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On February 18, 2021, CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH: 8 INSPIRING BLACK WOMEN ENGINEERS & SCIENTISTS. Democratizing engineering education means creating an equitable learning environment for all — and to elevate voices that have gone unheard. In the spirit of honoring and celebrating Black History Month, please take a look at a few resources that our staff at TeachEngineering have read, researched, and shared in these past weeks. These resources touch on the indelible impact Black Americans have made upon our society, both within the discipline of engineering and beyond into the social sciences, humanities, and the arts.  https://www.engineersrising.com/blog/8-inspiring-black-women-engineers

Born on the 13th of April, 1929, Yvonne Clark was a pioneer for African-American and women engineers.  After she graduated from University, her first job was in a U.S Army ammunition plant called the Frankford Arsenal Gauge Lab. She then proceeded to work at RCA Camden, a small record label in New Jersey where she designed factory equipment. She was a pioneering female member of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Tennessee State University and she chaired the department twice from 1965-1970 and then again from 1977-1988. Yvonne Clark eventually retired as a professor. She is the first woman to earn a master's degree in Engineering Management from Vanderbilt University, to get a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering at Howard University, and to serve as a faculty member in the College of Engineering and Technology at Tennessee State University. In her lifetime, she was awarded the Adult Black Archivers Award, Women of Technology Award for Educational Leadership, Delta Sigma Theta Educator of the year, President's Distinguished University Award and Distinguished Service Award. Her advice for women in STEM? As shared in this interview with the  Society of Women Engineers: “Prepare yourself. Do your work…Don’t be afraid to ask questions and benefit by meeting with other women. Whatever you like, learn about it and pursue it…The environment is what you make it. Sometimes the environment is hostile, but don’t worry about it. Be aware of it so you aren’t blind-sided.”