Joanna McKittrick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joanna McKittrick
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| Born | 1954 New Jersey, U.S.
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| Died | November 15, 2019 La Jolla, California, U.S.
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| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Engineer, university professor |
| Years active | 1988–2019 |
| Known for | Research on biomaterials and advocacy for underrepresented students in STEM |
Joanna McKittrick (born in 1954, died November 15, 2019) was an amazing American engineer and university professor. She made history as the second woman to become an engineering professor at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).
Contents
Joanna's Early Life and Education
Joanna McKittrick was born in New Jersey. Her dad was a doctor, and her mom was a teacher.
She loved learning and went to some top universities.
- She earned her first degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
- Then, she got a master's degree from Northwestern University.
- Finally, she completed her advanced studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). There, she focused on materials science and engineering, which is all about how different materials work.
Her Career as an Engineer and Professor
Joanna McKittrick became a professor at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 1988. She was only the second woman to join the engineering team there! The first was chemical engineer Jan B. Talbot.
Studying Nature's Materials
Professor McKittrick's research focused on two main areas:
- Luminescent materials: These are materials that glow. She studied how they could be used in things like medical tools, cars, and airplanes.
- Biomaterials: These are materials found in nature, like chitin (found in insect shells), keratin (in hair and nails), and collagen (in skin and bones).
She often worked with another UCSD professor, Marc A. Meyers, on biomaterials. Joanna loved to learn from nature. In 2013, she explained that "Mother Nature gives us templates." She studied creatures like spiders, seahorses, boxfish, and porcupines. Her goal was to understand how their natural materials worked so engineers could create new, strong materials.
Helping Future Engineers
Joanna McKittrick was a respected expert in her field. She was a fellow of the American Ceramic Society, a group for people who work with ceramic materials. She wrote or helped write over 100 articles for science journals. She also helped edit the Journal of the American Ceramic Society.
Beyond her research, Joanna was a big supporter of students. She was a mentor for many young engineering students, especially women and those from minority groups, like Lauren Rohwer and Olivia Graeve. She also advised UCSD's student group for the National Society of Black Engineers. She helped make sure all students felt welcome and supported in engineering.
Personal Life and Legacy
Joanna McKittrick passed away in November 2019 at her home in La Jolla, California. She was 65 years old. Her friends and colleagues held a special memorial for her a month later at a big conference about biomaterials. They remembered her important work and her kind spirit.
