Diversity in the History of Engineering

The Space Race was won with equations… equations calculated by three Black women in the segregated back wing of NASA. For decades, the story of NASA’s achievements focused on white male engineers and astronauts. But behind the headlines were the “hidden figures” who solved the equations that sent John Glenn into orbit and helped Apollo 11 land on the Moon. In 2016, Margot Lee Shetterly’s book "Hidden Figures" (and the film that followed) finally told the world about Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson. All three started as a “human computer” at Langley Memorial Aeronautical Lab during segregation—forced to eat, work, and pee separately from their white colleagues. 1. Katherine Johnson Katherine started high school at 13. In 1953, she took a job in the all-Black West Area Computing Section, led by Dorothy Vaughan. She was pulled onto a crash analysis project and calculated launch trajectories and orbital reentry paths by hand. In 1960, she coauthored “Determination of Azimuth Angle at Burnout for Placing a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position.” It was the first time a woman in her division received authorship credit on a NASA report. Then came 1962. John Glenn was prepping for his Friendship 7 orbital mission—the first by an American. He didn’t trust the IBM computers, so he said: “Get the girl to check the numbers. If she says they’re good, I’m ready to go.” Katherine ran the equations. Glenn flew. America won a major battle in the Space Race. Johnson also calculated the rendezvous path for the Apollo Lunar Module. In 2015, at 97, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 2. Dorothy Vaughan She was hired by NACA (NASA’s precursor) in 1943 during WWII and assigned to the segregated West Area Computing unit, where she crunched aeronautics data. In 1949, Vaughan was promoted to lead the West Area Computing Section, making her the first Black supervisor at NACA. But Vaughan saw the next transition coming: from humans to IBM machines. So she taught herself FORTRAN and trained her entire team. Then she led NASA’s first integrated programming section in the Analysis and Computation Division. She retired in 1971 after 28 years. She never got another management title. But all the women she trained carried her legacy forward. 3. Mary Jackson In 1951, Mary landed in West Computing at Langley—working under Dorothy Vaughan. Two years later, engineer Kazimierz Czarnecki pulled her into the supersonic pressure tunnel, where they blasted models with wind at 2x the speed of sound. He urged her to become an engineer. But to qualify, she had to take night classes at a whites-only high school. So she petitioned the city for permission. She got in. She got the grades. And in 1958, she became NASA’s first Black female engineer. In 2021, NASA renamed its DC headquarters in her honor. ----------------- 💡 Follow Justine Juillard for 365 stories of female innovators in 2025.

Only 27% of STEM graduates in Germany are women. In Tunisia, it's 44%, one of the highest rates worldwide. When I tell European founders that more than half of Tunisia's engineering students are women, they usually pause. Then they ask if I'm sure. Yes. Around 56% of Tunisia's engineering students are female. Tunisia didn't stumble into this. Since independence, education has been universal and merit based. Women entered universities in large numbers. No one told them engineering was "for men." Walk into a lecture hall in Tunis today and you'll see rows of women coding, designing, solving equations. I studied engineering in Tunis for 3 years before moving to Germany. The contrast was immediate. More than half of Tunisia's researchers are women. Female engineers lead teams, build products, shape public policy. Europe has a gender gap in tech. Tunisia doesn't. They're 2 hours apart. While Europe hosts conferences about closing the gender gap, Tunisian universities graduated generations of female engineers through consistent education policy. I've seen Tunisian engineering teams where collaboration flows naturally because competence drives decisions. Tunisia quietly built one of the world's most gender-balanced engineering ecosystems. That's worth celebrating. #WomenInSTEM #Tunisia #Engineering #TechTalent #Diversity

The next time you're tempted to accept things as they are, simply because that's how they've always been - save and come back to this post. In 1974, a postcard changed the course of Indian corporate history. It wasn't the postcard itself that mattered, but the audacity behind it. TELCO, now known as Tata Motors, had placed an ad at the Indian Institute of Science. They were fishing for talent – young, bright engineers with stellar academic records. But there was a catch, a small line at the bottom that read: "Lady candidates need not apply." This was par for the course in 1974 India. But for one student, Sudha Murty, it was a challenge she couldn't ignore. She wasn't job hunting, but that line lit a fire in her belly. So she did what most wouldn't dare – she wrote directly to JRD Tata, the titan of Indian industry. Her weapon of choice? A humble postcard. "The great Tatas have always been pioneers," she wrote. She praised their contributions to India's infrastructure and education. Then came the kicker: "But I am surprised how a company such as Telco discriminates based on gender." It was a pebble thrown at a giant. But sometimes, that's all it takes. Ten days later, a telegram arrived. TELCO wanted to interview her. They even offered to foot the bill for her trip to Pune. Now, here's where it gets interesting. The interviewers were blunt: "We have never employed ladies on the shop floor. This is not a co-ed college; this is a factory." They acknowledged her academic brilliance but suggested she stick to research labs. It was the polite way of saying, "This isn't for you." But history isn't made by those who take no for an answer. Sudha Murty became the first female engineer hired by TELCO, shattering a ceiling that had seemed unbreakable. The moral of the story isn't about gender equality, though that's important. It's about the power of questioning the status quo. It's about how a single act of courage can ripple through time, changing not just one life, but potentially thousands. #WomenInLeadership #GenderEquality #BreakingBarriers #CorporateCulture #IndianBusinessHistory #SudhaMurty #JRDTata #TataMotors #TELCO

Women Didn’t Join Tech as an Afterthought — They Built It. In 1945, six brilliant women - Betty Holberton, Jean Bartik, Kay McNulty, Ruth Teitelbaum, Marlyn Meltzer, and Frances Spence - were handed the impossible task of programming the world’s first computer, ENIAC. With no manuals or guidance, they invented modern programming itself. And yet, their genius was erased. They weren’t in the headlines. Decades later, their work was dismissed. This isn’t just history; it’s a reminder. Without diversity, we risk overlooking brilliance. Women built tech, and women continue to build the future. To every woman in entrepreneurship today: 💡 Your innovation matters. 💡 Your voice belongs in the narrative. 💡 Your contributions will define the next era.

Black History Month in Canada is observed every year in February. The month is dedicated to recognizing and reflecting on the histories, contributions, and lived experiences of Black people in Canada, across both past and present contexts. Black communities have been part of Canada since at least the seventeenth century, including enslaved Africans in New France and British North America, Black Loyalists who arrived after the American Revolutionary War, and later migrations from the Caribbean, Africa, and the United States. As such, Black History Month emphasizes historical continuity as well as contemporary cultural, political, scientific, and educational contributions. In software engineering, this broader historical context matters. The field continues to exhibit clear patterns of underrepresentation, and many undergraduate students have limited awareness of Black scientists and engineers whose work directly influenced technologies that are now considered foundational (https://lnkd.in/gc_w8ei4). This lack of awareness has implications for how students understand the field and their place within it. Providing accurate historical context and concrete examples of Black contributors can support a more inclusive understanding of software engineering and help students recognize the diversity that has always existed in the discipline. Today, I carried out a small but deliberate teaching practice that I repeat every year. In the first lecture of February, I set aside a few minutes of my Software Architecture course to acknowledge Black History Month and to introduce students to Black scientists and engineers whose work shaped the technologies they are learning and will later work with. The intent is to situate technical content within its historical context and to ensure that students are exposed to the people behind the systems they study, so they can visualize that software is built for and with different realities.

“𝐎𝐡… 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐧, 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭?” When people didn’t know what chemical engineering was, the first line I always heard was: “Oh, you must really love chemistry.” But when they did know what chemical engineering was, the next most common line became: “Oh… so your class must have been full of men?” And historically, that was true. Chemical engineering was often viewed as a male-dominated field — mainly because many roles involved: • long hours on site • standing for extended periods • refineries, plants, rigs, and field rotations Even today, if you search online or read reviews about the profession, you’ll often find people saying that field jobs are more physically demanding, which is why many women end up choosing: • research roles • lab-based work • design and corporate positions Not because women can’t do field work — just because these roles often align better with lifestyle preferences, work-life balance, or interest areas. But my experience? Completely different. In my undergrad, it was almost 50–50. And here in Canada, I’ve met women across every part of the industry — from carbon capture to safety, innovation, and operations. During my own field experience this summer, I saw the same thing: women in PPE, on site, doing the work — operators, engineers, supervisors. Not women “breaking barriers” — women who are simply doing the job. So it makes me wonder: Maybe chemical engineering isn't “becoming” more inclusive — maybe we’re finally acknowledging the women who’ve always been here. To every woman who stepped into a refinery before it was normal, to every student choosing this field today, and to every engineer who keeps choosing this field despite the challenges — I’m proud of us. 💛 What was the gender ratio in your class or workplace? Would love to hear your stories. #WomenInEngineering #ChemicalEngineering #WomenInSTEM #EngineeringCommunity #DiversityInEngineering #CHEMS #CommonMisconceptions #ProcessEngineering #WomenInSTEM #EngineeringJourney #STEMMisconceptions #PlantLife #ChemicalEngineerButNotChemistry

In Honor of Women’s History Month – 5 Women Who Changed Tech This #WomensHistoryMonth, we honor five extraordinary women whose academic achievements and groundbreaking work have profoundly impacted technology: ⭐ Dr. Fei-Fei Li – Dr. Li is a Chinese-American computer scientist known for establishing ImageNet, the dataset that enabled rapid advances in computer vision in the 2010s. In 2017, she co-founded AI4ALL, a nonprofit organization working to increase diversity and inclusion in the field of artificial intelligence. Currently, she is an AI researcher and professor at Stanford University, where she serves as the Co-Director of the Stanford Human-Centered AI Institute. She is also a scientific partner at Radical Ventures and the author of "The Worlds I See." ⭐ Mary Golda Ross – Mary Golda Ross was the first Native American female engineer. She was also the first female engineer in the history of the Lockheed Corporation, where she worked until her retirement in 1973. She was best remembered for her work on aerospace design. Throughout her life, Ross was dedicated to the advancement of young women and Native Americans in STEM fields. ⭐ Dr. Grace Hopper – Dr. Grace Hopper was an American computer scientist, mathematician, and United States Navy rear admiral. She was a pioneer of computer programming. Hopper was the first to devise the theory of machine-independent programming languages and used this theory to develop the FLOW-MATIC programming language and COBOL, an early high-level programming language still in use today. She was also one of the first programmers on the Harvard Mark I computer. She is credited with writing the first computer manual, "A Manual of Operation for the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator." ⭐ Dr. Ellen Ochoa – Dr. Ellen Ochoa is an American engineer, former astronaut and former director of the Johnson Space Center. In 1993, Ochoa became the first Latina woman to go to space when she served on a nine-day mission aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Ochoa became director of the center in 2012. She was the first Latina director and the second female director of Johnson Space Center. She has been inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame and is a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. ⭐ Dr.Fatmah Baothman – Dr. Fatmah Baothman is a Saudi Arabian computer scientist who is the first woman in the Middle East with a Ph.D. in artificial intelligence. She is the board president for the Artificial Intelligence Society. Baothman has worked over 25 years as, and is currently, an associate professor at King AbdulAziz University Faculty of Computing & Information Technology. These remarkable women broke barriers and paved the way for future generations in STEM. Let’s celebrate their legacies and continue to advocate for diversity and inclusion in technology! 💪💻✨ Comment below Women in Tech to celebrate this month! #WomenInTech #WomensHistoryMonth #STEM #Trailblazers #DiversityInTech

Honoring Black History Month: The Legacy of Innovation & the Power of Diversity As we celebrate Black History Month, we recognize that the tapestry of America has been woven with the brilliance, resilience, and contributions of people of color who have shaped our nation at every turn. From science and medicine to civil rights and culture, Black innovators and leaders have left an indelible mark on our country. Nowhere is this more evident than in technology, where pioneers have paved the way for the advancements we rely on today. Visionaries like: • Annie Easley: NASA computer programmer whose code advanced spaceflight and energy research. • Frank S. Greene: Early Silicon Valley technologist who contributed to semiconductors and founded firms supporting minority-led companies. • Evelyn Boyd Granville: One of the first Black women to earn a PhD in math, contributing to NASA missions. • Clarence “Skip” Ellis: First Black PhD in computer science, revolutionizing collaborative computing. • Gladys West: Mathematician whose satellite models helped develop GPS. • Roy L. Clay Sr.: The “Godfather of Silicon Valley,” who led HP’s first minicomputer development. • Mark Dean: Co-creator of the IBM PC and developer of the ISA bus. • Marian R. Croak: A pioneer in VoIP technology, holding over 200 patents. • John Henry Thompson: Led LucasFilm’s EditDroid project, a precursor to modern digital editing. • Rediet Abebe: First Black woman with a CS PhD from Cornell, using AI to tackle socio-economic inequality. These trailblazers remind us that diversity of thought and opportunity is the foundation of American progress and equally fuels American innovation. As we look ahead, investing in STEM education, funding minority entrepreneurs, and expanding leadership opportunities is not just about equity—it’s about maintaining America’s global leadership. Let’s honor the past and build a future where talent thrives, regardless of race or background. That’s how America remains a powerhouse. #BlackHistoryMonth #Innovation #DiversityInTech #STEM #Leadership #HistoryMatters #ciso #Confide #informationsecurity

In 1958, she became NASA's first black female engineer. Born on this day in 1921, Mary Jackson was a mathematician and aerospace engineer at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), which in 1958 was succeeded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She worked at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, for most of her career - starting as a “computer” at the segregated West Area Computing division in 1951 (she featured in the Hidden Figures book and film). It took two years of working in the computing section before Mary Jackson was offered to work alongside Kazimierz Czarnecki, an engineer working in the 4-foot by 4-foot Supersonic Pressure Tunnel, a 60,000 horsepower wind tunnel with the capacity to blast spacecraft models with winds approaching twice the speed of sound. Together, Czarnecki, an engineer, and Mary Jackson, a mathematician, both worked on experimental tasks in the facility then Czarnecki advised Jackson to enter a training program to enable her to gain promotion from mathematician to engineer. In 1958, after taking engineering classes, she became NASA's first black female engineer. And after a career of 34 years at NASA, Jackson had earned the most senior engineering title available and realized she could not earn further promotions without becoming a supervisor so she accepted a demotion to become a manager of both the Federal Women's Program, in the NASA Office of Equal Opportunity Programs and of the Affirmative Action Program - in this role, she worked to influence the hiring and promotion of women in NASA's science, engineering, and mathematics careers. All images NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration #womeninstem #nasa #engineer #engineering #hiddenfigures

In 1962, astronaut John Glenn had a critical condition before his historic orbital flight. He requested that Katherine Johnson, a brilliant mathematician, personally verify the complex trajectory calculations made by NASA's new electronic computers. "If she says the numbers are good," Glenn reportedly stated, "I’m ready." Katherine Johnson started at NASA’s Langley Research Center in 1953. She was part of the "West Area Computing" unit, a segregated section for African American women mathematicians. These women, often referred to as "human computers," performed the crucial calculations essential for America's early space missions. Their meticulous work was vital, especially as electronic computers were novel and their outputs required human verification. Dorothy Vaughan, who joined NASA's predecessor agency in 1943, was another pivotal figure. She became NASA’s first Black supervisor in 1949 and mentored many, including Johnson. Vaughan recognized the coming importance of electronic computing. She proactively taught herself and her team the FORTRAN programming language, ensuring their skills remained indispensable as NASA transitioned to machine calculations. While Johnson and Vaughan are widely recognized, they were part of a broader group of talented African American women. These mathematicians excelled and made foundational contributions to the U.S. space program, overcoming significant systemic barriers. Sources: NASA, National Park Service, University of Birmingham. #HiddenFigures #WomenInSTEM #NASA #fblifestyle