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Distinguished WIE

Edith Clarke (1883-1959)

Edith Clarke was the first woman to be elected fellow of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. She received an A.B. degree in mathematics and astronomy from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York in 1908. In 1911, she took courses in Civil Engineering at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. From 1912 to 1918, she worked for the American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T). Her work consisted mainly of solving mathematical equations.

In 1919, she was the first woman to receive an M.S. degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Following this, she started working for General Electric in 1919 , where she remained for the next twenty-odd years. In 1920, she took leave of absence from her job and was a visiting professor of physics at Istanbul Women's College in Turkey.

In 1926, she addressed the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE) at their convention in New York City in February 1926. It is believed that she was the first woman to do so. She spoke on the topic of "Steady-State Stability in Transmission systems".

In 1943, she published an electrical engineering textbook, "Circuit Analysis of AC Power Systems, Symmetrical and Related Components." In 1948, she was elected fellow of the AIEE. At that time, she was a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Texas in Austin, where she remained until 1959. She was probably the first woman to teach electrical engineering at the university level. In 1954 she received the Achievement Award of the Society of Women Engineers. Edith Clarke died October 29, 1959 in Olney, Maryland.

Reference: http://www.distinguishedwomen.com/biographies/clarke.html Back to top

Florence Violet McKenzie (1892 - 1982) OBE
Electrical Engineer and Servicewoman

In 1924, Florence Wallace (as she was then known) became Australia's first certificated woman radio telegraphist and the only woman member of the Wireless Institute of Australia. She was the founder and director of the Electrical Association for Women, established in 1934. Mrs McKenzie shared the widely held belief that electricity could free women from much of the drudgery of housework. Women could become members of the Association for a modest annual subscription, use the club rooms in Clarence St, Sydney, attend lectures and excursions, receive advice on all electrical matters, and have their appliances tested for safety. Mrs McKenzie compiled a cookery book with an electrical guide. Published in 1936, this went to seven editions, the last of which was released in 1954 under the auspices of the Sydney County Council.

In 1939, Mrs McKenzie founded and directed the Women's Emergency Signalling Corps, which later became the starting point for the Women's Royal Australian Naval Service (WRANS). Altogether, Mrs McKenzie trained over 10,000 servicemen in morse, visual signalling and international code, and she trained 3,000 women, a third of whom went into the Services. On 8 June 1950, Florence McKenzie was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for her work with the Women's Emergency Signals Corps.

Reference: http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0386b.htm Back to top

Julie Margaret Hammer (1955 - )
Air Vice Marshal, AM, CSC, FIEAust, CPEng, FRAeS, GAICD

Julie Hammer was the first woman to command an operational unit in the Royal Australian Air Force's Electronic Warfare Squadron. Her service has culminated in a number of awards and medals, namely:

The Conspicuous Service Cross
The 1996 Association of Old Crows (Australian Chapter) Award for Distinguished Service to Electronic Warfare
The 2001 Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Memorial Medal by the Royal Aeronautical Society

In 1987, after 16 months study at RAF Cranwell, UK and completion of an M.Sc. in Aerosystems Engineering, Julie Hammer returned to Canberra and served as a technical intelligence analyst in the Joint Intelligence Organisation. She subsequently worked on a major Electronic Warfare project, the P-3C ESM Project, first as project engineer and then, after promotion to Wing Commander, as project manager. In 1992, she assumed command of the Electronic Warfare Squadron in Adelaide and served in that post for three years.

In 1996, her promotion to Group Captain made her the first woman in the RAAF to become a member of the General List. Her subsequent promotion to Air Commodore in 1999 made her the first serving woman in the history of the Australian Defence Force to be promoted to One Star level. She served for three years from 1996 to 1998 as one of the Prime Minister's representatives on the Governor General's Australian Bravery Awards Council.

In 2002, she was appointed by the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Status of Women to be one of Australia's Honouring Women Ambassadors. She was awarded the 2003 Alumnus of the Year of the University of Queensland to recognise her contribution to her profession.

On 26 January 2004 Air Vice Marshal Julie Hammer was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for exceptional service in the fields of electronics engineering in Defence, and military education as the Commandant of the Australian Defence Force Academy.

Reference: http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0319b.htm Back to top

Leah H Jamieson, IEEE President Elect

On 6 December 2005, Leah H Jamieson was selected as the 2006 IEEE president-elect by members of the IEEE. She will begin her service on 1 January 2007 and is the second woman to hold the presidency.

Professor Jamieson is the Ransburg Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and an Associate Dean of Engineering for undergraduate education at Purdue University, in Indiana, USA. At Purdue, Professor Jamieson co-founded and is director of the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) undergraduate engineering design program, that was initiated at Purdue and adopted by 17 other universities. EPICS matches teams of engineering students with local community-service programs to define, design, build, test, and support projects that improve the community. For her work with EPICS, she was the co-recipient of the 2005 Bernard M Gordon Prize given by the US National Academy of Engineering to recognize innovation in engineering technology education.

Professor Jamieson was the 2005 Vice President for Publication Services and Products and chairs the IEEE Publication Services and Products Board. She was 2003 IEEE Vice President for Technical Activities and created IEEE's Focus on Technologies initiative.

As IEEE president, her focus will be on the value of membership, value to the profession and to society, appreciation for volunteers, and sound financial models, through initiatives that support members' careers, innovative information delivery tools, an agile approach to emerging technologies, and the global nature of the engineering profession.

Professor Jamieson's homepage: http://www.ece.purdue.edu/~lhj/
Reference: http://www.theinstitute.ieee.org/portal/pages/tionline/legacy/inst2005/dec05/12w.nleah.html

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Since 1963, IEEE has acknowledged those individuals who have contributed to the advancement of engineering science and technology. The grade of Fellow is bestowed on the recipient who has had an extraordinary record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest. The following is a complete list of Women Fellows.