Edith Clarke
Edith Clarke | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 10, 1883 |
| Died | October 29, 1959 (aged 76) |
| Other names | Smart Grid's 'Founding Mother' |
| Alma mater | Vassar College (BS Mathemmatics 1908), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MS Electrical Engineering 1919) |
| Occupations | Electrical Engineer, Academic |
| Known for | Circuit Analysis of A-C Power Systems (1943 textbook) |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Power engineering |
| Employer(s) | General Electric, University of Texas at Austin |
| Significant design | Clarke transformation, Clarke calculator (1925 patent) |
| Significant advance | Electrical power system analysis |
| Awards | Society of Women Engineers' Achievement Award, National Inventors Hall of Fame |
Edith Clarke (February 10, 1883 – October 29, 1959) was an American electrical engineer and academic. Clarke specialized in electrical power system analysis and is credited with laying the foundation for the smart grid - helping the electric grid of the future grow, remain stable and reliable. She was the first person who used an analyzer to obtain data about power networks. The U.S. Department of Energy calls her efforts “the first step toward smart grid technology. She could be called the Smart Grid’s ‘Founding Mother.’”. She wrote the textbook used by power engineers for decades titled Circuit Analysis of A-C Power Systems.
Clarke's legacy includes being the first woman to be professionally employed as an electrical engineer in the United States and the first female professor of electrical engineering in the country. She was the first woman to deliver a paper at the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.