Elisa Bachofen facts for kids

Elisa Beatriz Bachofen was a very important engineer. She was the first woman to become a civil engineer in Argentina and all of Latin America. This means she was the first woman in this large region to design and build things like roads, bridges, and other big structures.

Her Life Story

Elisa Beatriz Bachofen was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1891. She studied at the University of Buenos Aires. In 1918, she finished her studies and became an engineer. Her final project was about making cotton threads and fabrics. You can even find her original work online today!

She also helped with the student magazine at her university, called Revista Del Centro Estudiantes de Ingenieria. She wrote articles and was the secretary for the magazine.

Elisa was the main writer for a report about a big power plant called the Luján de Cuyo hydroelectric plant. This plant uses water to create electricity.

Her career lasted for many years, from 1919 until she retired in 1953. She worked for a government department that designed bridges and roads. Later, she helped manage how roads were built across the country.

She was also a leader in several groups. She led the Technical Commission of the Circle of Inventors, which started in 1922. She also led the Argentine Association of Scientific and Technical Libraries. Plus, she was on the board of a group for business and professional women.

Besides her work as an engineer, Elisa was active in a group called the National Feminist Union. This group worked for women's rights. She worked with other famous activists like Alicia Moreau de Justo and Julieta Lanteri.

In 1955, there was a big political change in Argentina. Elisa had to leave the country after this change. She went to the United States and continued her research and projects there.

She traveled a lot, visiting places like Europe, the United States, Israel, and Brazil.

Elisa's younger sister, Esther Bachofen, also became a civil engineer. She was the fourth woman in Argentina to do so, graduating in 1922.

Elisa Bachofen passed away in Buenos Aires on November 19, 1976.

How She Is Remembered

People still remember Elisa Bachofen and her amazing achievements today.

In 2017, a public street in the city of Paraná was named "ELISA BACHOFEN" in her honor. In the same year, people in Buenos Aires voted to name a special machine "Elisa." This machine was a tunnel boring machine, which is used to dig long tunnels underground. It dug a tunnel from Agronomía to the Río de la Plata.

To celebrate her life's work, the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Buenos Aires held the first "Elisa Bachofen" Conference of Women Engineers in November 2018.

In 2019, another university, the Universidad Nacional de Rafaela, started the Elisa Bachofen Scholarships. These scholarships help encourage more women to study and work in engineering. This helps to close the gap between men and women in technology jobs.

In July 2021, a ÑuSat satellite was named Elisa Bachofen. This satellite is part of a group of Argentine satellites that take pictures of Earth from space. It was launched with three other satellites named after other famous women in science and technology: Rosalind Franklin, Grace Hopper, and Sofya Kovalevskaya.

Images for kids

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  A robot, symbolizing innovation and engineering.

See also

In Spanish: Elisa Bachofen para niños