Eleanor K. Baum
Personal Information
Born: 1940
Country of Birth: Vilnius
Nationality: American
Ethnicity: White
Education
City College of NY Bs Engineering 1958; Polytechnic Institute of NY (now NYU School of Engineering) MS & PhD 1964 both in Electrical Engineering
""Being the only girl in college classes was not wonderful... you become all women. If I don’t know something, then it’s 'all women can’t'..." (Wikipedia); “The trick is not to lose sight of your dream,” says Eleanor. “Hard work and dedication will help you overcome any obstacle. But remember, you are your own best judge of what you can do.” (miriamscup.com); “An engineer is a problem solver. Not only can engineering be used to solve problems, but engineers can work to “make the world a better place, improve conditions and improve lives.” (engineeringpassion.com); "
— Eleanor K. Baum
Professional Life
Field of Study: Electrical Engineering; Educator
Institution/Corporation: Pratt Institute; Cooper Union
Degrees & Memberships: Honorary Degree: Notre Dame University, Union College; Member: American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Society of Women Engineers (SWE),
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 1988 Emily Warren Roebling Award, National Women's Hall of Fame; 1990 Society of Women Engineers Upward Mobility Award; 1996 Women in Technology International Hall of Fame; 2007 National Women's Hall of Fame
Achievements: first female dean of an engineering school in the United States, at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York 1984; 1988 named Dean of Albert Nerken School of Engineering at Cooper Union;
was an only child
parents left Europe during the Holocaust, traveling to Japan & then Canada before settling in NY
is named after Eleanor Roosevelt
parents wanted her to be a teacher & would hide articles with themes of "the joys of being a schoolteacher" under her pillow
was the only girl in her advanced physics and advanced mathematics classes
one of the engineering schools she applied to would not admit her because it did not have a sufficient ladies' room
sat on the National Science Foundation's Engineering Advisory Board
was involved with the Engineering Manpower Commission
when she became dean at Cooper Union, 5% of the student body was female & she increased this to 40% during her tenure there
1995 elected 1st female President of American Society for Engineering Education
after graduating, worked in the aerospace industry, first at Sperry Rand Corporation and later at General Instrument Corporation