February 15, 2023

Today we are celebrating the life and achievements of an extraordinary female engineer Hattie T. Scott Peterson. She is believed to be the first Black woman in the U.S. to hold an engineering degree, according to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Peterson’s impressive journey through her educational and professional experiences helped pave a trail for others. She graduated from Howard University in 1946 with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, and began working as a survey and cartographic engineer for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Sacramento, California in 1947. She joined the local U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in 1954.

Mrs. Peterson was aware of her unique status as a pioneering woman in a traditionally male profession and became an advocate for women interested in engineering careers. Upon her death in 1993, she left an endowment fund for the Architecture Department at Howard University in her and her husband’s names.

Source:: EIE.org