June 23 is International Women in Engineering Day… So today (and everyday), SoloPoint Solutions is celebrating the many contributions that women have brought to the field of engineering.
In honor of this day, we want to put a spotlight on an engineer from our very own Bay Area backyard, Vivian Duong. Vivian is a highly versatile Mechanical Engineer whose career spans from designing large display panels to recently moving to a company that’s innovating the way food is produced.
Vivian’s engineering pursuit began when as a child, she’d watched in awe as her father, who’s a contractor and handyman, fix and build things.
“I became that kid who would take things apart and put them back together to see how things worked. Growing up (and now!) I also enjoyed working on DIY projects, puzzles, and problem-solving. Then when I was in high school, I had to figure out a career that incorporated those interests and hobbies. That’s when I learned about mechanical engineering.”
When asked what she enjoys the most about being a Mechanical Engineer, she said, “I love being able to use CAD and using the creative side of my brain to design things. Whether it’s a part, tool, or machine to solve a problem or improve a process or system.”
Her advice for girls who are exploring a career in the engineering field is to go for it! “You don’t know until you try. Give everything a chance, and don’t give up unless you know you don’t like it and it’s not for you. We need more women in engineering!”
We also want to acknowledge some unsung individuals who paved the way for women to pursue careers in engineering…
Image Credit: Edison Tech Center |
EDITH CLARKE
Edith Clarke was the first professional female Electrical Engineer in the United States. Among her many achievements was the creation of the Clarke Calculator, a simple graph-based calculator for solving line equations involving hyperbolic functions, as well as her turbine designs used for hydropower dams. |
Image Credit: National Inventors Hall of Fame |
MARGARET E. KNIGHT
Margaret Knight was an inventor in the 1800s who held 87 patents for products and tools which are still being used to this day, a feat that was unheard of for a woman at the time. Among her most famous inventions includes the machine that mass-produced paper grocery bags. |
Image Credit: Vanderbilt University |
YVONNE YOUNG CLARK
Yvonne Young Clark was the first woman to graduate with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Howard University in 1951, the first woman to graduate with a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management from Vanderbilt University in 1972 and the first woman faculty member in the College of Engineering and Technology at Tennessee State University, where she served a 55-year tenure. She played a big role in encouraging more women and African-Americans to pursue careers in engineering. |
Image Credit: Rochester Institute of Technology |
KATE GLEASON
Kate Gleason an engineer and businesswoman, was the driving factor that led to a gear-tooling company to be one of the first to globalize its customer base prior to World War I. Her contribution to U.S. manufacturing led to Kate Gleason elected as the first woman member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1914. |
We hope this article sheds light on the many contributions these and many other groundbreaking women engineers have brought to our society.