International Women in Engineering Day is right around the corner. Celebrated on June 23rd, it’s an international awareness campaign to raise the profile of women in engineering and focus the attention on the amazing career opportunities available to girls in this exciting industry.
This day celebrates the outstanding achievements of women engineers throughout the world, and it is only fair to take a stroll down memory lane and celebrate great women who were known for defying the status quo and entering a male dominated industry.
International Women in Engineering Day Overview
In 2017, National Women in Engineering Day became international for the first time due to the interest and enthusiasm developed by the international audience and participants in the previous years. International Women in Engineering Day was born to allow the celebration of women in engineering to become global.
Engineering schools paving the way for women
Schools and universities are beginning to steadily but surely break the gender barriers to ensure that all their students, regardless of their gender, are equipped with the full range of employability skills needed to thrive as engineers in the 21st-century. The programmes and recruiters are more and more promoting equality in the sciences, offering opportunities for mentoring, networking, and career development for young women who are considering entering the highly competitive field.
For instance, ESiLV graduate school of engineering is an academic partner of Elles Bougent, an association that promotes exciting scientific and technical professions to schoolgirls and female students and allows young women to identify and project themselves into engineer experience sharing, especially in a men’s environment. The school is also partner with Femmes & Sciences that brings together scientists and non-scientists to strengthen the status of women pursuing scientific and technical careers and to improve their conditions and career prospects.
In addition, the teaching and research staff are academic and professional experts who not only provide students with the necessary tools to learn, but also empower all of them to succeed and believe in their potential without exception:
The goal is to provide interdisciplinary programs, supported by multidisciplinary research, that give highly qualified engineers an entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with the theoretical, digital and practical knowledge, to work with and lead others to innovate and manage in an ever-changing world.
Remarkable Women in Engineering
For decades, female engineers were undermined, and society instilled into them the idea that they don’t fit in. However, there are several women who broke all those stereotypes by changing the big picture and making history:
- Emily Roebling
Photo credit: Mental Floss
She was the first woman field engineer and technical leader of the Brooklyn Bridge when her husband, Washington Roebling, became paralyzed and could no longer work without the help of his wife.
- Hedy Lamarr
Photo credit: cbs news
She’s on of Hollywood’s most glamorous actresses during the Golden Age of film; but a few people know that she was actually a pioneer of women in engineering. Her patented Secret Communication System was developed to avoid enemy interception of the messages through which the military’s radio-controlled missiles were deployed. This technology served as the foundation for the wireless communication that we know today.
- Aprille Ericsson
Photo credit: NASA GSFC
As an aerospace engineer, she currently works as the Capture Manager and Instrument Project Manager at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Ericsson remains dedicated to promoting the roles of minorities and women in engineering, and still finds time to give back by performing educational outreach
The list can go on and on, with memorable names like Ainissa Ramirez, Debbie Sterling, Carol Leung (Airbnb), Meredith Westafer (Tesla), and many more, all the way to young girls who are just starting their academic journey in engineering and are looking for role models to encourage them.
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