Edith Clarke
Personal Information
Born: 1883
Died: 1959
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: White
Education
1908, BA Mathematics & Astronomy, Vassar College; MSc Electrical Engineering, MIT; took engineering clases at Columbia University & University of Wisconsin-Madison but obtained no degree
Professional Life
Field of Study: Electrical Engineering
Institution/Corporation: General Electric; University of Texas-Austin; AT&T
Degrees & Memberships: Member: AIEE (now IEEE)
Awards & Achievements
Awards: Engineering Hall of Fame; 1932, Best Regional Paper Prize, AIEE; 1941, Best National Paper Prize, AIEE; 1954, Lifetime Achievement Award, SWE; 1998, Women of Achievement in Maryland; 2015, National Inventors Hall of Fame
Achievements: inventor of calculator & electric circuit; 1st woman professionally employed as an electrical engineer in the US; 1st female professor of electrical engineering in US (1947-University of Texas-Austin); 1926, 1st female to present a paper at American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) now Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers (IEEE); 1st female engineer recognized by Tau Beta Pi; 1948, 1st woman named as a Fellow of AIEE; 1st woman to receive an MS in Electrical Engineering from MIT; worked on design & building of dams in the US, including the turbines at West Hoover Dam
1st woman professionally employed as an electrical engineer in the US (at GE)
1st female professor of electrical engineering in the US (at the University of Texas at Austin)
Invented a graphical calculator in 1919
1918, 1st female to earn an electrical engineering degree at MIT
1st female to deliver a paper at The American Institute of Electrical Engineering
1st female engineer whose professional standing was recognized by Tau Beta Pi
1st female fellow at AIEE
Was orphaned at age 12 & was raised by an older sister
Worked on the design & construction of the Hoover Dam
Held 2 patents