10 Women in Engineering Who Changed the World

The number of women in STEM is climbing, with women now comprising just under half of America’s STEM workforce. ^[1] Only 13% of America’s engineers are women. A sincere effort is being made by companies, universities, and professional organizations by offering STEM engagement and opportunities to young women. The future of women in engineering will be diverse.

Our future female STEM leaders will be in great company with these ten inventors, pioneers, and engineers who’ve led the way:

Ada Lovelace

Creator of the first algorithm, remembered as one of the world’s first computer programmers.

Patricia Bath

A pioneer of laser cataract surgery. The first African-American female surgeon at UCLA med and first woman member of the Jules Stein Eye Institute.

Nora Stanton Barney

Cornell’s first female engineering graduate. Also, Barney was the first woman in the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Alice Parker

Patented a gas-powered form of central heating as an African-American housewife predating the Civil Rights and Women’s Lib movements. It inspired many of today’s central heating systems.

Henrietta Vansittart

Co-inventor of the Lowe-Vansittart propeller, which improved the speed and fuel efficiency of naval ships.

Evelyn Wang

Chair of MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. Co-inventor of a technology that can capture water from air in arid climates.

Kimberly Bryant

The founder of code-study initiative Black Girls Code. She is honored as one of the 25 Most Influential African Americans in tech. In addition, she is a White House Champion of Change for Tech Inclusion.

Hedy Lamarr

A stage and screen actress known for inventing a frequency-hopping spready spectrum tech used to jam WWII Allied torpedoes. Her invention is the basis of today’s Wi-Fi.

Judith Resnik

The first Jewish woman, second Jewish person, and second woman in space. Circuitry and electronics engineer for NASA and the U.S. Navy. She tragically perished in the Challenger disaster of 1986.

Beulah Louise Henry

Remembered as America’s leading female inventor. She had 49 patents, 110 inventions, and founded two companies dedicated to manufacturing her products.