Trailblazing Women Engineers Since 1919 — Discover the Inspiring History of SWE
Support Our Legacy
In honor of our diamond anniversary, consider making a donation this year in support of SWE’s ongoing mission. It can and will make all the difference.
Featured Merch
Showcase items such as commemorative shirts, pins, and other branded items celebrating the anniversary.

1919
Hilda Counts (Edgecomb) and Lou Alta Melton, engineering students at the University of Colorado in Boulder, send a survey to college engineering and architecture departments in universities around the country.
1920
Following their survey, Edgecomb and Melton identify 139 women in the United States who had taken college engineering or architecture classes at some point.
1920a
Edgecomb, Melton, and Hazel Quick create the short-lived American Society of Women Engineers and Architects. Edgecomb becomes a founding member of the Society of Women Engineers in 1950. Quick becomes a founding member of the Detroit Section of the Society of Women Engineers in 1952.
1946
Female engineering students at the Drexel Institute of Technology in Philadelphia create a student club called the Society of Women Engineers in 1946 “to promote friendship (and to pool our old quizzes).” They are not aware that another student club called the Society of Women Engineers is being organized at the University of Colorado the same year.
1947
Independent groups of engineering students and graduates, each calling themselves the Society of Women Engineers, are established in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, D.C., between 1947 and 1949.
1949
The Society of Women Engineers of the Drexel Institute of Technology hosts a conference for women engineering students at other East Coast schools. Attendees discuss forming a national women’s engineering group.
1950a
On May 27-28, 61 women engineers and engineering students arrive at the Cooper Union’s Green Engineering Camp in New Jersey for the founding meeting of a unified, national Society of Women Engineers. Beatrice A. Hicks is elected as the Society’s first president.
1951
The first issue of Journal of the Society of Women Engineers is published, featuring technical articles and news about the Society and its members.
1951a
112 people attend the first national convention, held in New York City.
1952
The Society of Women Engineers is incorporated as a nonprofit educational service organization in the District of Columbia on Feb. 13, 1952.
1952a
The first SWE Achievement Award is given to Mária Telkes, Ph.D., “in recognition of her meritorious contributions to the utilization of solar energy.”
1952b
Josephine Lovett of Montreal becomes the Society’s first international member, before the Society even has a section west of the Mississippi River.
1954
The Society charters its first student sections at Drexel Institute and Purdue University.
1955
More than 60 members and guests from eight SWE sections meet in Philadelphia for the first Eastern Seaboard Conference, a precursor to SWE’s regional and WE Local conferences.
1956
The Board of Trustees is established to manage the headquarters and scholarship funds.
1956a
The Pacific Northwest Section calls for a letter-writing campaign against CBS and its advertisers after the network airs an episode of the popular family television sitcom Father Knows Best called “Betty, Girl Engineer.” In the episode, a teenage daughter is ridiculed by her family and friends when she declares that she wants to become an engineer.
1957
During the 1957 SWE National Convention in Houston, the convention hotel refuses to honor the room reservation of Yvonne Young Clark, who is Black. SWE President Miriam “Mickey” Gerla, Clark, and the hotel management reach a compromise in which Clark stays with relatives in Houston and attends convention activities provided that she is accompanied by a white SWE member. Members adopt a strategy to make Clark as visible as possible at the hotel.
1958
The SWE Board of Directors passes an anti-segregation policy requiring SWE conventions to provide equal accommodations for Black attendees and ensure that they do not experience “unpleasantness or embarrassment.”
1958a
The first SWE scholarship, named for honorary member Lillian Moller Gilbreth, is awarded to Phyllis S. Gaylard of the University of California. Gaylard eventually becomes a Fellow of the Society.
1958b
The Society launches the SWE Drive, a capital campaign to fund a headquarters office in the proposed United Engineering Center in New York City.
1959
Because the Society’s growth had caused the Board of Directors to become too large, it is replaced in 1959 with a nine-person Executive Committee. A Council of Section Representatives is also established to serve as the Society’s legislative body.
1960
The Society has 16 professional sections, nine student sections, and more than 650 members, including almost 200 student members.
1961
SWE moves into its new headquarters office at the United Engineering Center in New York City and hires Winifred “Winnie” White as its first executive secretary.
1961a
Bell Labs and General Electric become SWE’s first corporate members.
1961b
The SWE Newsletter reprints survey results published in Industrial Relations News finding that 81% of male executives would not consider hiring women engineers.
1963
The SWE statistics committee publishes its first Profile of a Woman Engineer, based on a member survey. The report finds that “The average woman engineer of today is between 36 and 37 years old. She is equally likely to be married or single, but if married she has three children. She is employed by industry and earns a median salary of between 9 and 10 thousand dollars per year. A college graduate, she has a bachelor’s degree in engineering or one of the physical sciences and either has a graduate degree or has taken specialized training related to her work. She is a member of one or more of the technical societies. She is unlikely to be a licensed professional engineer.”
1964
SWE hosts the first International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists in New York City, with over 500 participants from 35 countries. At the close of the conference, participants pass a resolution to hold ICWES conferences every three years.
1967
The Men’s Auxiliary of the Society of Women Engineers (MASWE) is established to provide men a formal opportunity to participate in SWE.
1968
Col. Clarence E. Davies receives the first Rodney D. Chipp Memorial Award, named for the late husband of Beatrice Hicks, SWE’s first president.
1970
SWE has 17 professional sections, 31 student sections, and just over 1,100 members, including 371 student members.
1973
SWE signs a memorandum of understanding to affiliate with the National Society of Professional Engineers.
1973a
The SWE Council of Section Representatives endorses the Equal Rights Amendment.
1974
In addition to its Gilbreth Scholarship, SWE offers the first corporate-sponsored college scholarships.
1976a
Students receive representation on the Council of Section Representatives and the first student conference is held just prior to the national convention, reflecting the rapid increase of students within the Society and nationwide of women pursuing engineering.
1977
U.S. President Jimmy Carter appoints SWE President Arminta Harness as a delegate-at-large to the National Women’s Conference in Houston.
1977a
The Council of Section Representatives passes a resolution to hold future conventions only in states that have ratified the Equal Rights Amendment.
1980
The Society has 40 professional sections, 154 student sections, and more than 9,600 members, including almost 6,800 students.
1983
The Society hires its first executive director.
1984
SWE hosts the Seventh International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists in Washington, D.C.
1985
The Board of Directors develops and adopts the Society’s mission statement.
1985a
SWE institutes a regional structure to improve communications and better serve its growing membership.
1986
SWE senior member Judith A. Resnik, NASA mission specialist, is aboard the Challenger Space Shuttle when it breaks apart shortly after launch Jan. 28, 1986. The Society’s Resnik Challenger Medal is later established in her honor.
1988
NASA awards a grant to support SWE’s outreach to young women and underrepresented minority students, including SWE’s Higher Education Outreach Program (HEOP), Big Sister Program, and scholarships to NASA Space Camp.
1988a
The Puerto Rico Section hosts the 1988 SWE National Convention in San Juan, marking the Society’s first conference outside the contiguous United States.
1990
The Society has 76 professional sections and 237 student sections, and more than 13,000 members.
1993
While moving to a new office at 120 Wall Street in New York City, the Society ships its historic documents to the newly established SWE archives at the Reuther Library at Wayne State University in Detroit.
1993b
SWE publishes “A National Survey of Women and Men Engineers: A Study of 22 Engineering Societies.”
1994
SWE past President F. Suzanne Jenniches and SWE member Patricia Eng testify before the United States House of Representatives regarding the findings of the Society’s 1993 “National Survey of Women and Men Engineers: A Study of 22 Engineering Societies,” and the Society’s position statement in support of the Gender Equity in Education Act.
1995
The Society launches its first website.
1997
SWE and the National Society of Professional Engineers debut a 90-minute video and training session program to raise awareness of the “glass ceiling.”
1998a
SWE supports a bill to establish the Congressional Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology to research and recommend improvements to the recruitment, retention, and representation of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in STEM education and employment.
1999
The Society participates in the Summit on Women in Engineering in Washington, D.C., part of the National Academy of Engineering’s Celebration of Women in Engineering.
2000
The Society has 82 professional sections, 269 collegiate sections, and more than 14,000 members.
2001
SWE moves its headquarters to Chicago.
2002
The Annual Conference moves to the fall to better accommodate the corporate recruitment schedule for collegiate students and recent graduates.
2002a
SWE Magazine introduces its first annual “Survey of Literature on Women in Engineering,” exploring the findings and trends of recently published peer-reviewed research on the underrepresentation of women in engineering.
2003
SWE’s Corporate Partnership Council is formally launched to advise the Society on industry trends and collaborate on outreach and professional development programs.
2003a
The SWE Career Center is launched online to better connect employers to SWE members.
2005
SWE enters the public policy arena, partnering with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers to advocate on Capitol Hill for women in engineering.
2006
The Society releases “SWE General Position Statement on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education and the Need for a U.S. Technologically-Literate Work Force,” the first of several position papers published to educate policymakers on critical issues for women in engineering.
2006a
SWE launches its “Develop, Design, Discover – Women Innovating with Technology (3D-WIT)” and “Wow! That’s Engineering?” programs for K-12 girls to attract more young women to engineering.
2007a
SWE serves as program chair for the World Federation of Engineering Organizations Global Colloquium for Women in Engineering and Technology held in Tunisia.
2007b
SWE past President Peggy Layne testifies before the House Committee on Education and Labor Subcommittee on Higher Education, Life-long Learning, and Competitiveness about the use of Title IX to increase the participation of women in STEM fields.
2008
Three representatives from SWE attend Congressional Visits Day in Washington, D.C., to advocate for legislation related to Title IX in STEM education. Congressional Visits Day has become an annual event.
2009
SWE member Barbara Bogue testifies before the U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Science Education during a hearing titled “Encouraging the Participation of Women in STEM Fields.”
2010
SWE has 104 professional sections, more than 300 collegiate sections, and more than 18,000 members.
2010a
The Society of Women Engineers organizes and co-sponsors Capitol Hill Day, titled, “Diversity and Inclusion Fuels Innovation in STEM,” in Washington, D.C., connecting representatives from 17 diversity and engineering organizations with policymakers to explain how diverse workforces propel innovation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
2010b
SWE launches its annual “Invent It. Build It.” outreach event during the WE10 Annual Conference, with more than 80 volunteers and 200 middle and high school girls working together on hands-on activities designed to introduce young women to engineering.
2011
The multicultural committee formally launches affinity groups at the WE11 annual conference to provide a more supportive environment for its members.
2012
SWE unveils its Advance Learning Center, an online professional development platform.
2012a
SWE hosts professional development events in Bengaluru, India, and Mannheim, Germany.
2013
The Society launches international affiliate and ambassador programs, allowing SWE members outside the United States to form local, SWE-affiliated networks.
2013a
SWE debuts the Collegiate Leadership Institute at WE13 with 110 participants.
2014
SWE hosts the 16th International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists alongside the Society’s WE14 Annual Conference in Los Angeles, attracting more than 8,000 attendees.
2015
SWE hosts its inaugural WE Europe conference in Amsterdam, attracting more than 140 current and future women engineers from 24 countries.
2015a
Seven Corporate Partnership Council members join SWE and iRelaunch to launch the STEM Reentry Task Force, offering “return-to-work” programs for those returning to engineering after a career break.
2015b
The Society launches its SWENext program, aiming to encourage girls 18 and younger to consider engineering as a career.
2015c
SWE unveils a new logo and brand identity.
2015d
The Society launches Diverse: A SWE Podcast, featuring interviews with SWE leaders, corporate partners, and influential women in engineering.
2015e
SWE introduces its Academic Leadership for Women in Engineering (ALWE) program.
2016a
SWE partners with the National Society of Black Engineers, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society to launch the 50K Coalition, which aims to increase the number of diverse engineers (by gender, race, and ethnicity) graduating annually in the U.S. to 50,000 by 2025.
2016b
The Society creates a research division to identify and explore supportive structures encouraging women to pursue and stay in the profession, alternative educational pathways, and increasing diversity and inclusion in engineering education and the workforce.
2017
SWE Magazine debuts its annual research issue, now called the State of Women in Engineering, featuring the Society’s annual literature review, analysis of SWE’s original research, and discussion of its implications in industry and public policy.
2017b
SWE introduces its eXXec executive leadership program for experienced professionals.
2018
SWE refreshes its governance structure and sunsets its U.S. regions.
2018a
More than 50 SWE members and leaders gather at the NASDAQ studio in midtown Manhattan to ring the Opening Bell on Aug. 8, 2018.
2018c
SWE introduces the SWENext High School Leadership Academy (SHLA).
2019
SWE establishes the India Corporate Council, a network of organizations with an engineering and technology presence in India working with SWE to promote diversity and inclusion in the field.
2020
The Society has more than 41,000 members and 111 professional sections, more than 300 collegiate sections, 50 U.S. collegiate affiliates, 21 global collegiate affiliates, and 15 global professional affiliates.
2020b
The Society launches the SWE Mentor Network to facilitate conversations and professional growth.
2021
SWE updates its diversity, equity, and inclusion statement, expanding its view of diversity and committing to make SWE a welcoming environment for anyone who aligns with SWE’s mission.
2021a
The Advance Learning Center adds professional development modules in languages other than English.
2021b
SWE hires a diversity, equity, and inclusion manager to develop and improve the Society’s DEI programing and collaborative relationships with members and external stakeholders.
2023
A partnership between SWE, National Society of Black Engineers, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, American Indian Science and Engineering Society, and Women in Engineering ProActive Network receives a $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation in 2023 to support the Women of Color in Engineering Collaborative.
2023a
SWE releases its report, “Fostering Belonging: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Organizational Initiatives at SWE.”
2024
SWE launches its new Awards and Recognition program.
2024a
The Society awards more than 320 collegiate scholarships totaling almost $1.5 million in the 2024-2025 academic year.
2025
SWE approaches its 75th anniversary with more than 47,000 members globally, and more than 110 professional sections, 330 collegiate sections, and 80 collegiate affiliates in the United States, and more than 70 global professional affiliates and 60 global collegiate affiliates.