Betty Preece Oral History
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Dublin Core
Title
Betty Preece Oral History
Description
Betty Preece is a distinguished secondary and college educator in science, math, and engineering. In 1947 she was the first female electrical engineering graduate of the University of Kentucky and upon graduation worked as an engineer for General Electric and then as a project engineer/section chief of surveillance systems for the Air Force Missile Test Center at Cape Canaveral during the early years of the aerospace program.
Preece went on to serve as editor of the Indian River Engineer for the Institute of Radio Engineers in the early 1960s and thereafter worked in academia, upon earning a M.S. in Science Education. She served simultaneously as a high school physics teacher and adjunct faculty at the Florida Institute of Technology for over 20 years.
An early SWE member and a longstanding member of several professional organizations, Preece has been actively involved in career guidance for women engineers and scientists, leading workshops on the local, state, national, and international levels since 1965. She was a member of the Working Panel of Women as Engineering Technicians, Office of Emergency Planning, Office of the President of the United States from 1962-64; and selected to the Florida Advisory Council for Science Education in 1986 in recognition of her work in science education.
Preece went on to serve as editor of the Indian River Engineer for the Institute of Radio Engineers in the early 1960s and thereafter worked in academia, upon earning a M.S. in Science Education. She served simultaneously as a high school physics teacher and adjunct faculty at the Florida Institute of Technology for over 20 years.
An early SWE member and a longstanding member of several professional organizations, Preece has been actively involved in career guidance for women engineers and scientists, leading workshops on the local, state, national, and international levels since 1965. She was a member of the Working Panel of Women as Engineering Technicians, Office of Emergency Planning, Office of the President of the United States from 1962-64; and selected to the Florida Advisory Council for Science Education in 1986 in recognition of her work in science education.
Oral History Item
Interviewer
Lauren Kata
Interviewee
Preece, Betty
Date Recorded
2003-06-07
Coverage
1930’s-present
Citation
“Betty Preece Oral History,” Michigan Oral History Database, accessed October 24, 2024, http://www.database.michiganoha.org/items/show/314.