Women In Aerospace

For this week’s #TuesdayTrailblazer, we celebrate Baroness Beryl Catherine Platt, a trailblazing engineer and politician who fought for gender equality. ? Beryl was born in 1923 in Essex. Her father was a bank clerk who sent his daughter to Westcliff High School for Girls where Beryl excelled in math. Though the family initially resisted sending their daughter to university, the Westcliff headmistress fought for Beryl to attend Cambridge. Originally admitted for mathematics, Beryl switched to studying aeronautical engineering (then called mechanical sciences) when the British government provided a stipend to prepare engineers to rebuild the country after the war. ? Beryl was one of five women (in a class of 255) to study engineering in her class and the ninth woman to ever do so at Cambridge. Since the British needed engineers in the field, the usually four-year degree program was shortened to two years of intensive study. When Beryl graduated in 1943, women at Cambridge were not yet allowed to earn official degrees, so she was awarded a “title of degree” rather than the honors she should have been afforded.? ? After graduation, Beryl worked as one of three women at Hawkers Experimental Flight Test Department. She studied testing and production of fighter planes -- including the Hurricane and the Tempest V -- and refused to learn how to type so she wouldn’t be forced to do secretarial work. In 1946, she worked for British European Airways to improve aviation safety. When she married in 1948, she ended her engineering career. As she put it, "In those days most women gave up their jobs on marriage, and I did too." ? Though her time as an engineer was over, Beryl continued to be a trailblazer. In 1956, she was elected to her first local office and continued to serve in Essex County until 1980. In 1981, Beryl became a life peer in the House of Lords. She took the title Baroness Platt of Writtle after her hometown in Essex. For her official coat of arms, she picked a cogwheel to represent her service as an engineer. With a reputation for getting things done, Margaret Thatcher appointed her as Chairman of the Equal Opportunity Commission in 1983. After a 1984 report revealed a shortage of qualified engineers, Beryl founded Women into Science and Engineering (WISE), an initiative that highlighted career opportunities for women in science and engineering. For her service in science and policy, she was awarded many degrees and fellowships. Throughout her political career, Beryl fought for women in science and higher education. To honor her legacy, an award bearing her name celebrates women in engineering.

For this week’s #TuesdayTrailblazer, we honor Anne Burns, a daring aviator and engineer. ? Anne was born in Yorkshire in 1915 and attended St. Hughe’s College, Oxford. She was the first woman to receive the coveted Edgell Shepee Scholarship and only the second to study Engineering. Anne graduated First (the British equivalent of Suma cum laude meaning she was in the top percentile of her class) in 1936. ? As a student, she co-authored an early theoretical paper, joining the British Air Transport Auxiliary at the start of World War 2. When command discovered her engineering skills, she was moved to the Structure and Mechanical Department at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) in Farnborough, Hampshire. Anne initially studied flutter (the point at which a structure starts to lose energy due to movement) but soon developed windscreen wipers for aircraft and double windscreens to increase pilot visibility to meet the demands of the war. Anne participated in every test flight for the mathematical solutions she came up with, risking her own life in the name of science.? ? When the Second World War ended, Anne became the UK’s first flight-test observer (FTO) to use strain gauges to measure the strain in a moving aircraft. Still working for the RAE, she earned the rank of Principal Science Officer in 1953. After early airline disasters, Anne made test flights in unpressured planes to figure out how the aircraft would break and how to address the issue. Though the aircraft was known to fail at 25,000 feet, she went as high as 40,000 feet to ensure future passenger safety. ? Anne was part of the first generation of engineers to apply physics and math to aircraft safety, using science to test for design flaws rather than trial and error. Her work made aircraft safer across the globe and was worth the risks she took every time she flew.? ? As if flying dangerous aircraft every day at work wasn’t enough, Anne flew gliders in her spare time. On her first leisure flight, she broke the British women’s distance record and in 1956, she set the UK women’s altitude record. She was the first woman to cross the English Chanel on a glider and in 1966, she became the first woman to win the British Gliding Championship. When she retired from gliding at 62, she held 10 of the 11 UK women’s gliding records, one of which remains to this day.? ? Though Anne died in 2001, her legacy as a trailblazing aeronautical engineer and a daring pilot remains. Airplanes are safer because of her work and women have more opportunities in aeronautics because she broke barriers.

Applications are NOW OPEN for the 2024-2025 WIA Foundation Scholarships! The WIA Foundation is proud to offer four $5,000 merit-based scholarships to women pursuing careers in aerospace. If you're a rising junior or senior in college studying engineering, math, or science, this opportunity could be for you! Take the next step toward achieving your dreams in aerospace — apply now for the 2024-2025 academic year. ?? Learn more and apply here: https://lnkd.in/gMWRYPuH #WomenInAerospace #WIAScholarships #AerospaceCareers #WomenInSTEM #STEMOpportunities

Coming Soon! Nominations for the 2025 WIA Awards are about to open! Each year, Women in Aerospace honors extraordinary women making an impact across the aerospace community. Up to seven awards will be presented, recognizing innovation, leadership, and excellence. Know someone deserving of recognition? Stay tuned for details on how to submit your nomination! #WIAAwards #WomenInAerospace #AerospaceExcellence #Trailblazers

For this week’s #TuesdayTrailblazer, we celebrate Grazia Vittadini, aerospace businesswoman and Women in Aerospace Europe’s 2019 Outstanding Achievement Award Winner. ? Grazia was born in Milan in 1969 and grew up in the United States and Italy. As a child, she was fascinated with motorcycles and aviation, leading her to pursue a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Polytechnic University of Milan. She also holds a private pilot’s license. ? In 2002, Grazia began working for Airbus Operations in Germany. She served in various executive leadership positions. Her efforts secured the A350 XWB’s First Flight and Type Certification. She also oversaw all Airbus aircraft production, management, and upkeep.? ? In 2018, Grazia became Airbus’s Chief Technology Officer, responsible for the technical development of the entire cooperation, overseeing thousands of employees. She especially fought for the development of solutions to replace fossil-fuel driven propulsion technologies to pave the way for environmentally friendly aircraft. Grazia also spearheaded efforts to support artificial intelligence and quantum computing, ensuring that Airbus stayed competitive. ? After nearly two decades at Airbus, Grazia joined Rolls-Royce as CTO in 2021. At Rolls-Royce, she leads efforts to advance new technology while decarbonizing aerospace. Grazia is a champion of sustainable aviation and proves that energy transition can be done effectively. ? To honor her contributions to aerospace and global warming prevention, Grazia has won the French Legion of Honor, was named “Woman of the Year in Business” by the French magazine L’Usine Nouvelle in 2018, and WIA Europe’s 2019 Outstanding Achievement Award. She is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Royal Academy of Engineers in the United Kingdom and serves in multiple advisory positions.

For this week's #TuesdayTrailblazer, we celebrate Bessie Coleman, the first African American and Native American woman to fly in the United States.? ? Bessie Coleman was born in 1892 in segregated Texas. One of twelve children, she was the daughter of a sharecropper and a maid. Though gifted with math, she was forced to drop out of university because she couldn’t afford the tuition. In 1915, she moved to Chicago and worked in a barbershop. When her brothers came home from fighting in World War 1, they told Bessie about French female aviators. Inspired by stories of women soaring through the sky, Bessie applied to pilot schools across the United States. Not a single school would take her because she was a woman and an African American.? ? Rather than giving up, Bessie applied to pilot schools in France. After learning French while working full-time, she was admitted to the Caudron Brothers’ School of Aviation in Le Crotoy. In 1921, she received her international pilot’s license and returned to the United States. Throughout her career, Bessie’s motto was “I refuse to take no for an answer”, and she certainly lived up to it. Despite gender and racial barriers, she flew.? ? Touring across the United States giving speeches and performing aerial feats, Bessie tried to save enough money to start a flight school for women and African Americans. She earned a reputation as a daring aviator who would always complete a stunt. Bessie also refused to work at venues that were still segregated and pushed for racial and gender equality, even as she was denied it herself. ? In 1926, Bessie agreed to fly with another pilot to practice a parachuting stunt. While she studied the terrain, the other pilot lost control of the airplane and crashed. Bessie---at age 34---died doing what she loved. She never had the chance to establish her flight school to train the next generation. Nevertheless, she inspired future aviators to fight for equality and reach new heights. Fellow African American aviator William J. Powell remarked that because of Bessie, “we have overcome that which was worse than racial barriers. We have overcome the barriers within ourselves and dared to dream.”

The deadline to register is today! Are you ready to take your leadership to the next level? Whether you're new to management or a seasoned leader seeking fresh insights, this engaging webinar will arm you with the core skills you need to lead with confidence. Discover actionable strategies to delegate effectively, manage complex projects with ease, and inspire your team to achieve peak performance. Learn how to handle the challenges of managing experienced team members while maximizing your own productivity and resources. Don’t miss this opportunity to strengthen your leadership foundation and unlock your team’s full potential! Don’t miss out on this powerful session, part of Module 1: Leadership and Career Advancement. Register now: https://lnkd.in/exbjJbkr

For today’s #TuesdayTrailblazer, we celebrate Ida Van Smith, a groundbreaking pilot and flight instructor. ? Ida was born in North Carolina in 1917 as the youngest of three children. As a girl, she fell in love with aviation at the wing-walking exhibitions in her hometown. In 1934, Ida graduated from Redstone Academy as valedictorian. She earned her bachelor’s in social studies from Shaw University and her master's of science on full scholarship from the Queens College of New York. For most of her career, she taught in New York Public Schools as a special education and history instructor.? ? In 1967, at the age of 50, Ida fulfilled her childhood dream of flying. That same year, she founded Ida Van Smith Flight Clubs to encourage children to study aviation and aerospace. Initially, she taught students using an airplane instrument panel from her home. The program then expanded into NYC public schools, with courses taught by Ida and other trained pilots for adults and students. Though Ida initially funded the clubs herself, as more programs popped up around the country, she earned corporate and private donors. After earning her license, she was a member of the Ninety-Nines and the Tuskegee Airman’s Black Wings. When she died in 2003, she had led over 11 individual clubs and encouraged hundreds of children to fly.

Join us on February 27th for WIA's 2025 Career Empowerment Series: Foundational Leadership Skills with Michelle Carroll! Are you ready to take your leadership to the next level? Whether you're new to management or a seasoned leader seeking fresh insights, this engaging webinar will arm you with the core skills you need to lead with confidence. Discover actionable strategies to delegate effectively, manage complex projects with ease, and inspire your team to achieve peak performance. Learn how to handle the challenges of managing experienced team members while maximizing your own productivity and resources. Don’t miss this opportunity to strengthen your leadership foundation and unlock your team’s full potential! Don’t miss out on this powerful session, part of Module 1: Leadership and Career Advancement. Register now: https://lnkd.in/exbjJbkr

Join us on February 27th for WIA's 2025 Career Empowerment Series: Foundational Leadership Skills with Michelle Carroll! Are you ready to take your leadership to the next level? Whether you're new to management or a seasoned leader seeking fresh insights, this engaging webinar will arm you with the core skills you need to lead with confidence. Discover actionable strategies to delegate effectively, manage complex projects with ease, and inspire your team to achieve peak performance. Learn how to handle the challenges of managing experienced team members while maximizing your own productivity and resources. Don’t miss this opportunity to strengthen your leadership foundation and unlock your team’s full potential! Don’t miss out on this powerful session, part of Module 1: Leadership and Career Advancement. Register now: https://lnkd.in/exbjJbkr