Abstract Ada Irene Pressman was a mechanical engineer who specialized in developing emergency safety systems for fossil-fired and nuclear power plants. Pressman was a registered Professional Engineer in both Arizona and California, where she worked for Bechtel Corporation for 32 years in various positions. Pressman was actively involved in professional engineering organizations, including serving as president of the Society of Women Engineers from 1979 to 1980. The material in these papers represent...

Abstract Ellen Hippeli taught high school mathematics for nearly a decade and had just received her masters degree in education when, in 1952, she left her civilian career to join the United States Air Force. Following basic training, she was sent to the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and in 1955 earned a bachelors degree in physics, specializing in nuclear engineering effects. Hippeli spent several years at the USAF Special Weapons Center, where she tested the effects of nuclear radiation on humans....

Abstract The Society of Women Engineers was founded in 1950 to encourage young women to pursue engineering and to support women engineers throughout their careers. The Detroit Section of the Society of Women Engineers was chartered June 30, 1952. SWE Detroit is one of the Society's oldest sections and is also among its largest, largely due to the prominence of the automotive and manufacturing industries in southeastern Michigan.The Society of Women Engineers Detroit Section Collection...

Abstract As part of its 60th anniversary celebrations, the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) launched its Grassroots Oral History Project, with an aim of capturing and sharing the stories, experiences, challenges, and accomplishments of SWE members over the years. Interviewees discuss their experiences and perspectives as women engineers and/or their involvement in the Society of Women Engineers. Among the interviewees are past presidents, award recipients, and members. Recordings and transcripts exist...

Abstract In the early 2000s, the Society for Women Engineers, working with its archivist, conducted interviews of pioneering women engineers across engineering disciplines, in order to document the history of women in engineering from the 1930s to the present, as well as the founding and development of SWE. The project was sponsored by SWE through funding provided by the Ford Motor Company Fund and managed by the Reuther Library. Interviews were conducted with 37 SWE-affiliated women engineers and their...

Abstract The Society of Women Engineers Publications includes inactive serials published by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). The society's national publication was published under three different titles between 1951 and 1993: Journal of the Society of Women Engineers, SWE Newsletter, and U.S. Woman Engineer. The publication was renamed SWE in 1993. SWE is not included in this collection because it remains active, but is otherwise available for research at the Reuther Library. The Society of Women...

Abstract The Society of Women Engineers is a non-profit educational service organization, founded in 1950 as the first organization dedicated to the career guidance, advancement, and recognition of women engineers. The organization's national records exemplify the struggle women have faced over time, gaining entrance into a male dominated discipline and bear witness to the triumphs and honors women have enjoyed as engineering students and practicing professionals. While documenting the Society itself,...

Abstract StoryCorps is a nationwide initiative of Sound Portrait Productions to record and collect oral history interviews. The Society of Women Engineers, in partnership with StoryCorps, recorded interviews at the SWE annual national conferences in 2007 and 2008. Participants in the SWE Storycorps interviews discuss such topics as their education and work experiences, career influences, friendships, involvement in the Society of Women Engineers, and thoughts on women in engineering, including ideas and...

Abstract The Society of Women Engineers: Emma Barth Diaries include over 160 diaries Barth wrote between 1939 and 1979. These diaries chronicle the 35 years Barth spent working as a mechanical engineer and her involvement in the Society of Women Engineers and the Society of Professional Engineers, as well as her outside activities and interests. Barth began her career as an engineer in 1942, when she enrolled in drafting courses at the Pittsburgh Aeronautics Institute and took a job as...