9 Episodes

The First Lady of Engineering

This podcast is distributed by PRX and published in partnership with Scientific American. Season 1 art is by Marina Muun.After listening to the podcast, visit our Resources page to learn more about the subjects of our episodes.

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Description

She’s the first, the first, the first…
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‍Yvonne Y. Clark, known as Y.Y. throughout her career, has also been nicknamed “The First Lady of Engineering,” because of her groundbreaking achievements as a Black female mechanical engineer.

Season 3 of Lost Women of Science traces her trajectory, from her unconventional childhood interest in fixing appliances to civil rights breakthroughs in the segregated South; from her trailblazing role at historically Black colleges and universities to her work at NASA.

What can Y.Y. teach us about what it means to be the first in a scientific field, especially as a Black woman in America?

September 1, 2022
Season 3 | Yvonne Y. Clark

Meet our Cohost and producer for Season 3

Meet our cohost and producer for season 3 of Lost Women of Science, Carol Sutton Lewis
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September 8, 2022
Season 3 | Yvonne Y. Clark

Trailer: The First Lady of Engineering

Listen to the First Lady of Engineering Trailer here
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September 22, 2022
Season 3 | Yvonne Y. Clark

Episode 1: If You Want It, You Will - Growing Up in Segregated Louisville

With her knack for fixing household appliances in early childhood, Y.Y. was practically born an engineer.
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September 29, 2022
Season 3 | Yvonne Y. Clark

Episode 2: The Three Nevers - From Undergrad to Engineer

When Y.Y. started college at Howard University, there were three things she swore she’d never do: marry a tall man, become a teacher, and work for the government. But love and life had other plans.
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October 6, 2022
Season 3 | Yvonne Y. Clark

Episode 3: NASA, Rocket Engines, and the Moon Rock Box

What did Y.Y. actually do as a mechanical engineer? We dive into her work at NASA.
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October 13, 2022
Season 3 | Yvonne Y. Clark

Episode 4: The First of Many - The Success of STEM at HBCUs

Y.Y. taught at Tennessee State University for 55 years. We look at her legacy as an engineer, an educator and a mom. And we investigate how HBCUs are training the next generation of Black scientists.
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November 3, 2022
Season 3 | Yvonne Y. Clark

BONUS: The "Relentlessly Positive" Yvonne Young Clark: An Interview with Y.Y.'s Daughter, Carol Lawson

A special guest episode from Our Mothers Ourselves: An Interview with Y.Y.'s Daughter, Carol Lawson
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November 17, 2022
Season 3 | Yvonne Y. Clark

BONUS: The Feminist Test We Keep Failing

There's a test that we at Lost Women of Science seem to fail again and again: the Finkbeiner Test.
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December 1, 2022
Season 3 | Yvonne Y. Clark

BONUS: The Woman Who Knocked Science Sideways

A special guest episode from Portraits
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Our Partners

We’re proud that our partners see the value of our mission, and are helping us reach engaged audiences as we tell the stories of these remarkable women.

PRX, our podcast distributor, produces and distributes audio content and trains talented independent producers.

With an award-winning portfolio of iconic public radio programs such as "The World”, “This American Life”, “The Moth Radio Hour”, “Latino USA”, “Snap Judgment” and “Reveal”, PRX is also home to a growing body of podcast productions, including via the Radiotopia podcast network and the TRAX podcast network for tweens.
SciAm covers the advances in research and discovery that are changing our understanding of the world and shaping our lives. Founded 1845, it is the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States and now reaches more than 10 million people around the world each month through its website, print and digital editions, newsletters and app.

Authoritative, engaging features, news, opinion and multimedia stories from journalists and expert authors—including more than 200 Nobel Prize winners—provide need-to-know coverage, insights and illumination of the most important developments at the intersection of science and society.
Barnard is one of the most selective academic institutions in the nation, Barnard College is devoted to empowering young women to pursue their passions. Throughout the 2021-22 academic year, Barnard is celebrating all things related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) at the College.

Barnard’s expert faculty, its symbiotic relationship with Columbia University, and its location in New York City makes it singularly positioned to offer unparalleled opportunities to women who will become tomorrow’s STEM leaders.

The College has also increasingly incorporated STEM curricula and programming into its liberal arts education, providing students with interdisciplinary knowledge and skill sets that they can carry beyond Barnard.