Eleanor K. Baum (born 1940) is an
American electrical engineer and
educator. In 1984, she became the first female dean of an engineering school in the United States, at
Pratt Institute in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
.
[Hatch, Sybil E. (2006). ''Changing Our World: True Stories of Women Engineers.'' ASCE Publications, ][Proffitt, Pamela (1999). ''Notable Women Scientists.'' Gale Group, ]
Now retired, in 1987 she was made dean of the Albert Nerken School of Engineering at
Cooper Union. She was also the first woman president of the
American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), and has served as president of
Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).
Early life and family
She was born in 1940, an
only child
An only child is a person with no siblings, by birth or adoption.
Children who have half-siblings, step-siblings, or have never met their siblings, either living at the same house or at a different house—especially those who were born consider ...
. Her parents left Europe during the
Holocaust
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...
and moved to the United States where they urged her to become an
elementary schoolteacher, or, as a secondary option, a high school math teacher. As she was growing up, her parents would hide articles with themes of "the joys of being a schoolteacher" under her pillow. Baum considered herself "one of
hereally good kids," who did what they were told. She has stated that because she was an only child, all of her parents’ hopes and dreams were centered on her, so she felt obligated to behave.
According to Baum,
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
was her "big rebellion". When she told her mother about her career choice, her mother said, "You can’t do that. People will think you’re weird, and no one will marry you."
Education
She attended Midwood High School in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
where she excelled in advanced science and mathematics classes. Although there were a few other girls in her advanced chemistry classes, Baum was the only girl in her advanced physics and advanced mathematics classes.
Engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
was dominated by men which, in addition to her adolescent rebellion, influenced her to choose it.
Baum was met with resistance upon applying to engineering colleges: Her high school teachers were discouraging and balked in a similar way that her mother did. One of the engineering schools she applied to would not admit her because it did not have a sufficient ladies' room.
After initial resistance, she was finally accepted to the
City College of New York. She graduated in 1958 as the only woman in her engineering class. Baum said, "Being the only girl in college classes was not wonderful... you become all women. If I don’t know something, then it’s 'all women can’t...''"
Privacy was also an issue; fellow students were particularly interested in her grades.
In 1964, she earned her
Ph.D
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
from the
Polytechnic Institute of New York
The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United Sta ...
(now
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, th ...
Tandon School of Engineering).
Career
After graduating from the
City College of New York, she worked at the
Sperry Rand Corporation and
General Instrument Corporation
General Instrument (GI) was an American electronics manufacturer based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, specializing in semiconductors and cable television equipment. They formed in New York City in 1923 as an electronics manufacturer. During the 1950s, ...
, both of the
aerospace industry. Baum maintained ties to industry through consulting.
In 1984, Baum was named
dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
of
Pratt Institute's School of Engineering in New York, a distinctive role because it made her the first woman dean of an engineering school in the United States. Three years later, she became dean of the Albert Nerken School of Engineering at
Cooper Union, and is now dean emeritus.
Societies
Baum is a fellow of
the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the
Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and the
American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). She is the first woman president of the ASEE. She has served as president of ABET and sat on the
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
's Engineering Advisory Board. She was involved with the Engineering Manpower Commission.
Awards
In 1988, the
National Women's Hall of Fame presented Baum with the Emily Warren Roebling Award. In 1990, the
Society of Women Engineers awarded her the SWE Upward Mobility Award. In 1996, Dr. Baum was inducted into the
Women in Technology International
Women in Technology International (WITI) is an organization promoting the achievements of women in technology and extending support, opportunities, and inspiration. It was founded by Carolyn Leighton in 1989 as the International Network of Women in ...
Hall of Fame.
In 2007, she was inducted into the
National Women's Hall of Fame.
Personal life
She is married to
physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe.
Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
Dr. Paul Baum and has two daughters.
See also
*
Sukumar Brahma
*
Johan H. Enslin
References
External links
Eleanor K. Baumvia
National Women's Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baum, Eleanor K.
1940 births
Living people
American electrical engineers
American women engineers
Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni
Cooper Union faculty
City College of New York alumni
Fellow Members of the IEEE
Fellows of the American Society for Engineering Education