Did you know that of the 47% of females in the workforce, only 14% are in engineering? The Women’s Engineering Society is hoping to change that with future generations through raising awareness and highlighting exciting career opportunities for women in engineering. Their annual event, International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), is happening on June 23 this year, and the theme for 2021 is Engineering Heroes. They want to inspire women to enter the field of engineering and to help shape a better world for everyone. The women talked about below are amazing female engineers who are changing the scope of engineering and are helping to #ShapeTheWorld!

Kate Weimer - she is the Vice President of Medical Devices for 3D Systems. She received her Bachelors and Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She specializes in 3D printing different medical devices as well as creating patient-specific models and templates. She has a passion for the healthcare field and wants to utilize innovative technologies, like 3D printing, to help improve healthcare and be able to directly impact people with the new technology. She believes that 3D printing can create a new future where the field isn’t dominated by males. The 3D technology is new and cutting edge, and is there for everyone to be able to access and use.

Evelyn Wang, PhD - she is the current Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. She received her Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, and both her Masters and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University. Her current research is in the “fundamental studies of microscale and nanoscale heat and mass transport” (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/author/3752 9267600). Her work looks into different ways to create and improve upon green energy. She has worked on the development of thermal (heat) management, water desalination, as well as solar thermal energy systems. Some of the projects that she has been involved in are ones that help create drinkable water from areas you wouldn’t think to drink from. She helped create a device that can make clean drinking water from water vapor in the air! And another project of hers helped turn seawater into drinkable water using solar power.

Kimberly Bryant - she is the Founder and CEO of Black Girls Code. She received her Bachelors in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University. While studying engineering, however, she always felt isolated; she had very few classmates that looked like her. She took the initiative and founded this non-profit organization to help change the face of technology. Black Girls Code was started in 2011, with the goal of introducing girls of color to the tech and computer science fields, along with a concentration on entrepreneurial concepts. She wanted everyone, regardless of where they came from or how they look, to have access to the technical fields. Through her perseverance, she has grown the company from a local organization to an international one; currently, the organization has seven chapters in the US and one in Johannesburg, South Africa!

Ramille Shah, PhD - she is the Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Dimension Inx. She received her Bachelors in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) from Northwestern, and then pursued her PhD in MSE with a specialty in Biomaterials from MIT. She currently is focusing her work on 3D printable materials for both biological and non-biological applications. She is also the Principal Investigator for the Shah Tissue Engineering and Additive Manufacturing (TEAM) lab; they are the leader in the developing field of “3D printable materials development and characterization” (https://biolife4d.com/ramille-shah/). They are working on a product that could be implanted in someone and become like the cells surrounding it. It could help relieve the lengthy wait times on the organ transplant list, and could change many people's lives for the better.

Limor Fried - she is the CEO and Chief Engineer for Adafruit Industries. She received her Bachelors and Masters in Electrical Engineering from MIT. She founded the company Adafruit Industries in 2005 with the goal of making “the best place online for learning electronics and making the best designed products for makers of all ages and skill levels” (https://www.adafruit.com/about). The company creates most of their products at the factory in NYC, and can be found printing, soldering, testing, debugging, etc. all their products to make sure their consumers are getting the best product they can create. They also host shows and videos that are produced and broadcast live from the factory itself. Some of their programs include ‘Ask an Engineer’ and ‘Show & Tell’, put on every Wednesday evening. Limor and  Adafruit Industries have both made history! Adafruit was the first 100% woman-owned manufacturing company in New York City, and Limor was the first female engineer to ever be on the cover of WIRED magazine since its start in 1993! She was featured as a “Maker Hero” in the April 2011 issue of WIRED magazine.

            These amazing, dedicated women are reaching for the stars, and aren’t letting anyone stop them from achieving all that they can. In honor of International Women in Engineering Day (INWED), continue to #ShapeTheWorld in your own unique way, and don’t be afraid to dream big!

References

10 Influential Women in Engineering - ASME. (n.d.). The American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Retrieved May 20, 2021, from https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/10-influential-women-in-engineering

Black Girls Code, BlackGirlsCode. (2020). Black Girls Code Imagine. Build. Create. https://www.blackgirlscode.com/about-bgc.html

Evelyn Wang. (n.d.). IEEE Xplore. Retrieved May 20, 2021, from https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/author/37529267600

Industries, A. (n.d.). About : Adafruit Industries, Unique & fun DIY electronics and kits. Adafruit. Retrieved June 9, 2021, from https://www.adafruit.com/about

Kimberly Bryant. (2016, July 29). U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/bio/kimberly-bryant

Kimberly Bryant: Accomplished Electrical Engineer and Founder of Black Girls Code. (2020, February 19). Capitol Technology University. https://www.captechu.edu/blog/kimberly-bryant-accomplished-electrical-engineer-and-founder-of-black-girls-code

MECHE PEOPLE: Evelyn Wang | MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering. (n.d.). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering. Retrieved May 20, 2021, from http://meche.mit.edu/people/faculty/enwang@mit.edu

Messe, N. (2018). Ramille Shah, Ph.D. BIOLIFE4D. https://biolife4d.com/ramille-shah/ 

Morse, M. (2019, October 7). Getting Big Projects Started Off on the Right Track. HR Daily Advisor. https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2019/10/21/getting-big-projects-started-off-on-the-right-track/

Parker, K. (2018, January 13). The Institution of Engineering and Technology. E&T. https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2017/12/limor-fried-building-electronic-dreams/

Ramille Shah | Northwestern University | Crain’s Chicago 40 Under 40 2014. (n.d.). Crain’s Chicago Business. Retrieved June 9, 2021, from https://www.chicagobusiness.com/static/section/40-under-40-2014@recipient=shah.html

Toure, N. (2020, July 4). promoting, supporting and inspiring women in the Additive Manufacturing industry. Women in 3D Printing. https://womenin3dprinting.com/katie-weimer/

USA Science & Engineering Festival. (2018, February 2). Limor Fried. USASEF. https://usasciencefestival.org/people/limor-fried/