Kitty Joyner

Kitty Joyner
Joyner analyzing the operation of a wind tunnel turbine at NACA Langley in 1952
Born
Kitty Wingfield O'Brien[1]

(1916-07-11)July 11, 1916
DiedAugust 16, 1993(1993-08-16) (aged 77)
Alma mater
OccupationElectrical engineer
Years active1939–1971
Employers
OrganizationIEEE
Known forFirst woman engineer at the Memorial Langley Aeronautical Laboratory
SpouseUpshur T. Joyner
Children2
AwardsAlgernon Sydney Sullivan Award

Kitty Wingfield Joyner (née O'Brien; July 11, 1916 – August 16, 1993) was an American electrical engineer with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), and then with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) upon its replacement of NACA in 1958. She was the first woman to graduate from the University of Virginia's engineering program in 1939, receiving the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award upon graduation. When she was hired by NACA the same year, she became the first woman engineer at the organization, eventually rising to the title of Branch Head and managing several of its wind tunnels. Her work contributed to research on aeronautics, supersonic flight, airfoils, and aircraft design standards.

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  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference obit was invoked but never defined (see the help page).