Alison D. Stegert

23 June is International Women in Engineering Day (#INWED), a day dedicated to highlighting the outstanding work of women engineers and drawing attention to the exciting future career opportunities available to girls.

It’s also the day after my upcoming middle-grade novel goes to print. How about a warm welcome for Winifred Weatherby, nineteenth-century girl-genius, inventress, aspiring engineer, and star of Her Majesty’s League of Remarkable Young Ladies! (Here they are, hot off the press!)

Unfortunately for Winifred, in 1889 young ladies were not permitted to register a patent in their name – let alone work in engineering, but 14-year-old Winnie doesn’t let restrictive social norms cancel her dreams. She lands a job working as gadget inventress for Queen Victoria’s secret league of young lady spies!

These days, young women are encouraged to study STEM and can pursue engineering, but sadly, few girls can imagine themselves in the field. And that’s a shame! Today’s kids need Winnie’s story of determination, innovation, breakthrough and FUN – and girls need to hear real-life success stories of woman engineers – from trailblazers to space explorers!

Four Fascinating Women Engineers

The Trailblazer – Edith Clarke, 1883 – 1959

Edith was the first professionally employed woman engineer in the United States, working as an electrical engineer for both General Electric and AT&T. In 1921, she invented the Graphical Calculator, a device that simplified the calculation work of fellow engineers. Later in life, she was the first professor of electrical engineering in her country. Edith paved the way for future women engineers to follow.

The Life Saver – Stephanie Kwolek, 1923 – 2014

Stephanie was a chemist who worked for DuPont. In 1965, she concocted a solution called poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide. Because the compound was cloudy rather than clear, the team thought it was botched and wanted to throw it away, but Stephanie insisted on testing it by spinning it into filaments. The fibres proved to be five times stronger than steel and, when woven into fabric, able to stop both bullets and knives. The fabric became known as Kevlar and has since been used in more than a million bulletproof vests, saving countless lives.

The Space Explorer – Diana Trujillo, 1980 –

Diana started life in Columbia, but these days she works as an aerospace engineer for NASA. She was the first Hispanic immigrant woman to be admitted to the NASA Academy. Now, as one of their aerospace engineers, she specialises in robotics and jet propulsion. She undertakes many highly specialised roles and was a key engineer involved in the development and deployment of the Mars Curiosity Rover, a car-sized robotic research vehicle.

The Inventrepreneur – Ruth Amos, 1989 –

At age 16, Sheffield girl Ruth Amos seized an opportunity to innovate, and she made something wonderful: the StairSteady, a clever device to assist elderly and disabled people with mobility. She went on to study engineering and launch a rewarding career. Fast forward seventeen years or so, and Ruth is a sought-after presenter, podcaster, and videographer. Her video channels include Kids Invent Stuff.

This year, Ruth adds another role to her impressive list: she’s the Inventor in Residence at the UK National Archives’ exhibit, The Spirit of Invention, which runs from May to the end of October 2023. Ruth curated some weird and wonderful Victorian contrivances from the Patent Office Archives, an historical bureaucracy that plays a role in Winnie’s story.

Inspiring Future Engineers

The stories of these outstanding women show a small sample of the amazing variety of careers that are possible in engineering.

Her Majesty’s League of Remarkable Young Ladies smashes the limiting bearded-engineer stereotype and debunks male-dominated narratives about engineering and inventing. I hope Winnie’s gutsy determination inspires today’s girls to express their innovative spirit and STEM talents.

Girls have what it takes to be makers and innovators on International Women in Engineering Day – and every day.

Pre-Order Now

By the way, one of the above innovations – the Graphical Calculator, Kevlar, the Mars Curiosity Rover, or the StairSteady – links to a spy gadget engineered by Winnie. Can you guess which one? You’ll have to wait until 3 August 2023 to read the book and find out.

Her Majesty’s League of Remarkable Young Ladies (Chicken House, August 2023) is a debut upper-middle-grade Victorian romp and the winner of the Times/Chicken House / Institution of Engineering and Technology Prize 2021. It’s for readers aged 10+.

Pre-order here and here. Or find it in your favourite UK bookshop after 3 August 2023. Watch this space for availability in other countries.

Image Credits:

Cover Design by Micaela Alcaino

INWED images created by Alison on Canva