- International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) is celebrated globally on June 23.
- Throughout human history, women have held central roles as Infrastructure, Communications, Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC), Flight/Embedded Software, Aerospace, and Structural Engineers.
- These women inspire new generations of engineers.
Moon Joy.
This year, as four astronauts traveled to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years, and then around it, everyday people filled social media with photographs, mission updates, and reactions to spaceflight more than they had in years. Somewhere along the way, a simple expression stuck. Moon joy. And it represented the awe and inspiration of all of us.
Among the crew was Christina Koch, a flight engineer to become the first woman to travel beyond low Earth orbit. Her place aboard Artemis II marked a milestone, though her many accomplishments also served as a reminder that women have been building, bettering, and inspiring humanity all along.
Long before astronauts circled the Moon, women were helping solve the engineering challenges that shaped our daily lives. Some of those contributions are celebrated every day, while others are hidden behind technologies so familiar that people don’t really stop to consider how they came to exist.
International Women in Engineering Day offers a reason to remember these stories.
The Bridge That Needed Saving
Visitors standing beneath the towers of the Brooklyn Bridge today are usually focused on the skyline, architecture, or view across the East River. Few think about the engineering effort needed to build it, and even fewer know Emily Warren Roebling.
When the chief engineer Washington Roebling became ill during construction, his wife Emily became her husband’s voice, using her technical knowledge, project coordination skills, and persistence in a society that didn’t yet welcome women into engineering circles. She dealt with politicians, competing engineers, and others involved in the project. For 10 years, Roebling dedicated her time to the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge, and when it opened in 1883, she became the first person to cross it.
A Hollywood Star Who Helped Shape Wireless Communication
Hedy Lamarr’s name usually appears in conversations about film history, not engineering. Yet one of her most significant contributions happened far from a movie set. During World War II, Lamarr worked with composer George Antheil on a frequency-hopping communication system designed to reduce the risk of signal interference. Years later, many of the principles behind that work would find their way into technologies that support wireless communication, including Wi Fi and Bluetooth.
The GPS in Your Pocket Owes a Debt to Dr. Gladys West
Most people use GPS every day. Dr. Gladys West is one of the mathematicians and engineers whose efforts to create highly accurate models of the Earth’s shape helped establish the precision required for modern satellite navigation systems.
Did You Know?
- Elizabeth Bragg became the first woman to earn an engineering degree in the United States in 1876.
- Women played important roles in programming ENIAC, one of the earliest electronic computers.
- NASA’s Apollo missions relied on women engineers and mathematicians, including Katherine Johnson.
- The Society of Women Engineers, founded in 1950, continues to support engineers and technical professionals around the world.
- International Women in Engineering Day is now observed in more than 100 countries.
Why These Stories Matter
Careers often begin with a story or a moment that makes success feel attainable. For one person, that’s watching a crew travel around the Moon; for another, it may come from learning about a structural engineer or the mathematician whose calculations now help us get around. People are more likely to imagine themselves in a field when they can point to someone who has already walked that path.
Looking Up, Looking Ahead
The phrase Moon Joy perfectly sums up so many of the inspirational accomplishments of women we know and read about. Whether that means crossing a river with a new bridge, connecting people through technology, or traveling into deep space, the contributions are undeniable. Christina Koch’s flight around the Moon represents the latest chapter in that story. The women who came before her, and hundreds who supported the mission, all created the foundation that made moments like Artemis II possible—and engineering advancement possible.
A: International Women in Engineering Day is celebrated annually on June 23 and recognizes the successes of women across engineering disciplines.
A: t was founded in the UK in 2014 as National Women in Engineering Day to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the Women’s Engineering Society (WES).
A: INWED raises the profile of women in engineering, the importance of gender diversity in technical fields, and the career opportunities available to women.
