Bertha Lamme, the first woman electrical engineer

Ohio State Alumna honored as First Woman Electrical Engineer

By Geneva Serrer Ringel

There are very few people that are able to distinguish themselves as a “first” within the field of engineering. Just as challenging is being the “first” of something that sets a standard for a generation of engineers. Bertha Lamme managed to do just this, while breaking through societal norms.

Bertha Lamme’s pioneering efforts as the first woman electrical engineer were recently honored with the establishment of a permanent exhibit at the George Westinghouse Museum in Wilmerding, PA. Lamme, who received a mechanical engineering degree with a specialty in electrical engineering from Ohio State in 1893, was the first woman in the country to receive a college degree in electrical engineering.

It is hard to imagine how different Lamme’s college days were from current women students in the College of Engineering. During the time Lamme attended classes, she was the only woman engineering student at Ohio State. Today, women are visible members of the engineering student body and make up a large portion of the population.

Although it is reported that Lamme may have attended college “just for the fun of it,” she certainly did not stop her pioneering actions with graduation. After receiving her degree from Ohio State, Lamme accepted a position as an electrical engineer at the Westinghouse Electrical Company in Pittsburgh, PA. This was an accomplishment in an era when women engineers were not typically employed.

Although Lamme encountered gender barriers during her career, such as not being permitted in the machine shop, her engineering skills still gained attention both in and out of Westinghouse.

“Lamme’s work in designing dynamos and motors won her reputation even in that hothouse of gifted electricians and inventors,” according to a 1907 edition of the Pittsburgh Dispatch.

Bertha Lamme’s Ohio State diploma on display at the George Westinghouse Museum.

“She is accounted a master of the slide rule and can untangle the most intricate problems and ohms and amperes as easily and quickly as any man expert in the shop.”

The George Westinghouse Museum unveiled the exhibit honoring Lamme in September 2002. Museum visitors can view pictures and artifacts of Bertha Lamme’s career as an electrical engineer, including engineering drawings and drafting equipment.

Contact the George Westinghouse Museum at (412) 823-0500, www.georgewestinghouse.com