Laura Ettinger, an associate professor of history at Clarkson University, and her co-authors have been awarded the Martha Trescott Prize by the Society for the History of Technology. The prize is given annually for the best-published essay in one of two areas: in even-numbered years, the prize is awarded to an outstanding published historical essay in the area of women in technology. In odd-numbered years, the prize will be awarded to an outstanding published essay in the area of social responsibility of engineers in history. Martha Trescott was one of the pioneering spirits behind Women in Technological History (WITH).
Ettinger, Nicole Conroy ‘09, currently an assistant professor in human development & family studies at the University of Vermont, and William Barr II (SUNY Potsdam ‘17) are the 2020 winners of the inaugural Martha Trescott Prize, for an outstanding published historical essay in the area of women in technology, for their essay: “What Late-Career and Retired Women Engineers Tell Us: Gender Challenges in Historical Context,” Engineering Studies, 11,3 (2019) 217–242; https://doi.org/10.1080/19378629.2019.1663201.
The essay addresses why engineering, unlike all the other professions (including the clergy), has not seen a sustained improvement in women’s workforce participation in decades. The group surveyed more than 250 North American women engineers who graduated from college in the 1970s: the so-called affirmative action generation of women engineers. Their conclusion is that affirmative action programs are not sufficient to wipe out the subtle discriminatory effects of what the authors call “gender issues that are deeply entrenched in our interpersonal relations and social structures.” This leads to a very “leaky pipeline” between graduation rates and lengthy workforce participation for women in engineering.
The team was awarded a $500 check and a certificate at the Society’s award’s banquet on October 10.
https://www.clarkson.edu/news/clarkson-professor-wins-award-historical-essay-about-women-technology
