March is Women's History Month, a celebration of the vital role of women in U.S. history. We take this opportunity to highlight the year-round accomplishments of the students, faculty and staff who are leaders in engineering and applied science.

From Minnette E. Frankenberger, our first female graduate in 1903 (civil engineering), to Zoya Popovic, distinguished professor in the Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering who was recently elected to the National Academy of Engineering, women in the college have been leading the way and lighting the path so that others may follow.

In 2017, the College of Engineering and Applied Science made it part of our strategic vision to become the first public engineering college to reach gender parity in our undergraduate population, but our commitment to supporting women in engineering goes back decades. In 1988, we started the Women in Engineering Program, one of the first five in the country, at a time when women made up less than 10% of engineering professionals nationally. The program provided course counseling, a dedicated resource center, scholarships and outreach to K-12 girls and young women considering a career in engineering.

Fast forward to today, when our undergraduate female population is nearly 30%, our graduate female population is at 32% and students are excelling on all fronts. Just a few examples are the five engineering students who earned Brook Owens Fellowships, graduate student Elizabeth Hjelvik's National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and Varsha Rao’s first place win in the Three Minute Thesis competition. 

Women in the college are also leading conversations across campus about empowerment, leadership and being engineers. Among the affinity-based professional societies housed in the BOLD Center, four are dedicated to women in engineering: 

SWE recently hosted a BOLD Power Hour in celebration of Women’s History Month featuring Janet Tsai, assistant teaching professor in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, on discussing bias and designing for inclusion in engineering education and engineering practice. WoAA hosted a power hour on the history of women in STEM.

Celebrate this Month

  • Wednesday, March 16 – CU WiC will be hosting a “women empowered themed paint night” power hour
  • Tuesday, March 29 – The college is co-sponsoring a virtual event on the History of Women in Jazz
  • Wednesday, March 30 – The BOLD Center is sponsoring a BOLD Celebrates Womxn & Femmes networking event.

At the Women’s Leadership Symposium earlier this month, Director of Inclusive Culture Amy Moreno-Sherwood and Jesica Rush Leeker, Stephen M. Dunn Professor of Engineering Management and Entrepreneurship, presented on cultivating and demonstrating authenticity as a leader.

Amy shared her key takeaways: “It was incredible to have a full room of women from our campus community come together to identify the negative emotions, limiting beliefs, and external influences that impact or deter their authenticity. The theme was 'filling each other’s cup,' and it was moving to experience the group anchoring in their values and preparing to more intentionally align their behaviors. I also think it is important to encourage our college to reflect on the ways we may be contributing to limiting beliefs and deterring authenticity from women and nonbinary members of our community through various cultural norms and behaviors. Individuals can continue to develop knowledge, skills, and take risks to demonstrate their authenticity; however, the cultural and structural norms and interpersonal interactions need to cultivate and encourage it.”

On International Women’s Day, March 8, Assistant Dean for Access, Inclusion and Student Programs Terri Wright introduced the Women in Engineering networking event and panel discussion with these alumnae leaders in engineering. 

  • Bhavna Chhabra (CompSci’95) of Google
  • Suzi Jewett (MechEngr’99, MS’00) of Intel
  • Nancy Thonen (ChemEngr’88) of Suncor Energy
  • Nora Tucker (ChemEngr’01) of Gusto
  • Jannine Vela-Rouw (EngrPlus, AeroEngr’18) of Ball Aerospace

Panelists shared their experiences and advice on a wide range of topics from the professors who mentored them and being the only woman in the room to addressing bias and creating a support network. The event kicked off with a video in celebration of International Women’s Day featuring faculty and student perspectives on being a woman in engineering at the college. 

Watch the Video

Women make up 30% of our faculty and are regularly winning grants, awards and national recognition for their teaching and research. From Diane McKnight’s recognition as a CU Distinguished Professor in December 2021 and the researchers who garnered six of our 12 NSF CAREER awards in 2021 to Professor Virgina Ferguson’s election to the American Institute for Medical and Biomedical Engineering’s College of Fellows, the women of the College of Engineering and Applied Science are creating an inclusive and supportive community in the college and leading discovery and innovation for the betterment of individuals and society.

Women make up nearly 70% of our staff, and are leading across campus and in the world. Robin McClanahan in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering received the 2021 college Outstanding Staff Award for her contributions to her unit and to the college. Two staff members along with a faculty member and a PhD candidate were recognized in 2021 by the the Center for Inclusion and Social Change as “Women Who Make a Difference” and are paving the way for other women at CU Boulder.

  • Alisha Stewart, Senior Director of Engineering Human Resources
  • Angela Bielefeldt, Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering and Engineering Plus
  • Rajshree Shrestha, Graduate Program Manager, Computer Science
  • Jessie Finocchiaro, PhD candidate, Theoretical Computer Science

Today and every day, we celebrate the accomplishments of women who are leaders in engineering and applied science. During Women's History Month and throughout the year, we invite you to learn more about the significant contributions of women in engineering and applied science.

 

Keith Molenaar
Acting Dean

Terri Wright
Assistant Dean for Access, Inclusion and Student Programs

 

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