Post by DataShield OEM Solutions, Inc.

Edith Clarke dedicated her life to engineering and changed the world to what it is today. In 1926 when transmission lines were starting to expand, the available mathematical models applied to small systems only. Edith Clarke presented a paper applying the mathematical technique called the method of symmetrical components to model a power system and its behavior that made it possible for her and other engineers to determine the characteristics required for larger systems. They called it the Clarke Calculator. Because of her brilliant work, she was the first woman who presented a paper to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers; earned her credibility and wrote many more useful papers on power distribution and synchronous machines and published a comprehensive EE textbook for engineering schools and colleges. She received two patents related to electrical power transmission; first to be elected a fellow of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (now known as the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, IEEE) and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Women Engineers. Thanks to Edith Clarke’s intelligence and bravery it served as a stepping stone to women in science and engineering to be recognized and be given the voice of their own.