Elizabeth Georgeson facts for kids

Elizabeth Helen MacLeod Georgeson, born in July 1895, was a very important engineer. She was the first woman to graduate with an engineering degree from a Scottish university, the University of Edinburgh. Her work helped make mines safer and showed that women could excel in engineering.

Early Life and Education

Elizabeth was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in July 1895. Her father was a church minister, so her family later moved to Edinburgh. There, she went to Canaan Park College for her high school education.

In 1916, when Elizabeth was 21, she started studying at the University of Edinburgh. At that time, 21 was considered an adult age, so she could make her own choices. This was during World War I, a time when many women started working in new fields like engineering.

Elizabeth graduated with her engineering degree (a BSc) in July 1919. She was very good at her studies. She earned a top award in mechanical engineering and other good grades in engineering labs and fieldwork.

In September 1920, Elizabeth wrote an article called "The Magic of Mathematics" for "The Woman Engineer" magazine. This magazine was published by the Women's Engineering Society, where she was a member. In her article, she was described as one of the first women to train as a surveyor to become a Civil Engineer.

She ended her article by encouraging everyone to enjoy math more. She wrote that math keeps brains fit and is very important for engineers. She felt that girl engineers should pay more attention to this part of their studies.

Engineering Career

After graduating, Elizabeth started training to become a Civil Engineer. She worked as an "articled pupil" for a surveyor. This means she learned on the job from an experienced professional. She might have also been a member of the Edinburgh Mathematical Society.

Later, Elizabeth worked as a researcher at the Safety in Mines Research Laboratory in Sheffield. She studied how to make mines safer. She wrote seven research papers about her findings. Her first paper, in 1925, was about cement particles. Most of her other papers, published between 1926 and 1942, were about how gases behave in mines. This research was very important for preventing accidents.

In 1942, she won a special scholarship from the Sir James Caird's Travelling Scholarships Trust. She received £280, which was a lot of money then, to travel and study. Since this was during World War II, she likely traveled only within Britain.

Personal Life

Elizabeth also enjoyed writing poetry. Her poem, "Flotsam," was published in 1952. It was part of a collection of short poems released during the Festival of Britain.