Karen Burt

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

Karen Burt
Born
Karen Ann Hilsum

(1954-11-26)26 November 1954
Died20 June 1997(1997-06-20) (aged 42)
Islington, London, England
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge
University of Reading
OrganizationWomen's Engineering Society
Known forAdvocacy
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.[2]

Career

Burt joined British Aerospace as a project engineer for scientific satellites,[3] and was eventually promoted to senior systems engineer.[2] Subsequently, she developed an interest in management, becoming a Business Acquisition Manager.[3]

Burt left British Aerospace and established her own consultancy.[3] In addition, she helped University College London establish the Centre for Advanced Instrumentation Systems.[2][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.[8] She presented at the 1991 International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists.[6] Having just accepted a faculty position at University College London, Burt suffered a fatal stroke in June 1997.[2][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.[2][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 [2][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.[3] Winners receive £1,000, at the bequest of her father, Cyril Hilsum.[5]

Karen Burt Award Winners[13]

References
  1. "Karen Burt (Nee Hilsum) – Brilliant Boffin". 25 February 2021.
  2. "The Karen Burt Memorial Award | Women's Engineering Society". www.wes.org.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  3. "The Karen Burt Memorial Award | Women's Engineering Society". www.wes.org.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  4. Tunnicliffe, Helen. "IChemE Member Madeleine Jones wins Karen Burt Award". www.thechemicalengineer.com. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  5. "About the Award | Karen Burt Award | Awards and competitions | Events | BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT". www.bcs.org. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  6. "The Woman Engineer Volume 15". www.theiet.org. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  7. "The Woman Engineer Volume 13". www.theiet.org. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  8. "The Woman Engineer Volume 14". www.theiet.org. Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  9. "The Woman Engineer". www.theiet.org. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  10. "United Kingdom Obituary Archive - 1997 - Page 2". www.genlookups.com. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  11. "The Woman Engineer Volume 16". www.theiet.org. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  12. "Karen Burt Award". www.bcs.org. BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  13. "Previous Karen Burt Award Winners | Women's Engineering Society". www.wes.org.uk. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
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