Karen Ann Hilsum Burt (née Hilsum) CPhys MInstP (26 Nov 1954 - 20 June 1997) was a British engineer and campaigner for the recruitment and retention of women in engineering.

Early life and education

Burt attended

Hillside School, Malvern Hillside School was a private preparatory and pre-preparatory boys and girls school in Malvern, Worcestershire, England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland ...

and Worcester Girl's Grammar School. She studied at

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sid ...

and completed a PhD in electron microscopy at the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

Career

Burt joined

British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marconi ...

as a project engineer for scientific satellites, and was eventually promoted to senior systems engineer. Subsequently, she developed an interest in management, becoming a Business Acquisition Manager. Burt left

and established her own consultancy. In addition, she helped

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

establish the Centre for Advanced Instrumentation Systems. She contributed to the

Women's Engineering Society The Women's Engineering Society is a United Kingdom professional learned society and networking body for women engineers, scientists and technologists. It was the first professional body set up for women working in all areas of engineering, pred ...

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide membership of over 20,000. The IOP is the Physica ...

and

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

. In 1983 and 1984 Burt presented a Faraday Lecture, ''Let's Build A Satellite,'' on behalf of the

and

. She was appointed to the London Branch Committee of the

in 1987. She was a campaigner for career breaks and gave advice to members of the

in how to manage returning to work. Burt was appointed to the

Council in 1991. She presented at the 1991 International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists. Having just accepted a faculty position at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

, Burt suffered a fatal stroke in June 1997. aged only 42.

Legacy

Since 1999, the

have celebrated Karen Burt with a memorial award for newly chartered women in engineering, applied science or information technology. Each year the

requests one nomination from each participating Professional Engineering Institution, and from these a winner is chosen. The award recognises significant potential in engineering and it was originally set up to encourage a greater number of women to aim for, and to celebrate, the achievement of

Chartered Engineer Regulation and licensure in engineering is established by various jurisdictions of the world to encourage life, public welfare, safety, well-being, then environment and other interests of the general public and to define the licensure process thro ...

status. Winners receive £1,000, at the bequest of her father,

Cyril Hilsum Cyril Hilsum (born 17 May 1925) is a British physicist and academic. Hilsum was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 1983 for the inventiveness and leadership in introducing III-V semiconductors into electronic technology ...

Karen Burt Award Winners

* 2021: Eleanor Earl,

Institution of Civil Engineers The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) is an independent professional association for civil engineers and a charitable body in the United Kingdom. Based in London, ICE has over 92,000 members, of whom three-quarters are located in the UK, whi ...

*2020: Tina Gunnarrsson,

*2019: Mandy Lester,

Institution of Chemical Engineers The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) is a global professional engineering institution with over 33,000 members worldwide. It was founded in 1922 and awarded a Royal Charter in 1957. It has offices in Rugby, London, Melbourne, Wellingto ...

*2018: Dr Susan Deeny,

Institution of Fire Engineers Institutions are humanly devised structures of rules and norms that shape and constrain individual behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions a ...

*2017: Madeleine Jones,

* 2016: Clare Lavelle,

Energy Institute The Energy Institute (EI) is a professional organization for engineers and other professionals in energy-related fields. The EI was formed in 2003 by the merger of the Institute of Petroleum (dating back to 1913) and the Institute of Energy (d ...

* 2015: Helen Randell,

* 2014: Elaine Greaney,

Institute of Engineering and Technology The Institute of Engineering and Technology, Lucknow (IET, Lucknow) is a state government-funded technical institute in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is a constituent college of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (erstwhile Uttar ...

* 2013: Professor

Molly Stevens Molly Morag Stevens is Professor of Biomedical Materials and regenerative medicine and Research Director for Biomedical Materials Sciences in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London.

Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) is a UK engineering institution whose activities encompass the whole materials cycle, from exploration and extraction, through characterisation, processing, forming, finishing and applicatio ...

* 2012: Kate Cooksey,

* 2011: Dr Gemma Whatling,

Institution of Mechanical Engineers The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is an independent professional association and learned society headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that represents mechanical engineers and the engineering profession. With over 120,000 member ...

* 2010: Julie Templeton,

* 2009:

Katy Deacon Katy Deacon is a British engineer involved in renewable energy systems. Deacon has been noted for influencing the engineering industry. Biography Deacon is an energy engineer working for Kirklees Metropolitan Council. She has been involved w ...

, Institution of Engineering & Technology * 2008: Emily Spearman,

* 2007: Jane Hunter,

Institute of Highway Engineers The Institute of Highway Engineers (IHE), formerly the ''Institute of Highway Incorporated Engineers'', is the professional institution for practitioners in highway and traffic engineering in the UK, offering Engineering Council registration an ...

* 2006: Louise Dougan (née McDevitt),

* 2005: Katy Roelich, Institution of Water and Environmental Management * 2004: Suzanne Bland,

* 2003: Jane Wild,

* 2002: Helen Marson,

* 2001: Beth Hutchison,

British Computer Society Sir Maurice Wilkes served as the first President of BCS in 1957 BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, known as the British Computer Society until 2009, is a professional body and a learned society that represents those working in infor ...

* 2000: Una McQuaid,

* 1999: Rebecca Dowsett,

Institution of Electrical Engineers The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) was a British professional organisation of electronics, electrical, manufacturing, and Information Technology professionals, especially electrical engineers. It began in 1871 as the Society of Te ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burt, Karen 1954 births 1997 deaths British women engineers 20th-century British engineers Alumni of the University of Reading British aerospace engineers 20th-century women engineers Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge Women's Engineering Society