In July – July 31, 1790 – first U.S. patent went to Samuel Hopkins for an improvement “in the making Pot ash and Pearl ash by a new Apparatus and Process.” President George Washington, Attorney General Edmund Randolph, and Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson signed the patent. Only two other patents were granted that year, one for a new candle-making process and the other the flour-milling machinery of Oliver Evans.

The Engineering Pathway has a number of educational resources on patents and inventors. I’m a big fan of the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA). NCIIA “fosters invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship in higher education as a way of creating innovative, commercially viable, and socially beneficial businesses and employment opportunities in the United States.” The website provides information on faculty and student grant opportunities, conferences and resources.

One question I’ve had is why do we not hear more about patents by women? It turns out that pior to the U.S. Patent Act of 1790, only men could author a patent. Even after the federal law was passed, women couldn’t patent as most states did not allow women to legally own property. For example, there is much speculation that the authorship of the cotton gin patent of 1794 should have included Catherine Greene on the patent, as well as that of the African American slaves who also were not allowed to patent. In fact, it was not until March 3, 1831 that Thomas Jennings became the first African-American to receive a patent for his invention of ‘dry-scouring’, a process better known today as dry-cleaning. See Chad-Eric Montgomery’s March 3rd blog on this event.

Mary Kies’ invention was a process for weaving straw with silk or thread. Alas the patent file was destroyed in the great Patent Office fire in 1836 and an exact copy of the patent is no longer available. Kies invention has been credited for boosting the U.S. hat industry. Even First Lady, Dolley Madison praised her contributions. Until about 1840, most of the other 20 patents issued to women concerned applications that women saw in their everyday work: apparel, tools, cook stoves, and fire places.

Below I highlight some of our other blogs on women’s contributions to engineering, computer science and entrepreneurship.

My daughter, Arianne Agogino Gieringer wrote the April 25th blog on Florence Rena Sabin, the first woman elected to National Academy of Science. Dr. Florence Rena Sabin, Professor of Histology in the Johns Hopkins Medical School was also the first woman to be a full professor in that institution and also the first woman to be President of the American Association of Anatomists.

Patricia Galloway, first female president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), blogs on Elsie Eaves – first female engineer in ASCE to be elected as a full member on March 14, 1927.

Lucy Sanders, CEO of the Center for Women in Information Technology blogs on the unveiling of the ENIAC on February 14, 1946, the world’s first digital electronic computer, as well as on the contributions of women in computing.

Jasmina Vujic, Chair of the Nuclear Engineering Department at the University of California at Berkeley, blogs on Lise Meitner and her groundbreaking publication that first introduced the world to nuclear fission on February 11, 1939.

Chad-Eric Montgommery blogs on two African American women. On March 1, 1864, Rebecca Lee Crumpler became the first African American woman to receive a medical degree. Also see the blog on Sara Breedlove Walker, the first self-made millionairess hair product inventions for African American women.

Pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Helen Taussig, was one of the doctors at Johns Hopkins who performed the first open heart surgery on November 29, 1944.

I enjoyed researching the blog for November 13, 1913 – Mary Phelps Jacobs invents modern bra. And also for the one on Dr. Mary Walker, the first female army surgeon to be awarded the Medal of Honor on November 11, 1875.

Check out the Engineering Pathway‘s many educational resources on women in engineering, women in information technology, women inventors and gender equity. One of my favorite resources is FairerScience, with practical advice on how to develop gender equitable classrooms and practices in math, science and engineering.

For a more in-depth analysis of the issues associated with gender equity in our faculties and recommended solutions, read our “most commented” resource – the National Academies’ Beyond Bias and Barriers report. My editorial on the report was published in ASEE Prism, November 2006, vol. 16 (3). We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions as well.

Also on this date in 2008 – QinetiQ breaks unofficial world record for unmanned flight over three and a half days US Army’s Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. For more information, see the Engineering Pathway’s resources on unmanned flight. Or view curricular resources at the Aerospace Engineering Education Community site.

Today in History – June 21, 1946 - UN Commission on the Status of Women was established as a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to be “dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women”. The goal was to  “prepare recommendations and reports to the Council on promoting women’s rights in political, economic, civil, social and educational fields. The Commission also makes recommendations to the Council on urgent problems requiring immediate attention in the field of women’s rights.”

The Commission’s mandate was expanded in 1987 to include the objectives of “promoting equality, development and peace, monitoring the implementation of measures for the advancement of women, and reviewing and appraising progress made at the national, subregional, regional  and global levels”.

The 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, China, was a turning point for the Commission and led to the Beijing Platform for Action. (Photo captions – left: two participants; center: Hillary Rodham Clinton; right: Jane Fonda). The following specific areas of concern in 1995 have been used as benchmarks to assess the improvement of the status of women world-wide:

• Inequalities and inadequacies in and unequal access to education and training;
• Inequalities and inadequacies in and unequal access to health care and related services;
• Violence against women;
• The effects of armed or other kinds of conflict on women, including those living under foreign occupation;
• Inequality in economic structures and policies, in all forms of productive activities and in access to resources;
• Inequality between men and women in the sharing of power and decision-making at all levels;
• Insufficient mechanisms at all levels to promote the advancement of women;
• Lack of respect for and inadequate promotion and protection of the human rights of women;
• Stereotyping of women and inequality in women’s access to and participation in all communication systems, especially in the media;
• Gender inequalities in the management of natural resources and in the safeguarding of the environment;
• Persistent discrimination against and violation of the rights of the girl child.

In 2005, the Commission completed a ten-year review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing platform. In addition, the Member States reaffirmed the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and “pledged to ensure their full and accelerated implementation”. Although I was not in Beijing at the conference, I have spoken to women who were there. They all were profoundly touched by the disparity in women’s rights internationally.  I was heartened by their passion to be change agents in their own countries. In particular, I was amazed at the changes that the Saudi Arabian delegates brought home; their accomplishments include starting a new private college for women and changes in business practices to open the doors to hiring women in a much wider range of disciplines than before.

Check out the Engineering Pathway‘s many educational resources on women in engineering, women in information technology, women inventors and gender equity. One of my favorite resources is FairerScience, with practical advice on how to develop gender equitable classrooms and practices in math, science and engineering. We also have community groups in engineering diversity and computing diversity.

For a more indepth analysis of the issues associated with gender equity in our faculties and recommended solutions, read our “most commented” resource – the National Academies’ Beyond Bias and Barriers report. My editorial on the report was published in ASEE Prism, November 2006, vol. 16 (3). Obama and McCain Campaigns both commented on the report and other issues concerning women in science and technology during the election. Read a side-by-side comparison here. The first one concerns the recommendations of the Beyond Bias and Barriers report. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions as well.

Also on this date in history in 1633 Galileo recanted that the earth revolved around the sun. More recently, in 2004 Space Ship One first enters space.

Today in History – May 30, 1932 – Amelia Earhart is first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. She was one of the most famous women aviators in history. Earhart worked as a nurse’s aide in a military hospital in Canada during WWI and became a social worker after attending college. She took her first flying lesson on January 3, 1921, and managed to save enough money to buy her first plane soon afterwards. Although not an engineer, Amelia Earhart inspired many of us to go into engineering and to appreciate cutting-edge technologies. Although Amelia Earhart lived in a time when women were rarely associated with technology, she distinguished herself by bettering both women’s and men’s aviation records.

Check out the Engineering Pathway‘s many educational resources on women in engineering, women in information technology, women inventors and gender equity. One of my favorite resources is FairerScience, with practical advice on how to develop gender equitable classrooms and practices in math, science and engineering.

For a more indepth analysis of the issues associated with gender equity in our faculties and recommended solutions, read our “most commented” resource – the National Academies’ Beyond Bias and Barriers report. My editorial on the report was published in ASEE Prism, November 2006, vol. 16 (3). We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions as well.

Also on this date in history in 1898, Krypton is discovered.

Today in History – May 18, 2004 – Founding of the National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT).

Alas women now only represent a small fraction of computer science graduates and are not fully represented in the world of information technology and computing. This is one reason I enthusiastically agreed to co-found and serve as founding CEO of the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) with the overarching goal to achieve parity in the professional information technology (IT) workforce and to educate, disseminate, and advocate a national, multi-year implementation plan that generates tangible progress within 20 years.

Why is this issue important? Innovation thrives with a diversity of ideas and input. As IT becomes pervasive in our lives, we need women’s full participation in the the creation of the technology upon which our society increasingly depends. Further, U.S. Department of Labor projections forecast that our economy will add 1 million professional IT jobs by 2014. In the aftermath of the dot-com bust, however, the perception of a job shortage has caused a sharp decline in enrollment at 4 year computer science programs. Women’s lack of participation results in ideas not realized, products not implemented and jobs going unfilled.

It was in May 2004 that NCWIT held our first meetings in Boulder, Colorado, and announced our formation and funding from the National Science Foundation. What started as a collective passion to ensure that women are fully represented in computing and IT has become a movement involving the work of over 170 organizations, spanning K-12 to faculty and non-profits to corporations, working in areas spanning from outreach to entrepreneurship to institutional reform.  At our May 2009 annual meeting we celebrated our fifth birthday (see me introducing the keynote speaker at the start of conference below,  Jessica Jackley, Cofounder of Kiva). Jessica’s story is a fantastic inspiration for us all!!

NCWIT is now a coalition of over 100 universities, corporations and non-profits who all feel we can and must do a better job of attracting women to computing. We have developed interventions across the entire educational and career pipeline, including new ideas in curriculum, outreach, recruiting and retention. We are also studying women’s participation in key innovation metrics such as IT patenting, open source and entrepreneurship.

The history of computing owes much to contributions of talented women. Ada Byron Lovelace is credited first envisioning programming with her statement: “The analytical engine weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and leaves”. Six of the ENIAC programmers were womenonline casino at the University of Pennsylvania during World War II who had been calculating ballistics trajectories by hand. Admiral Grace Hopper, inventor of the first computer compiler, coined the term “computer bug” and is the namesake for the Grace Hopper Conference – Celebration of Women in Computing.

See the Engineering Pathway’s educational resources on the ENIAC, history of computing, Ada Lovelace and women in information technology. For curricular resources, visit the Computer Science Education, Information Science Education, Information Technology Education,  Computer Engineering Education of Software Engineering Education community sites. Or check out our new Broadening Participation in Computing community.

Also on this date Mount St. Helen erupts after 130 years of dormancy. See the Engineering Pathway’s educational resources on the volcanoes and geological engineering.

Today in History – May 5, 1809 – Mary Kies is the first woman to receive a U.S. patent. Prior to the U.S. Patent Act of 1790, only men could author a patent. Even after the federal law was passed, women couldn’t patent as most states did not allow women to legally own property. For example, there is much speculation that the authorship of the cotton gin patent of 1794 should have included Catherine Greene on the patent, as well as that of the African American slaves who also were not allowed to patent.

Mary Kies’ invention was a process for weaving straw with silk or thread. Alas the patent file was destroyed in the great Patent Office fire in 1836 and an exact copy of the patent is no longer available. Kies invention has been credited for boosting the U.S. hat industry. Even First Lady, Dolley Madison praised her contributions. Until about 1840, most of the other 20 patents issued to women concerned applications that women saw in their everyday work: apparel, tools, cook stoves, and fire places.

Below I highlight some of our other blogs on women’s contributions to engineering, computer science and entrepreneurship.

Did you know that Barbie was invented by Ruth Handler, motivated by her daughter Barbie and her friends play behavior? My blog of February 13 goes over the history of Barbie and Mattel’s decision and design process in announcing the new Computer Engineer Barbie.

My daughter, Arianne Agogino Gieringer wrote the April 25th blog on Florence Rena Sabin, the first woman elected to National Academy of Science. Dr. Florence Rena Sabin, Professor of Histology in the Johns Hopkins Medical School was also the first woman to be a full professor in that institution and also the first woman to be President of the American Association of Anatomists.

Patricia Galloway, first female president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), blogs on Elsie Eaves – first female engineer in ASCE to be elected as a full member on March 14, 1927.

Lucy Sanders, CEO of the Center for Women in Information Technology blogs on the unveiling of the ENIAC on February 14, 1946, the world’s first digital electronic computer, as well as on the contributions of women in computing.

Jasmina Vujic, Chair of the Nuclear Engineering Department at the University of California at Berkeley, blogs on Lise Meitner and her groundbreaking publication that first introduced the world to nuclear fission on February 11, 1939.

Chad-Eric Montgommery blogs on two African American women. On March 1, 1864, Rebecca Lee Crumpler became the first African American woman to receive a medical degree. Also see the blog on Sara Breedlove Walker, the first self-made millionairess hair product inventions for African American women.

Pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Helen Taussig, was one of the doctors at Johns Hopkins who performed the first open heart surgery on November 29, 1944.

I enjoyed researching the blog for November 13, 1913 – Mary Phelps Jacobs invents modern bra. And also for the one on Dr. Mary Walker, the first female army surgeon to be awarded the Medal of Honor on November 11, 1875.

Check out the Engineering Pathway‘s many educational resources on women in engineering, women in information technology, women inventors and gender equity. One of my favorite resources is FairerScience, with practical advice on how to develop gender equitable classrooms and practices in math, science and engineering.

For a more indepth analysis of the issues associated with gender equity in our faculties and recommended solutions, read our “most commented” resource – the National Academies’ Beyond Bias and Barriers report. My editorial on the report was published in ASEE Prism, November 2006, vol. 16 (3). We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions as well.

Today in History – April 25, 1925 – Florence Rena Sabin is the first woman elected to National Academy of Science. Dr. Florence Rena Sabin, Professor of Histology in the Johns Hopkins Medical School was also the first woman to be a full professor in that institution and also the first woman to be President of the American Association of Anatomists. She became a leader for her research in embryology and histolology (the study of tissues). The National Academy of Science tribute to Dr. Sabin recongizes that: By her example she did more than any other person to open the careers of scientific investigation in laboratories, medical schools, and hospitals to women.

I was interested in Dr. Rena Sabin as she started her academic career at Smith College, where I am now a second year student. After graduation in order to earn money for medical school, Dr. Sabin taught mathematics in Denver for two years. After that she served as an assistant in the Zoology Department at Smith College from 1895 to 1896.

Even in her retirement Dr. Florence Rena Sabin was a pioneer as a public health activist in Colorado and in 1951 received a Lasker Award for this work. It was during this period that she is known for one of her more famous quotes: The prohibition law, written for weaklings and derelicts, has divided the nation, like Gaul, into three parts — wets, drys, and hypocrites.

Check out the Engineering Pathway‘s many educational resources on women in medicine, women in science, women in engineering, women inventors and gender equity.

For a more in depth analysis of the issues associated with gender equity in our faculties and recommended solutions, read the Engineering Pathway’s “most commented” resource – the National Academies’ Beyond Bias and Barriers report. My mother’s editorial on the report was published in ASEE Prism, November 2006, vol. 16 (3).

Also on this date in history in 1953, the DNA double helix was published in Nature by James Watson and Francis Crick and the integrated circuit was first patented by Robert Noyce in 1961. My mother’s blog on the Discovery of the Structure of DNA addresses Rosalind Frankin’s role in this discovery; she died before the Nobel Prize was awarded but is now recognized for her critical contributions.

Today in History – March 14, 1927 – First female engineer in ASCE. Elsie Eaves was the first woman in the US to be elected as a full member to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

When ASCE was founded in 1852, its membership was restricted to men, a policy which eventually led to a sexual discrimination lawsuit filed in 1916 by Nora Stanton Blatch DeForest, the granddaughter of women’s rights advocate Elizabeth Cady Stanton. DeForest was an engineering graduate of Cornell University and was admitted to junior membership in ASCE in 1905. In 1915, when she no longer qualified as a junior member as she had surpassed the legal age limit per the ASCE bylaws, DeForest applied for associate membership. ASCE turned down her request for an associate membership and terminated her membership. DeForest filed a lawsuit. The case was tried in the New York Supreme Court, but the court ruled in favor of the Society, citing its status as a private organization. it would be another 11 years later, in 1927, Elsie Eaves became the first woman to be admitted as a regular member of ASCE.

It would be yet another 76 more years before a woman was elected president of ASCE – me. Becoming an engineer was not easy then and still has its obstacles today. While excited as a teen about the prospects of becoming an engineer, the same obstacles that I faced then, still face young women today and typically appear from those young women consult: guidance counselors – “no aptitude for engineering”; math teacher – “you’ll flunk out”; and parents/teachers – “isn’t that a man’s job?” Despite these negative responses which I expect girls may continue to receive, remembering the words of my mother, “You can do anything and don’t accept that it can’t be done”, led me to fulfill my dream and become the first woman President of ASCE in its 152-year history. I want to stress that discouragements only mean opportunities for you to show the world what you can really do.

It was my personal story that led to another dream – to have a book published that would tell the stories of past and present women engineers which could serve as role models to young girls. The ASCE Task Force Committee on Women in Civil Engineering that I chaired in 1999, worked diligently for two years researching names of over 150 prominent women engineers. But it was not until I became ASCE President five years later, that I had the opportunity to discuss the task committee’s work with other major Engineering society Presidents – who for the first time in history were all women. These discussions led to the “birth” of the Extra Ordinary Women’s Project Coalition. The Coalition began work on this book and other tools that will inow in print informs girls, guidance counselors, teachers and parents as to why engineering is an exciting career. The project is communicating to the public the benefits of engineering and the role that engineers serve in improving the quality of life. I hope that you enjoy reading the stories in this book as much as I have and that it will inspire you or someone you know to choose engineering as a rewarding career. Phase 2 of the project is now underway with a large coalition looking at how to assemble and create resources to address the problem. Information about the program can be viewed at www.engineeryoulife.org website. The Engineer section is hosted by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). As we move forward to shatter the glass ceilings, I we cannot venture alone and that we must build on the foundations that others have built. As I am reminded by what Sir Issac Newton once said: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”.

See the Engineering Pathway’s educational resources on women in engineering. For curricular resources, visit the Civil Engineering community sites.

Also on this day in 1794, Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin. The story of the invention of the cotton gin is intriguing as some have claimed that the original idea came from African American slaves who could not patent at the time. And major features of the design were suggested by his sponsor and land lady, Catherine Greene at a time when women were not allowed to patent either.

March 8th is International Women’s Day – “a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future”. On March 8th and the weekend before, thousands of events are held throughout the world to celebrate women’s achievements and highlight global issues concerning women and girls.

March is also Women’s History Month. This celebration was initially inspired by the March 8th 1857 protest by women factory workers in  New York City over working conditions. As a consequence,  International Women’s Day was first observed in 1909. It wasn’t until 1981 that Congress established National Women’s History Week  in the U.S. to be commemorated the second week of March and expanded it in  1987 to cover the entire month.

Below I highlight some of our blogs on women’s contributions to engineering, computer science and entrepreneurship.

Mary Kies was the first woman to receive a U.S. patent. There were many women inventors before her, but prior to the Kies patent U.S. Patent law would not let women own a patent, or property for that matter

Patricia Galloway, first female president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), blogs on Elsie Eaves – first female engineer in ASCE to be elected as a full member on March 14, 1927.

Lucy Sanders, CEO of the Center for Women in Information Technology blogs on the unveiling of the ENIAC on February 14, 1946, the world’s first digital electronic computer, as well as on the contributions of women in computing.

Jasmina Vujic, Chair of the Nuclear Engineering Department at the University of California at Berkeley, blogs on Lise Meitner and her groundbreaking publication that first introduced the world to nuclear fission on February 11, 1939.

Chad-Eric Montgommery blogs on two African American women. On March 1, 1864, Rebecca Lee Crumpler became the first African American woman to receive a medical degree. Also see the blog on Sara Breedlove Walker, the first self-made millionairess hair product inventions for African American women.

Check out Michael Smith blog’s on Josephine Cochrane’s patent for the first commercially successful dishwasher on December 28, 1886.

Pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Helen Taussig, was one of the doctors at Johns Hopkins who performed the first open heart surgery on November 29, 1944.

I enjoyed researching the blog for November 13, 1913  Mary Phelps Jacobs invents modern bra. And also for the one on Dr. Mary Walker, the first female army surgeon to be awarded the Medal of Honor on November 11, 1875. Mary Kies was the first woman to receive a U.S. patent, on May 5, 1809. My daughter blogs on Florence Rena Sabin as the first woman to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences on April 25, 1925.

This year we can  celebrate Ruth Handler’s invention of the Barbie doll, now that the first Barbie computer engineer has been announced.

Check out the Engineering Pathway‘s many educational resources on women in engineering, women in information technology, women inventors and gender equity. One of my favorite resources is FairerScience, with practical advice on how to develop gender equitable classrooms and practices in math, science and engineering. We also have community groups in engineering diversity and broadening participation in computing portal.

For a more indepth analysis of the issues associated with gender equity in our faculties and recommended solutions, read our “most commented” resource – the National Academies’ Beyond Bias and Barriers report. My editorial on the report was published in ASEE Prism, November 2006, vol. 16 (3). During the last presidential election both the Obama and McCain  commented on the report and other issues concerning women in science and technology during the election.   We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions as well.

Also on this date – March 8, 1775 – Priestley discovers oxygen through experiments with mice.

Today in History – February 14, 1946 – ENIAC, the world’s first digital electronic computer, is unveiled. ENIAC – Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer – the world’s first operational, general purpose, electronic digital computer, developed at the Moore School of Electrical Engineering, University of Pennsylvania. The ENIAC and the invention of the computer is considered one of the most influential and pervasive developments coming out of World War II.

The history of computing owes much to contributions of talented women. Ada Byron Lovelace is credited first envisioning programming with her statement: “The analytical engine weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and leaves”. Six of the ENIAC programmers were women at the University of Pennsylvania during World War II who had been calculating ballistics trajectories by hand. Admiral Grace Hopper, inventor of the first computer compiler, coined the term “computer bug” and is the namesake for the Grace Hopper Conference – Celebration of Women in Computing.

Alas women now only represent a small fraction of computer science graduates and are not fully representd in the world of information technology and computing. This is one reason I enthusiastically agreed to co-found and serve as founding CEO of the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT) with the overarching goal to achieve parity in the professional information technology (IT) workforce and to educate, disseminate, and advocate a national, multi-year implementation plan that generates tangible progress within 20 years.

Why is this issue important? Innovation thrives with a diversity of ideas and input. As IT becomes pervasive in our lives, we need women’s full participation in the the creation of the technology upon which our society increasingly depends. Further, U.S. Department of Labor projections forecast that our economy will add 1 million professional IT jobs by 2014. In the aftermath of the dot-com bust, however, the perception of a job shortage has caused a sharp decline in enrollment at 4 year computer science programs. Women’s lack of participation results in ideas not realized, products not implemented and jobs going unfilled.

NCWIT is a coalition of over 100 universities, corporations and non-profits who all feel we can and must do a better job of attracting women to computing. We are working on interventions across the entire educational and career pipeline, including new ideas in curriculum, outreach, recruiting and retention. We are also studying women’s participation in key innovation metrics such as IT patenting, open source and entrepreneurship.

See the Engineering Pathway’s educational resources on the ENIAC, history of computing, Ada Lovelace and women in information technology. For curricular resources, visit the Computer Science Education, Information Science Education, Information Technology Education,  Computer Engineering Education of Software Engineering Education community sites. Or check out our new Broadening Participation in Computing community.

Also on this date in 1990, Voyager 1 takes first photo of our solar system. See related blog or the Engineering Pathway’s resources on the Voyager 1 and space exploration. For related educational resources, visit the Aerospace Engineering Education Community site. The Engineering Pathway also hosts Engineering Education communities in all ABET-accredited disciplines.

Today in History – February 13, 1959 – the first Barbie doll goes on sale. Barbie’s inventor, Ruth Handler, was inspired by seeing that her daughter, Barbie, and her girl friends enjoyed playing with adult female dolls, but most dolls at the time were baby dolls. Handler created 3D models of dolls that she thought would  inspire her daughter’s dreams and took them to the ad executives at Mattel, Inc. Although Mattel was founded by Ruth Handler and her husband, Elliot, some years earlier in their garage, the “all male” committee  rejected the idea as too expensive and without enough appeal in the market.  Determined not to give up on the idea, Ruth Handler continued to further develop her product and went to Europe to gain fashion ideas and market her concept. Mattel soon appreciated the potential impact of this concept and changed their mind, debuting Barbie at the American Toy Fair in New York City in 1959. This new doll concept immediately set new sales records for Mattel (351,000 dolls is reported for the first year; sold at $3 each).

Feminist critics of Barbie were concerned about the anatomically distorted figure, pointing out that the doll reinforced sexist stereotypes of women. There even was a “Barbie Liberation Organization” (BLO).  In 1992 Mattel actually included the line “Math is Hard” to one of their first talking Barbies. Some clever BLO hackers set up a website telling members how to hack into the Barbie and GI Joe voice boxes in a project called “Operation NewSpeak”.  Some of the more adventurous returned hundreds of the hacked dolls to geographically diverse national  toy stores in their original packaging. These ‘stereotype-changed” Barbies would scream “vengeance is mine” and “dead men tell no lies”. The GI Joes mused “let’s plan our dream wedding” or “want to go shopping?”.  As a response to criticism Mattel introduced changes:  The “Ken” doll was introduced, named after the Handler’s son.   Barbie’s breasts were reduced to better represent the shape of actual young women.  Different multicultural Barbie’s were also been introduced, along with career-oriented Barbies in the “I can be . . . ” series.

I must admit that I very much enjoyed my Barbies as a young girl. I think she inspired me to think about fashion and design. I designed my own clothes as a teenager and I used a sewing machine to make them. I do think the sewing machines and design patterns (perhaps in CAD today) are important tools in a design engineer’s tool box.

Recently, I actually bought a Barbie knock-off at the airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, called the Fulla doll, named after a flower in the Levant.  The New York Times called it a “Bestseller in Mideast: Barbie With a Prayer Mat”. The article says that Fulla has become widely popular because the toymaker, NewBoy Design in Syria, seriously considered culturally values in Fulla’s design. Only the one with the black abaya (below left) was sold in Saudi Arabia though, possibly because other colors are not worn for outdoor wear.

See the Engineering Pathway’s related resources on Ruth Handler, toy design and women inventors.

In spite of the criticism, the Barbie doll became an American icon and Mattel has tried to provide versions that reflect America’s changing society.  Barbie’s clothes, professions and  charitable endeavors have evolved over time. Yet, until yesterday, February 12, 2010, there were no engineering Barbies. But that has now changed!

A few weeks ago Mattel launched a competition for Barbie’s next career.  The choices were: computer engineer, architect, environmentalist, news anchor and surgeon. I was part of a group that launched a viral campaign for the computer engineer and we won the popular vote. The kids vote was the Newscaster. Mattel decided to launch both concepts on a tight time schedule so that they could announce them at the 2010 New York Toy Fair. I was part of the consultation team at the National Academy of Engineering that gave advice on clothes and accessories. I recommended a look that was “cool geek” or “sci fi”, dynamic with portable rather than desktop computers, and accessories that emphasized talking, communication and music. I said “can the coffee mug” envisioned in one of the early prototypes. I also recommended that the doll have an online game associated with it, possibly one that could be played or accessed through a mobile device. Mattel’s announcement said there would a special code [binary?] “to unlock exclusive game content on Barbie”. I’d love to help design those games.

Mattel’s Barbie site explains their approach and motivation for the project: “All the girls who imagine their futures through Barbie will learn that engineers — like girls — are free to explore infinite possibilities, limited only by their imagination,” says Nora Lin, President, Society of Women Engineers. “As a computer engineer, Barbie will show girls that women can turn their ideas into realities that have a direct and positive impact on people’s everyday lives in this exciting and rewarding career.” To create an authentic look, Barbie® designers worked closely with the Society of Women Engineers and the National Academy of Engineering to develop the wardrobe and accessories for Computer Engineer Barbie®. Wearing a binary code patterned tee and equipped with all the latest gadgets including a smart phone, Bluetooth headset, and laptop travel bag, Computer Engineer Barbie® is geek chic”. More can be found on Mattel’s fact sheet.

I’m glad that a major toy company is waking up to the fact that girls and women love computing. In fact, the history of computing actually owes much to contributions of talented women. Ada Byron Lovelace is credited as the first person to envision programming with her statement about a mechanical calculator: “The analytical engine weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and leaves”. The Ada programing language was named after her. Six of the ENIAC programmers were women at the University of Pennsylvania during World War II who had been calculating ballistics trajectories by hand. Admiral Grace Hopper, inventor of the first computer compiler, coined the term “computer bug” and is the namesake for the Grace Hopper Conference – Celebration of Women in Computing.

Readers interested women in computing should check out Lucinda Sanders’ blog on the founding of the National Center for Women in Information Technology on May 18, 2004. Or visit the Engineering Pathway’s educational resources on the ENIAC, history of computing, Ada Lovelace and women in information technology. For curricular resources, visit the Computer Science Education, Information Science Education, Information Technology Education,  Computer Engineering Education of Software Engineering Education community sites. Or check out our new Broadening Participation in Computing community.

Also on this date the Unix time clock hits 1234567890 in 2009.