women to earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering is not enough to change
the current gender imbalance in the workforce.
The study reported that one of the major reasons that women leave engineering is the work
environment. Despite the growing female presence in the industry, some reported that many
organizations still operate as a “boys club.” Others find that the work environment is not
conducive for women who want to start a family. Between long hours and traveling to visit sites,
the work schedule can make it hard for women who are trying to balance a career with
commitments at home. But as more women enter the field, they are more likely to find that the
culture of engineering groups will evolve with the shifting demographic, creating a more
conducive environment for all employees.
However, not everyone agrees with the theory that work environment plays a major role.

“Women aren’t leaving engineering to go and hide in a corner. They are leaving for many
reasons which a study like this may not find,” Elizabeth Bierman, president of the Society of
Women Engineers, told NPR. “The work environment may be one reason, but for the majority it
is not the case.”

Leveraging resources to promote women engineers

To continue to encourage women to enter the field of engineering, university, companies and
professional organizations alike need to leverage several valuable resources. By creating an
atmosphere that is conducive to all kinds of engineers, the industry will become stronger as a
whole.

“We’ve found that women stay in engineering because they want to make sure they are making a
difference,” Bierman told NPR. “If women feel they are making that difference, retention levels
will be higher.”

A study by the Society of Women Engineers specifically emphasized the importance of gender
integrated teams in the workplace. The research found that focusing on the team as a whole,
rather than individuals, both helped professionals in their own career, and improved the
participation of women in the field.
According to an article in the Society of Women Engineers Magazine, peer relationships are also
critical for maintaining entry-level female employees and helping them to succeed.