Diane Lemaire facts for kids
Diane Adrienne Lemaire (born February 2, 1923 – died October 27, 2012) was a very smart Australian engineer who worked with airplanes. She made history by being the first woman to earn an engineering degree from the University of Melbourne. This was a big deal because not many women studied engineering back then!
Early life and education
Diane Lemaire was born in 1923. She went to St Catherine's School in Toorak, Australia. Later, she studied at the University of Melbourne.
In 1944, she achieved something amazing: she became the first woman to graduate from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. After that, she continued her studies at Cornell University in the United States, where she earned a Master of Science degree.
Her career
Diane Lemaire worked as a Technical Officer at the CSIR Division of Aeronautics. This was a place where scientists studied how airplanes fly and designed better ones.
After World War II, she worked in England at the National Physical Laboratory. Then, after finishing her Master's degree, she returned to Australia to work at the Aeronautical Research Laboratories. She worked there until she retired in 1986.
After retiring, Diane focused on breeding Lhasa Apso dogs.
Honours and legacy
In 1962, Diane Lemaire was given the Amelia Earhart Fellowship from Zonta International. This is a special award that helps women who are studying aerospace engineering and science.
She passed away on October 27, 2012, when she was 89 years old.
Diane Lemaire wanted to help future students. In her will, she left money to the engineering department at the University of Melbourne. This money helps support research in a field called fluid dynamics, which is about how liquids and gases move. Because of her generous gift, the Melbourne School of Engineering created the Diane Lemaire Scholarship. This scholarship helps female PhD students who are doing well in their research.
