Elon Musk recently made headlines with the launch of his SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. However, he is not the only major player in the aeronautics and astronautics industries.
In fact, some of his biggest competition comes from women who have made names for themselves as industry leaders and innovators. These nine women continue to give Elon Musk a run for his money.
Aprille Ericcson-Jackson is one of the foremost American aerospace engineers currently working for the federal government. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, she received her undergraduate degree in aeronautical astronomical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT. She then went on to receive both her masters of engineering and a doctorate degree in aerospace engineering from Howard University.
She also received a engineering doctorate degree from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, becoming the first African-American woman in U.S. history to do so. She received the 1997 award for Women in Science and Engineering. She is now heading a mission to bring back dust from Mars' lower atmosphere back to Earth.
Kimberly Bryant is an electrical engineer who grew up in Memphis. She earned her electrical engineering degree from Vanderbilt University. She founded her own company Black Girls Code in 2011. The goal of the company is to teach programming to African-American girls who are currently not represented in the technology industry.
Business Insider lists Bryant as one of the top 25 most influential people in technology today. She is the recipient of the Pahara-Aspen Education Fellowship.
Stanford University graduate Debbie Sterling is the founder and CEO of Goldiebox, an interactive toy company for girls. Sterling noticed after graduating from college in 2005 that there were no toy companies that encouraged girls to become interested in engineering or science. She started Goldiebox after raising $300,000 in a kickstarter campaign.
Sterling has received awards and notice from industry insiders including Business Insider and Time Magazine. Goldiebox was named 2014's Educational Toy of the Year and Fast Company's Most Innovative Toy Company in the World.
Gwynne Shotwell is a graduate of Northwestern University and currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Elon Musk's SpaceX. She has an undergraduate degree in science as well as a masters degree in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics. She initially had plans to work in the automotive industry.
However, she changed her mind and decided to join the aeronautical industry, coming to work for Musk at SpaceX in 2002. She remains active in STEM and participates in the Frank J. Redd Scholarship Competition, which has awarded more than $350,000 in scholarships in the last six years.
Safra Catz is the CEO of Oracle Corporation. She was born in Holon, Israel but moved to Massachusetts as a child. She graduated with her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in 1983. She went on to earn a JD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986.
She joined Oracle Corporation in 1999, working her way up to the board of directors in 2001. In 2004, she was named the company's president. In 2014, she was named its CEO. Fortune Magazine named Catz as one of the most powerful women in business in 2009.
A native of Chicago, Ginni Rometty has dedicated much of her career to IBM. She currently serves as the company's president, chairman, and CEO. Before filling these roles, she worked in sales, marketing, and strategy.
She graduated from Northwestern University with an undergraduate degree in computer science and electrical engineering. She joined IBM in 1981, working her way to the company's highest ranking postions.
She has also garnered numerous honorable doctorate degrees most notably from Northwestern and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Fortune Magazine has listed her as 50 most powerful women in business.
Even with being the chairman and CEO of Ampere Computing, Renee James also served an important role as the vice chair of the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee. In this capacity, she is counted as one of the top advisers to the U.S. president.
Previously, however, James earned both her undergraduate and masters degree fromthe University of Oregon. She majored in International Business and Business Administration. In her professional career, she has been named as one of Fortune's most powerful business women in the U.S.
Weili Dai gained worldwide attention for founding her own semiconductor in 1995. She helped found the Marvel Technology Group of which she served as its president and director.
She has consistently been named by organizations like Bloomberg and Fortune as one of the most powerful and influential women in the world. In 2014, she won the Gold Award for Women World Awards.
Ayah Bdeir is an inventor and engineer who founded her own company called littleBits. The goal of the company is to empower people to learn about and feel confident using electronics. She graduated from the University of Beirut with an undergraduate degree in computer engineering and sociology.
She went on to earn her masters degree from MIT. She gave a TED talk in 2012 about the importance and potential of STEM industries. She also completed a fellowship at Eyebeam in New York City.
These nine women continue to give Elon Musk a run for his money in the engineering, aerospace, and computer science fields. They are leaders in their chosen industries and have earned awards and honors that recognize their STEM prowess.
