Formation: The IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) was officially formed in 1994 as a committee of the IEEE Board.
Establishment: IEEE WIE was formally established on June 29, 1997.
Membership: A dues-paying membership component was added to IEEE WIE in 1999.
Mission: IEEE WIE’s mission is to connect, support, and inspire women and girls in STEM fields, and to facilitate their recruitment and retention.
IEEE WIE Day: IEEE WIE Day was launched in 2023
2023 WIE Day Theme: “Engaging Women in Mitigating Climate Change & Building Climate Resilience.”
2024 WIE Day Theme: “Engaging More Women in AI and 4IR Technologies.”
Backstory:
The organization’s origins can be traced to the IEEE Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control Society’s ad hoc committee on women, created in 1994. A year later, UFFC made a motion to the IEEE Technical Activities Board to create a committee on women in engineering. TAB approved the motion that June, and a few months later, the IEEE Board of Directors elevated the group to one of its ad hoc committees. It reported directly to the Board and received funding to develop a formal program to increase the number of female members.
In November 1997 IEEE rolled out the Women in Engineering group.
IEEE WIE Chairs
IEEE Milestone: A-0 Compiler and Initial Development of Automatic Programming, 1951-1952.
The IEEE milestone plaque was unveiled on May 7, 2024, at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, PA. The Compiler is one of the fundamental technologies in the history of computing. The invention of the compiler made it possible to write high-level computer programs, which in turn led to increased programmer productivity and reduced rates of error.
