From left to right: Asu Ozdalgar, head of MITEECS, or Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Paula Hammond, head of MITChemE, or Chemical Engineering; Anne White, head of Nuclear Science and Engineering; Angela Belcher, head of MITDeptofBE, or the Department of Biological Engineering; and Evelyn Wang, head of MITMechE, or Mechanical Engineering.
Credit: MIT

For the first time in the history of the university, the majority of engineering department heads at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are women.

The university recently reported that, of the eight department head positions within MIT’s School of Engineering, five are now occupied by female faculty members. Those faculty members include Asu Ozdalgar, head of MITEECS, or Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Paula Hammond, head of MITChemE, or Chemical Engineering; Anne White, head of Nuclear Science and Engineering; Angela Belcher, head of MITDeptofBE, or the Department of Biological Engineering; and Evelyn Wang, head of MITMechE, or Mechanical Engineering.

Because engineering is a predominantly male-led profession, MIT’s news is significant in light of current worldwide efforts to engage women […]