Katharine Stinson becomes the first woman to graduate from NC State's School of Engineering. Stinson received a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree, Aeronautical Option. Stinson was taking flying lessons at the old Raleigh Airport on US-401 when Amelia Earhart flew in for a visit in the early 1930s. When Stinson told Earhart that she wanted to become a pilot, Earhart advised her to become an engineer, a career Stinson pursued in spite of obstacles that ... More
One of the most significant contributions to the war effort is the Diesel Program, developed by the Mechanical Engineering Department. The program trains more than 1,500 members of the Navy.
Katharine Stinson, a 1941 graduate of State College, is hired by the Civil Aeronautics Administration (forerunner of the Federal Aviation Administration) as a junior engineer, making her the first woman to hold this position.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering is renamed the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.