Beatrice Hicks
Beatrice Hicks | |
|---|---|
| Born | Beatrice Alice Hicks January 2, 1919 Orange, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | October 21, 1979 (aged 60) Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Spouse | Rodney Duane Chipp (m. 1948) |
| Engineering career | |
| Institutions | Newark College of Engineering BS Stevens Institute of Technology MS |
| Significant advance | Founding the Society of Women Engineers in 1950 |
Beatrice Alice Hicks (January 2, 1919 – October 21, 1979) was an American engineer, the first woman engineer to be hired by Western Electric, and both co-founder and first president of the Society of Women Engineers. Despite entering the field at a time where engineering was seen as an inappropriate career for a woman, Hicks held a variety of leadership positions and eventually became the owner of an engineering firm. During her time there, Hicks developed a gas density switch that would be used in the U.S. space program, including the Apollo Moon landing missions.