Lois Graham Oral History
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Dublin Core
Title
Lois Graham Oral History
Description
Lois Graham was an engineering educator for 36 years during a time when women were not even allowed as engineering students in many schools. She was the first woman to graduate in engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in 1945; the first to receive a M.S.M.E. from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT); and the first to receive a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering in the country.
Upon graduating from RPI Graham went to work for the Carrier Corporation as a test engineer. After 18 months she returned to academia for a graduate assistantship at IIT, where she would spend her entire teaching career. When she became an instructor in 1949 she was the first woman faculty member in the mechanical engineering department. When Graham became full professor in 1975 she was one of but a few woman in the country with that rank.
In addition to instruction in such subjects as aeronautics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer, Graham served as Assistant Dept. Chair and briefly as Acting Dept. Chair. She was also appointed Assistant Director for Engineering and Science in 1974 and Program Center Director in 1977 of the Education and Experience in Engineering (E3) Program, a multidisciplinary, project-based curriculum program. Graham was also actively involved in recruiting minority students. She served as Chairman of the Women's Engineering Program; as Program Coordinator of the Early Identification Spring Program; Director of the Minorities in Engineering Program, an innovative program that received national recognition; and as Director of Motivation and Support for the Greater Chicago Area Program for increasing Minorities in Engineering by working with high school students.
Graham's many professional affiliations include SWE, of which she is a fellow and past president (1955-56), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, and the American Society for Engineering Education. She has earned several honors and has published extensively in engineering, scientific, educational, and management subjects.
Upon graduating from RPI Graham went to work for the Carrier Corporation as a test engineer. After 18 months she returned to academia for a graduate assistantship at IIT, where she would spend her entire teaching career. When she became an instructor in 1949 she was the first woman faculty member in the mechanical engineering department. When Graham became full professor in 1975 she was one of but a few woman in the country with that rank.
In addition to instruction in such subjects as aeronautics, thermodynamics, and heat transfer, Graham served as Assistant Dept. Chair and briefly as Acting Dept. Chair. She was also appointed Assistant Director for Engineering and Science in 1974 and Program Center Director in 1977 of the Education and Experience in Engineering (E3) Program, a multidisciplinary, project-based curriculum program. Graham was also actively involved in recruiting minority students. She served as Chairman of the Women's Engineering Program; as Program Coordinator of the Early Identification Spring Program; Director of the Minorities in Engineering Program, an innovative program that received national recognition; and as Director of Motivation and Support for the Greater Chicago Area Program for increasing Minorities in Engineering by working with high school students.
Graham's many professional affiliations include SWE, of which she is a fellow and past president (1955-56), the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, and the American Society for Engineering Education. She has earned several honors and has published extensively in engineering, scientific, educational, and management subjects.
Oral History Item
Interviewer
Lauren Kata
Interviewee
Graham, Lois
Date Recorded
2003-06-06
Coverage
1930’s-present
Citation
“Lois Graham Oral History,” Michigan Oral History Database, accessed December 26, 2024, http://www.database.michiganoha.org/items/show/300.