Cécile Butticaz (2 July 1884, in

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

– 1 June 1966, in Geneva), also known as Cécile Biéler or Cécile Biéler-Butticaz, was a Swiss

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

. She is considered the first female electrical engineer in Europe, because she earned her engineering diploma in 1907.

Early life

Butticaz was born in 1884, in Geneva, the daughter of Constant Butticaz and Eugénie Mercanton Butticaz. Her father was a factory director. Butticaz studied at the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public university, public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by French theologian John Calvin as a Theology, theological seminary. It rema ...

and then at EPFL a prestigious Swiss engineering university, from which she was also first female graduate. She earned a diploma in electrical engineering in 1907, the first woman to do so in Europe. She earned a doctorate in physics from the University of Geneva, in 1929, after conducting original research on

invar Invar, also known generically as FeNi36 (64FeNi in the US), is a nickel–iron alloy notable for its uniquely low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE or α). The name ''Invar'' comes from the word ''invariable'', referring to its relative lac ...

, a nickel-iron alloy with industrial applications.

Career

Butticaz worked as an engineer in Geneva after she gained her diploma. She also taught mathematics in Geneva and Lausanne. She wrote and published several books of poetry in French. She also wrote on social matters, in ''Foyer moderne'' (1935). Butticaz is sometimes described as the first woman engineer in Europe, but there are several women with claims to that "first". Among earlier contenders, Rita de Morais Sarmento earned an engineering degree in Portugal in 1896, and Alice Perry earned her engineering degree in Ireland in 1905.

Personal life and legacy

Butticaz was a Soroptimist, active in founding the Lausanne chapter of the club. She used the names Cécile Biéler or Cécile Biéler-Butticaz after her marriage to Alfred Édouard François Biéler. They had three sons, born in the 1910s. She died in 1966, in Geneva, aged 81 years. Her grave is in

Cully Cully may refer to: Places *Cully, Calvados, a former commune in the Allier department, France *Cully, Switzerland, a municipality in the canton of Vaud *Cully, Portland, Oregon, United States, a neighborhood in northeast Portland People Given na ...

.
In 2019, due to the efforts of the 100Elles project, a street in Geneva was proposed for a rename as "Rue Cécile-Biéler-Butticaz", after the city's notable native engineer.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Butticaz, Cecile 1884 births 1966 deaths 20th-century Swiss engineers Engineers from Geneva Women engineers