As we wrap up the spring semester and prepare for a busy summer leading into fall, we’re excited to share the latest updates from the Purdue Women in Engineering (WiE) Program.
This year has brought some extraordinary highlights. According to data from the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Purdue now enrolls the largest number of undergraduate women in engineering in the country. While our engineering college is large, the scale of this achievement is absolutely remarkable — 3,745 undergraduate women and 1,420 graduate women, for a total of 5,165 women studying engineering at Purdue.
One meaningful way to celebrate how far we’ve come is by reflecting on our past. The John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering Emerita Leah Jamieson and I, along with a small but dedicated team, have been invited to write a book on the history of women in engineering at Purdue. The story begins with Martha Dicks Stevens Mills, who became the first woman to earn an engineering degree at Purdue in 1897. You’ll find more about this project below, including a link where you can share photos or stories from your time at Purdue for possible inclusion. And if anyone happens to know who served as president of the Purdue Society of Women Engineers in 1961, I would love to hear from you!
We are also pleased to welcome Jessica Dudine as our new WiE office manager, and to celebrate the retirement of Dawn Mikels. You can read more about both of them in this issue.
Finally, please mark your calendar for a WiE Alum/Student Networking Reception on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, from 4-5:30 p.m. The event will feature WiE Director Emerita Jane Daniels and alum Patti Kessler Poppe (BSIE ’89, MSIE ’91). We hope you’ll be able to join us.
As always, a heartfelt thank you to our alumni, friends, Purdue faculty, staff and students who have contributed to our programs over the past year. Your support is what makes the impact and reach of WiE possible.
Beth HollowayLeah H. Jamieson Director of Women in Engineering
Senior Assistant Dean for Student Access and Success
Professor of Engineering Practice, Mechanical Engineering
College of Engineering
