Yes, I selfish enough to grab both Open Thread spots for my birthday, but I’m not quite selfish enough to actually make both threads about myself, so here’s a thread about somebody who shares my birthday. I went with her because I’m an engineer too, and — ShockedNotShocked.gif — even more than 100 years after she gained her degree, I still don’t see a lot of women in my field, so this is somewhat personal for me.
Elisa Zamfirescu was born exactly 98 years before me — on November 10 1887. She applied to the school of Bridges and Roads in Bucharest, but was rejected for being a woman, so she went to the Royal Academy of Technology in Berlin, where she gained her engineering degree in 1912. Despite one of the deans telling her she would be better off focusing on “church, children and cooking”. She wasn’t quite the first female engineer in the world as far as I have been able to find out (Alice Perry gained her degree in 1906, and Nina Cameron Graham also gained hers in 1912 at Liverpool), but she was certainly still very much a pioneer.
Her career was mostly focused on geology-related activities — she eventually ended up running laboratories for the Geological Institute of Romania, but also taught classes on chemistry and physics.
Besides that, she also joined the Red Cross during WWI and ran a hospital, which seems pretty badass too.
I would post my usual “Let’s get dangerous GIF”, but it doesn’t quite feel right, so I shall just wish you all a happy Sunday night. May life be kind to you!