Karen Burt Explained

Karen Burt
Birth Name:Karen Ann Hilsum
Birth Date:26 November 1954
Death Place:Islington, London, England
Alma Mater:University of Cambridge
University of Reading
Organization:Women's Engineering Society
Known For:Advocacy
Engineering

Karen Ann Hilsum Burt (née Hilsum) CPhys MInstP (26 November 1954 - 20 June 1997) was a British engineer and campaigner for the recruitment and retention of women in engineering.

Early life and education

Burt attended Hillside School, Malvern and Worcester Girl's Grammar School.[1] She studied at Newnham College, Cambridge[2] and completed a PhD in electron microscopy at the University of Reading.

Career

Burt joined British Aerospace as a project engineer for scientific satellites,[3] and was eventually promoted to senior systems engineer. Subsequently, she developed an interest in management, becoming a Business Acquisition Manager.

Burt left British Aerospace and established her own consultancy. In addition, she helped University College London establish the Centre for Advanced Instrumentation Systems.[4] She contributed to the Women's Engineering Society, Institute of Physics and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.[5] In 1983 and 1984 Burt presented a Faraday Lecture, Let's Build A Satellite, on behalf of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and British Aerospace.[6]

She was appointed to the London Branch Committee of the Women's Engineering Society in 1987.[7] She was a campaigner for career breaks and gave advice to members of the Women's Engineering Society in how to manage returning to work.[8] Burt was appointed to the Women's Engineering Society Council in 1991. She presented at the 1991 International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists. Having just accepted a faculty position at University College London, Burt suffered a fatal stroke in June 1997.[9] aged only 42.[10]

Legacy

Since 1999, the Women's Engineering Society have celebrated Karen Burt with a memorial award for newly chartered women in engineering, applied science or information technology.[11] Each year the Women's Engineering Society requests one nomination from each participating Professional Engineering Institution, and from these a winner is chosen. The award recognises significant potential in engineering[12] and it was originally set up to encourage a greater number of women to aim for, and to celebrate, the achievement of Chartered Engineer status. Winners receive £1,000, at the bequest of her father, Cyril Hilsum.

Karen Burt Award Winners

Source:[13]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Karen Burt (Nee Hilsum) – Brilliant Boffin. 25 February 2021.
  2. Web site: The Karen Burt Memorial Award Women's Engineering Society. www.wes.org.uk. en. 2018-07-12.
  3. Web site: The Karen Burt Memorial Award Women's Engineering Society. www.wes.org.uk. 2019-05-18.
  4. Web site: IChemE Member Madeleine Jones wins Karen Burt Award. Tunnicliffe. Helen. www.thechemicalengineer.com. en-GB. 2018-07-13.
  5. Web site: About the Award Karen Burt Award Awards and competitions Events BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT. www.bcs.org. en. 2018-07-12.
  6. Web site: The Woman Engineer Volume 15. www.theiet.org. 2019-06-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20190510094311/https://www.theiet.org/publishing/library-archives/the-iet-archives/the-woman-engineer-journal. 2019-05-10. dead.
  7. Web site: The Woman Engineer Volume 13. www.theiet.org. 2019-06-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20190510094311/https://www.theiet.org/publishing/library-archives/the-iet-archives/the-woman-engineer-journal. 2019-05-10. dead.
  8. Web site: The Woman Engineer Volume 14. www.theiet.org. 2019-06-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20190510094311/https://www.theiet.org/publishing/library-archives/the-iet-archives/the-woman-engineer-journal. 2019-05-10. dead.
  9. Web site: The Woman Engineer. www.theiet.org. 2018-07-12.
  10. Web site: United Kingdom Obituary Archive - 1997 - Page 2. www.genlookups.com. 2019-06-20.
  11. Web site: The Woman Engineer Volume 16. www.theiet.org. 2018-07-12.
  12. Web site: Karen Burt Award. www.bcs.org. BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT. en. 2018-07-13.
  13. Web site: Previous Karen Burt Award Winners Women's Engineering Society. www.wes.org.uk. en. 2018-07-17.

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