This article was written by Anna Rozenbaum, a teen volunteer at the Monroe Science Center.
International Women in Engineering Day
June 23, 2025, is International Women in Engineering Day.
What is International Women in Engineering Day?
International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) is celebrated in order to recognize women who have contributed to engineering in history, as well as to encourage more women to join the engineering field. Engineering has been a historically male-dominated field, but INWED works to showcase women and encourage diversity in STEM fields by celebrating the achievements of so many innovative and influential women who have shaped the engineering world today.
Prominent Figures
Emily Roebling (1843 to 1903)
After her husband, Washington Roebling, the chief engineer for the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, became sick, Emily Roebling began overseeing the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. For 11 years, Emily Roebling managed not only the finances and workers, but the engineering processes themselves. After Emily’s hard work and contribution, in 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was completed. However, Emily did not receive much credit for her work, and she remained unrecognized until recent years. Today, Emily is respected as one of the first women to contribute to an engineering project, especially one of such a large scale. She is a symbol of empowerment for female engineers.
Edith Clarke (1883-1959)
Edith Clarke was the first professional female engineer. In 1919, Clarke became the first woman to earn an M.S. in electrical engineering from MIT. In 1921, Clarke invented the first graphical calculator named the “Clarke Calculator,” which was used for long-distance transmission line calculations. This revolutionized the calculations used for the electrical characteristics of long electrical transmission lines. The Clarke calculator led to the creation of the smart grid system we use today because of the minimal errors in calculations in long-distance power transfers, which powers things from homes and electric vehicles to businesses and industrial facilities!
Hedy Lamarr (1914-2000)
Hedy Lamarr was a famous actress and inventor best known for inventing frequency hopping. Frequency hopping is when a signal switches between multiple frequencies at fixed intervals. It is used in radio communication to prevent interference with the radio. Frequency hopping prevented radio-guided torpedoes from being jammed. She also created an encryption method that prevented enemy spies from listening to classified information. Lamarr has also been credited with directly leading to the creation of many wireless communication technologies that we use today, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth!
Mary W. Jackson (1921-2005)
Mary W. Jackson was the first African American woman to become an engineer! She got her B.S. in Mathematics and Physical Science at the Hampton Institute in 1942 and was hired by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA, later transformed into NASA) in 1951 as a mathematician. She worked for the NACA under Dorothy Vaughan, and her contributions led to the success of one of the space programs. Jackson was forced to work in a segregated section with separate bathrooms and dining areas. She eventually left NACA to work with Kazimierz Czarnecki, for whom she conducted experiments in a high-speed wind tunnel. After taking a few engineering courses, Jackson was hired as an aerospace engineer at NASA in 1958. During her remaining years in the workforce, Jackson was constantly working to improve opportunities and representation for all women at NASA. She was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2019.
Fun Facts
Between 1970 and 2019, the number of women in engineering fields rose by 12%, and the number of women in STEM fields rose by 21%!
Women make up 27.9% of all aerospace engineers, and in industrial engineering, at 25% of all industrial engineers. That’s about 18,599 female aerospace engineers and 84,150 female industrial engineers in the United States alone!
Female engineers are credited with many inventions, including the Laserphaco Probe (a device that restores eyesight and aids optical surgeries), the dishwasher, windshield wipers, the bionic arm, and the Ferris Wheel!
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has the highest percentage of female engineering graduates. 39% of the graduating class in 2019 were women!
Days like International Women's Day are important for showcasing these skilled engineers, but remember, you can celebrate and honor their achievements every day of the year! You can actively mentor and support female engineers, encourage girls to explore STEM fields, and create a supportive environment that can help create a more inclusive and diverse industry.
The Monroe Science Center is named in honor of a female engineer, Dr. Christine Mann Darden, who was born here in Monroe. These women walked so that women like Dr. Darden could run and continue pushing boundaries for women and in science.