Celebrating Women in Engineering
Celebrating Women in Engineering
The community of women at The Grainger College of Engineering is stronger than ever. It is our focus on innovation, collaboration and success that makes a difference in the world. Here are just a few stories highlighting our women engineers' many experiences and achievements over the past year.
MiMi Aung
Electrical Engineering alumna named to Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in 2021” and Newsweek’s “America’s 50 Greatest Disruptors” list for her part in directing NASA’s historic first flight to Mars.
Her greatest advice to women engineers: “You have to go for it and don’t second guess. Don’t let anyone talk you out of it.”
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- Experiences
- Entrepreneurship
- Alumni
How to launch a startup from the place you call home
October 9, 2025
When Jack Cui needed a location to launch his startup, Yummy Future, the first robotics café in Illinois, he looked no further than Campustown. The Electrical and Computer Engineering alumnus calls both the Champaign-Urbana community and The Grainger College of Engineering his home.
- Undergraduate
- Experiences
July 10, 2025
This fall, Yasmin begins her sophomore year in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Before fully transitioning into ECE, she completed foundational coursework at Parkland College through the Parkland Pathway to Illinois program. Here, Yasmin shares her experience taking a nontraditional route to Grainger Engineering.
- Undergraduate
May 14, 2025
From building Lego sets to fixing household appliances with their father, Grant and Landon Lindsay were encouraged to be problem solvers. This foundation inspired them to apply their critical thinking skills to engineering.
Grainger Engineering
Women Leading Departments
and Research Units
- Nancy Sottos, Head of Materials Science and Engineering
- Ana Barros, Head of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Nancy Amato, Head of Computer Science
- Jennifer Bernhard, Director of Applied Research Institute
- Klara Nahrstedt, Director of Coordinated Science Laboratory
- Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler, Interim Director of Health Care Engineering Systems Center
- Rachel Switzky, Director of Siebel Center for Design
- Amy Wagoner Johnson, Head of Biomedical and Translational Science, Carle Illinois College of Medicine
Women in Engineering (WIE) Program
We believe in the power of inclusion to make us stronger. Our dedication to extending a spirit of openness, access and equity brings more people and perspective to the table — for the benefit of all. Women in Engineering (WIE) is a college-wide program dedicated to providing a welcoming and supportive environment for students in The Grainger College of Engineering.