Women’s History Month, celebrated in March in the United States, is a time to honor the groundbreaking contributions of women engineers throughout history.
Women have played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of STEM fields, from pioneering inventions and technological advancements to advocating for diversity, equality, inclusion and belonging within engineering.
In addition to shining a spotlight on the historic contributions of women, SWE also recognizes the achievements of women engineers who are making history in the present through platforms such as the SWE Awards Program.
Enjoy this curated list of podcast episodes, blog posts and SWE Magazine articles that highlight some of the inspiring women engineers who have changed history for the better.
Diverse: a SWE Podcast
- Ep 209: What Happened in 1957: A Turning Point in SWE’s Journey Toward Inclusion: Anne Perusek, SWE’s past director of editorial and publications, and Troy Eller English, SWE’s archivist, discuss a few events of 1957 that led to a turning point in SWE’s journey towards inclusion.
- Ep 216: Asian Americans in STEM: Vietnamese Refugee Stories: Hear the personal stories of Hang Loi and Dr. Tracy Nguyen, two Asian American women in STEM who escaped Vietnam as children during the fall of Saigon.
- Ep 218: Transgender Voices in Engineering With Bree Fram: Lieutenant Colonel Bree Fram made history as one of the highest-ranking out transgender officers in the U.S. military, and in this podcast episode, she discusses her personal and professional journey.
- Ep 203: SWE Stories, Tales From the Archives: Big Trees From Little Acorns Grow: Learn about the impact of Ruth “Dollar Sign” Shafer, SWE’s fundraising dynamo in the 1950s and 1960s, with Troy Eller English, SWE’s archivist.
SWE Magazine
- Uncovering the History of the First Women P.E.s: After earning her professional engineer license, Melinda Luna, P.E., a Latina SWE member, began the long journey to identify the first women P.E.s and their personal stories.
- National Inventors Hall of Fame Inducts Technology Pioneer: Lynn Conway was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for her pioneering invention of very large-scale integration (VLSI). Her work is at the core of today’s electronics, from mobile phones, computers, and automotive electronics to medical devices and the Internet of Things.
- The ‘Troubles’ and ‘Pleasures’ of Leadership: Letters reveal how early SWE member Miriam “Mickey” Gerla tackled the duties of her unexpected presidency.
- SWE Award Recipient: Resnik Challenger Medal: Read about Sandra Irish, an accomplished aerospace engineer at NASA, who has led engineering breakthroughs on many critical missions such as the James Webb Space Telescope.
All Together Blog
- Take a Virtual Tour of the SWE Archives: Follow SWE Archivist Troy Eller English on a tour of the Walter P. Reuther Library at Wayne State University in Detroit, where SWE’s archives are housed.
- If You Could Have Dinner With Any Woman Engineer…: If you could have dinner with any woman engineer, living or deceased, who would you choose? Read some popular answers in this SWE All Together blog post.
- Meet Five Inspiring Female Engineers Throughout History: Celebrate Women’s History Month with the stories of five impactful women engineers who you may not have heard before.
- The First Woman Engineer in India: Ayyalasomayajula Lalitha, often referred to as A. Lalitha, became the first woman engineer of India in 1943. Read her incredible story on the All Together blog.
