Emma Strada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Emma Strada
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Emma Strada
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| Born | 18 November 1884 |
| Died | 26 September 1970 |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Organization | Associazione Italiana Donne Ingegnere e Architetto |
Emma Strada (born in Turin, Italy, on November 18, 1884 – died in Turin, Italy, on September 26, 1970) was an amazing Italian civil engineer. She made history by becoming the very first woman to earn a civil engineering degree from the Polytechnic University of Turin. Later, she also became the first president of a special group for women engineers and architects in Italy.
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Emma Strada's Early Life
Emma Strada was born in Turin, Italy, on November 18, 1884. She grew up in a family of engineers. Her father, Ernesto Strada, and her brother, Eugenio Strada, were both engineers too. Her father even had his own engineering office in Turin.
Becoming an Engineer
Emma's Education Journey
In 1903, Emma finished high school at the Liceo Classico Massimo d'Azeglio in Turin. That same year, she started a special course at the University of Turin. This course helped her get ready to study engineering at the Scuola di Applicazione per Ingegneri, which is now the Polytechnic University of Turin.
It was very unusual for a woman to study engineering back then. In 1900, only about 250 women were university students in all of Italy! Emma was allowed to join after officials checked the rules and found nothing to stop a female student.
Emma studied for five years. She graduated with high honors on September 5, 1908. She was one of the top students in her class. People even debated if they should call her an "ingegnere" (engineer) or "ingegneressa" (engineeress).
She became the first woman ever to get a civil engineering degree from the Polytechnic University of Turin. This was a huge step forward for women in the engineering field. To celebrate her amazing achievement, Emma had an electric light installed in her home. At that time, electricity was very rare in Turin.
Emma's Engineering Career
After graduating, Emma worked for two years as an assistant teacher. She helped a professor who taught about health in engineering. Because of the way society was back then, it was hard for women to have a full-time teaching career. So, Emma decided to work with her father and younger brother.
She worked in her father's engineering office. There, she helped design and build many different projects. These included factories, water tunnels, mines, and even railway lines. One big project she worked on was a water tunnel for a copper mine in Ollomont, Aosta Valley. This tunnel was about 50 meters (164 feet) underground!
Around 1910, Emma's father moved his work to Calabria. In Catanzaro, Emma helped him build a funicular railway. This is a special type of railway that goes up and down steep hills.
Emma had a very successful career, especially in the railway industry. This was a big deal because it was mostly a male-dominated field. She helped design parts of railway lines in Liguria and Piedmont. After World War II, women gained more rights and equality. Even so, many female engineers and architects still found it hard to get jobs because of old-fashioned ideas.
We know that by 1937, Emma Strada had her own engineering office in Turin.
Italian Association of Women Engineers and Architects (AIDIA)
On January 26, 1957, Emma Strada and several other pioneering women engineers and architects decided to create something new. They founded the Italian Association of Women Engineers and Architects, known as AIDIA. The idea for this group actually came from Maria Artini, Italy's first female electrical engineer, but she passed away before it could be started.
Emma Strada was chosen as the first president of AIDIA. The main goals of the association were to help women engineers and architects connect with each other. They wanted to make sure their work was seen and recognized both in Italy and around the world. AIDIA also worked to improve working conditions for women in technology. They encouraged women to help each other instead of competing.
In 1957, Emma supported AIDIA's first big meeting. It was called "Affirmations and Possibilities of Women in Technological Areas." She also took part in the second national conference, where she led discussions about opportunities for women in technology.
In 1964, on her 80th birthday, Emma received a gold medal from a national engineering association for all her hard work. In 1968, she was invited to attend a big international conference for women engineers and scientists. Sadly, she passed away a few months before the event.
In 1971, AIDIA organized its third international conference in Turin. About 240 women from 35 different countries attended. They talked about important topics like "Planning for Progress" and how women balance their professional work with family life.
AIDIA continues to organize events and create a network for women in engineering and architecture. They have a website where they share information about their projects and promote the amazing work of women in these fields.
