From TWO President | TechnicalWomen.org

From The TWO President Emily Godinet

WRITING WOMEN BACK INTO HISTORY...

WRITING WOMEN BACK INTO HISTORY...

March is National Women's History Month and this year's theme is "Writing Women Back into History.' As noted by The National Women's History Project (NWHP), "The history of women often seems to be written with invisible ink. Even when recognized in their own times, women are often not included in the history books." There are different ways we can recognize and celebrate 'Women's History Month,' but I want to first recognize each and every one of you who work hard every single day and do so without one thought of recognition. As I am sure the women I have listed below did, we all do what we do because we are professionals doing our jobs. Some of you are path makers, some of you are originators, while some of you are firsts! But you ALL are unique. I want to thank all our members, men and women, of TWO, who support our goals so we can continue towards our mission of increasing the number of qualified women in the technical fields in the FAA. The history you are creating is visionary, allowing for the history books of the future to write about your accomplishments. In recognizing this month, I wanted to list some women who have worked in the technical fields before us and whose name may not be that familiar to us. I have captured just a brief description of some of their accomplishment(s). You just may be surprised. Elizabeth Bragg: (1876) First American Woman to receive an Engineering Degree. She received the first engineering degree awarded to an American woman in 1876 in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. Ada Lovelace: (1815-1851) Visionary, Computer Programmer. She is considered the first computer programmer. To honor her memory, the US Navy named one of its computer languages ADA. Mary Kies: (19th century) Inventor, First US Patent granted to a woman in her own name. On May 5 1809, African-American Mary Dixon Kies received the first US patent granted to a woman in her own name. It was for an easy method of weaving straw with silk. This was quite important since most women worked in the fields and wore bonnets. Her technique proved quite valuable in making cost effective work bonnets. In so doing she bolstered New England's hat economy, faltering because of an embargo on imported European goods. Straw bonnets manufactured in Massachusetts alone in 1810 had an estimated value of more than $500,000 or over $4.7 million in today's money. Dolly Madison honored her for this work. Rosalind Elsie Franklin: (1920 - 1957) Chemist, First to recognize DNA and the helix shape. Rosalind Franklin received her degree in Chemistry in 1951 from Cambridge University. It was while working as a research associate for James Randall at King's College that she was the first to recognize the helix shape of DNA. Her work was passed on to James Watson and Francis Crick, who along with Maurice Wilkins, a coworker of Rosalind's, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for the discovery of the double helix. Her work, along with that of others, was built into Watson and Crick's detailed description of DNA. She has never received official credit for her contribution to the discovery. She also contributed much to studies of coal and plant viruses. Evelyn Boyd Granville: (1924 - ) Mathematician. One of the first two African-American women to earn a PhD in Mathematics. She received her degree from Yale in 1949, and went on to make several contributions to the U.S. Space program including Vanguard, Mercury, and Apollo. She also worked at Space Technology Laboratories as a mathematical analyst studying rocket trajectories. Rear Admiral Grace Hooper, USN: (1906-1992) Mathematician, Inventor. She was the driver for modern US computer technology. Modern computer history began when Lt (JG) Hopper was assigned to work for Howard Aiken at Harvard in the late 1940s. She spent her career working for the US Navy. At her retirement she was the oldest person on active duty with the US Navy. She coined the term 'computer bug' during her work with the first electronic computers when she found the moth that had shorted out two tubes. She invented the modern subroutine. She built the first A-O compiler which went live on November 4, 1952 on the UNIVAC I to predict the Eisenhower win after 7% vote returns. The Navy and the computer industry felt her work and contributions so valuable that they kept returning her to active duty after retirement. She invented the language APT. She verified the language COBOL. Bessie Coleman: (1893 - 1926) Aviator. In 1922 she became the first African-American woman to be licensed as a pilot. She could not study to fly in the United States, so she learned French in order to take flying lessons in Europe. She died tragically during a flying exhibition in 1926. Olive Ann Beech: (1920-1986) Aircraft Manufacturer. Olive Ann Beech co-founded Beech Aircraft and worked alongside her husband, Walter, during the 1930's and 1940's. After his death, she became President and CEO of the company, and transformed the company into a multimillion-dollar, international aerospace corporation. You may find information about her at the Wichita State University Library at http://specialcollections.wichita.edu/ I hope you look around and reflect at the women working around you. Have you really taken the time to find out their background, their history? You might be surprised. Best wishes, Emily

March is National Women's History Month and this year's theme is "Writing Women Back into History.' As noted by The National Women's History Project (NWHP), "The history of women often seems to be written with invisible ink. Even when recognized in their own times, women are often not included in the history books."

There are different ways we can recognize and celebrate 'Women's History Month,' but I want to first recognize each and every one of you who work hard every single day and do so without one thought of recognition. As I am sure the women I have listed below did, we all do what we do because we are professionals doing our jobs. Some of you are path makers, some of you are originators, while some of you are firsts! But you ALL are unique.

I want to thank all our members, men and women, of TWO, who support our goals so we can continue towards our mission of increasing the number of qualified women in the technical fields in the FAA. The history you are creating is visionary, allowing for the history books of the future to write about your accomplishments.

In recognizing this month, I wanted to list some women who have worked in the technical fields before us and whose name may not be that familiar to us. I have captured just a brief description of some of their accomplishment(s). You just may be surprised.

Elizabeth Bragg: (1876) First American Woman to receive an Engineering Degree. She received the first engineering degree awarded to an American woman in 1876 in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.

Ada Lovelace: (1815-1851) Visionary, Computer Programmer. She is considered the first computer programmer. To honor her memory, the US Navy named one of its computer languages ADA.

Mary Kies: (19th century) Inventor, First US Patent granted to a woman in her own name. On May 5 1809, African-American Mary Dixon Kies received the first US patent granted to a woman in her own name. It was for an easy method of weaving straw with silk. This was quite important since most women worked in the fields and wore bonnets. Her technique proved quite valuable in making cost effective work bonnets. In so doing she bolstered New England's hat economy, faltering because of an embargo on imported European goods. Straw bonnets manufactured in Massachusetts alone in 1810 had an estimated value of more than $500,000 or over $4.7 million in today's money. Dolly Madison honored her for this work.

Rosalind Elsie Franklin: (1920 - 1957) Chemist, First to recognize DNA and the helix shape.
Rosalind Franklin received her degree in Chemistry in 1951 from Cambridge University. It was while working as a research associate for James Randall at King's College that she was the first to recognize the helix shape of DNA. Her work was passed on to James Watson and Francis Crick, who along with Maurice Wilkins, a coworker of Rosalind's, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine for the discovery of the double helix. Her work, along with that of others, was built into Watson and Crick's detailed description of DNA. She has never received official credit for her contribution to the discovery. She also contributed much to studies of coal and plant viruses.

Evelyn Boyd Granville: (1924 - ) Mathematician. One of the first two African-American women to earn a PhD in Mathematics. She received her degree from Yale in 1949, and went on to make several contributions to the U.S. Space program including Vanguard, Mercury, and Apollo. She also worked at Space Technology Laboratories as a mathematical analyst studying rocket trajectories.

Rear Admiral Grace Hooper, USN: (1906-1992) Mathematician, Inventor. She was the driver for modern US computer technology. Modern computer history began when Lt (JG) Hopper was assigned to work for Howard Aiken at Harvard in the late 1940s. She spent her career working for the US Navy. At her retirement she was the oldest person on active duty with the US Navy. She coined the term 'computer bug' during her work with the first electronic computers when she found the moth that had shorted out two tubes. She invented the modern subroutine. She built the first A-O compiler which went live on November 4, 1952 on the UNIVAC I to predict the Eisenhower win after 7% vote returns. The Navy and the computer industry felt her work and contributions so valuable that they kept returning her to active duty after retirement. She invented the language APT. She verified the language COBOL.

Bessie Coleman: (1893 - 1926) Aviator. In 1922 she became the first African-American woman to be licensed as a pilot. She could not study to fly in the United States, so she learned French in order to take flying lessons in Europe. She died tragically during a flying exhibition in 1926.

Olive Ann Beech: (1920-1986) Aircraft Manufacturer. Olive Ann Beech co-founded Beech Aircraft and worked alongside her husband, Walter, during the 1930's and 1940's. After his death, she became President and CEO of the company, and transformed the company into a multimillion-dollar, international aerospace corporation. You may find information about her at the Wichita State University Library at http://specialcollections.wichita.edu/

I hope you look around and reflect at the women working around you. Have you really taken the time to find out their background, their history? You might be surprised.

Best wishes,

Emily