Edith Clarke
Encyclopedia
Edith Clarke was an electrical engineer and a professor at the University of Texas at Austin
. She was the first woman employed as an electrical engineer in the United States
, as well as the country's first female professor of electrical engineering.
Clarke studied mathematics and astronomy at Vassar College
, receiving an A.B. in 1908.
She briefly taught mathematics and physics at a private school in San Francisco and at Marshall College
. She then spent some time studying civil engineering
at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, but left to become a "computer
" at AT&T in 1912. She computed for George Campbell
, who applied mathematical methods to the problems of long-distance electrical transmissions. While at AT&T, she studied electrical engineering at Columbia University
by night.
In 1918, Clarke enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, and the following year she became the first woman to earn an M.S. in electrical engineering from MIT. Despite her degree, she was unable to be hired as an engineer. Instead, she went to work for General Electric
as a supervisor of computers in the Turbine
Engineering Department. In her spare time, she invented the Clarke calculator, a simple graphical device that solved equations involving electric current
, voltage
and impedance
in power transmission
lines. The device could solve line equations involving hyperbolic function
s ten times faster than previous methods. She applied for a patent on the device in 1921.
In 1921, still unable to obtain a position as an engineer, she left GE to teach physics at the Constantinople Women's College in Turkey. The next year, GE finally became aware of her value and re-hired her as an engineer in the Central Station Engineering Department.
Unlike many of her colleagues of the time, Clarke was well versed in higher mathematics and aware of its importance to electrical engineering, particularly to the increasing complexity and interconnectedness of power systems. In 1926, as the first woman to deliver a paper at the American Institute of Electrical Engineers
' annual meeting, she showed the use of hyperbolic functions for calculating the maximum power that a line could carry without instability. Two of her later papers won awards from the AIEE.
Clarke retired from General Electric in 1945. In 1947, she joined the faculty of the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin. She taught for ten years, and retired in 1957.
In 1948, Clarke was the first female Fellow of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.
In 1954, she received the Society of Women Engineers
Achievement Award.
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. She was the first woman employed as an electrical engineer in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, as well as the country's first female professor of electrical engineering.
Clarke studied mathematics and astronomy at Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
, receiving an A.B. in 1908.
She briefly taught mathematics and physics at a private school in San Francisco and at Marshall College
Marshall University
Marshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
. She then spent some time studying civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, but left to become a "computer
Human computer
The term "computer", in use from the mid 17th century, meant "one who computes": a person performing mathematical calculations, before electronic computers became commercially available....
" at AT&T in 1912. She computed for George Campbell
George Ashley Campbell
George Ashley Campbell was a pioneer in developing and applying quantitative mathematical methods to the problems of long-distance telegraphy and telephony. His most important contributions were to the theory and implementation of the use of loading coils and the first wave filters designed to...
, who applied mathematical methods to the problems of long-distance electrical transmissions. While at AT&T, she studied electrical engineering at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
by night.
In 1918, Clarke enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, and the following year she became the first woman to earn an M.S. in electrical engineering from MIT. Despite her degree, she was unable to be hired as an engineer. Instead, she went to work for General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
as a supervisor of computers in the Turbine
Turbine
A turbine is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a fluid flow and converts it into useful work.The simplest turbines have one moving part, a rotor assembly, which is a shaft or drum with blades attached. Moving fluid acts on the blades, or the blades react to the flow, so that they move and...
Engineering Department. In her spare time, she invented the Clarke calculator, a simple graphical device that solved equations involving electric current
Electric current
Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a medium.This charge is typically carried by moving electrons in a conductor such as wire...
, voltage
Voltage
Voltage, otherwise known as electrical potential difference or electric tension is the difference in electric potential between two points — or the difference in electric potential energy per unit charge between two points...
and impedance
Electrical impedance
Electrical impedance, or simply impedance, is the measure of the opposition that an electrical circuit presents to the passage of a current when a voltage is applied. In quantitative terms, it is the complex ratio of the voltage to the current in an alternating current circuit...
in power transmission
Power transmission
Power transmission is the movement of energy from its place of generation to a location where it is applied to performing useful work.Power is defined formally as units of energy per unit time...
lines. The device could solve line equations involving hyperbolic function
Hyperbolic function
In mathematics, hyperbolic functions are analogs of the ordinary trigonometric, or circular, functions. The basic hyperbolic functions are the hyperbolic sine "sinh" , and the hyperbolic cosine "cosh" , from which are derived the hyperbolic tangent "tanh" and so on.Just as the points form a...
s ten times faster than previous methods. She applied for a patent on the device in 1921.
In 1921, still unable to obtain a position as an engineer, she left GE to teach physics at the Constantinople Women's College in Turkey. The next year, GE finally became aware of her value and re-hired her as an engineer in the Central Station Engineering Department.
Unlike many of her colleagues of the time, Clarke was well versed in higher mathematics and aware of its importance to electrical engineering, particularly to the increasing complexity and interconnectedness of power systems. In 1926, as the first woman to deliver a paper at the American Institute of Electrical Engineers
American Institute of Electrical Engineers
The American Institute of Electrical Engineers was a United States based organization of electrical engineers that existed between 1884 and 1963, when it merged with the Institute of Radio Engineers to form the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers .- History :The 1884 founders of the...
' annual meeting, she showed the use of hyperbolic functions for calculating the maximum power that a line could carry without instability. Two of her later papers won awards from the AIEE.
Clarke retired from General Electric in 1945. In 1947, she joined the faculty of the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin. She taught for ten years, and retired in 1957.
In 1948, Clarke was the first female Fellow of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.
In 1954, she received the Society of Women Engineers
Society of Women Engineers
The Society of Women Engineers , founded in 1950, is a not-for-profit educational and service organization. SWE is the driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career aspiration for women. SWE empowers women to succeed and advance in those aspirations and be recognized for...
Achievement Award.