Celebrating women in engineering

June 23rd is International Women in Engineering day. In honour of it, we’d like to introduce you to the following engineers:

DR. MAE JEMISON

Dr. Mae Jemison (@maejemison) is an engineer, physican, and former NASA astronaut. She was the first Black woman to travel to space.

SHERIN SHIBIN

Sherin Shibin is a biotech engineer and is currently doing a Ph.D. in neurosciences at the University of Toronto.

She is developing a technique to understand the precise developmental stages of spinal motor neurons.

“Very few women and fewer moms pursue an engineering career,” she tells We Rep STEM.

“I am trying to break the stigma that women/mothers aren’t competent or ambitious. I want to inspire moms to speak up and to actively explore their career in STEM.”

Connect with Sherin on Twitter: @sherin_shibin | Instagram: @brownphdmomjournal

LYNN CONWAY

Lynn Conway (@lynnconway) is a University of Michigan professor of electrical engineering and computer science, emerita.

She is also a transgender activist.

Conway worked at IBM in the 1960s and is described as a “pioneer of microelectronics chip design.” The company fired her and cut her research short in 1968 upon learning her plans to transition from male to female.

Photo courtesy: Wikipedia

NAIA BUTLER-CRAIG

Naia Butler-Craig (@astronaia) is a 2nd-year aerospace engineering Ph.D. student at Georgia Tech. She is funded through both the GEM and NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Fellowships and is a member of GTs High-Power Electric Propulsion Lab and pathways intern at NASA (GRC).

SHRUTI TURNER

Shruti Turner (@ShrutiTurner) is a biomedical engineering Ph.D. student working with amputees and clinicians to design a biofeedback tool to assess prosthetic socket fit and improve quality of life.

SARAH FORESTER

Sarah Forester (@smforester44) is a product development mechanical engineer and an ink and acrylic painter.

In her own words:

“I’m a product development mechanical engineer and an ink and acrylic painter. My main advocacy work is in gender equality and mental health. I started using S. M. (Initials) back in college both as a way to hide gender in my work and because even with as few engineers as my college had, there were a lot of Sarahs. Even though my views of gender have changed I still like using S. M. Due to COVID019.

I am unemployed, but by trade I am a Product Development Engineer and I used to be a plastics researcher, I left grad school after the first year.”

Check out Sarah’s artwork here.

SHYTOYA PALMER

Shytoya Palmer (@astrotoya) is a 5th-year aerospace engineering student at Auburn and an aspiring Astronaut.

GRACE POOLEY

Grace Pooley (@graciepooley) is beginning her Ph.D. in environmental engineering, focusing on microplastics in urban watersheds.

She will use mathematical modeling to determine plastic flow & sources through the Anacostia River from MD to DC. Her team will collaborate w/local enviro. edu. orgs to implement an anti-littering campaign.

DR. ANITA SENGUPTA

Dr. Sengupta is an aerospace engineer, entrepreneur, instrument rated pilot, former NASA Rocket scientist, and veteran of the space program.

She has developed technologies that have enabled the exploration of Mars and deep space for 20 years. She is currently a Research Professor at the University of Southern California focused on electric aviation and in space propulsion technology development. She is also an entrepreneur, as co-founder of a sustainable aviation company.