To celebrate Women’s History Month, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) partnered with the National Inventors Hall of Fame® (NIHF) Museum to create an exhibit that spotlights the remarkable contributions of women in STEM fields.
The exhibit’s theme of “Beyond Boundaries” highlights innovators who pushed past the boundaries of their time and made an impact that extends beyond their engineering pursuits.
The exhibit is located within the atrium of the United States Patent and Trademark Office headquarters in Alexandria, Va. and showcases these six extraordinary women leaders:
1. Giuliana Tesoro
As a trailblazing figure in the textile field, Tesoro developed flame-resistant fabrics and advanced the use of anti-static chemicals, overcoming numerous challenges to become an industry leader. (SWE Achievement Award, 1978)
2. Lynn Conway
Conway’s groundbreaking work in very-large-scale integration (VLSI) transformed the semiconductor industry. As one of the first transgender engineers, she champions diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in STEM. (SWE Achievement Award, 1990; NIHF Inductee)
3. Rahima Mohammed
Mohammed, a senior principal engineer at Intel, has shaped the future of the semiconductor industry through her silicon designs. She is dedicated to fostering global engagement in STEM, particularly among women. (SWE Advocating Women in Engineering Award, 2022; SWE Prism Award, 2015)
4. Hang Loi
After overcoming adversity as a child refugee, which she discussed on episode 216 of Diverse: a SWE podcast, Loi led the development of numerous products during her career at 3M. Her ongoing contributions to STEM advocacy and mentorship have contributed to closing the gender gap in engineering. (SWE Advocating Women in Engineering Award, 2022; SWE Patent Recognition Awards, 2020 & 2022)
5. Claudia Galván
Galván’s strategic leadership as a Silicon Valley software engineer has expanded multilingual product access to billions of people worldwide. She is a longtime volunteer and advocate for diversity and inclusivity within the tech industry. (SWE Advocating Women in Engineering Award, 2023)
6. Katalin Karikó
Karikó, a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist, co-invented the modified mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines. Her contributions have saved lives and had a profound impact on global health outcomes. (NIHF Inductee)
Learn more about the exhibit, and each of these women leaders, on the NIHF website.
