Women's History Month

Remembering Bertha Lamme-Feicht

A gifted engineer and pioneer, Bertha Lamme-Feicht was born in Springfield, Ohio, in December 1869 and died in November 1943. She earned a degree in mechanical engineering with a specialty in electrical engineering from the Mechanical Engineering Department at The Ohio State University in 1893; the first woman to receive an engineering degree at Ohio State and the first woman to receive an engineering degree from any university in the United States.

After graduation, Lamme joined the Westinghouse Company where she worked in mathematics and machine design on one of the most creative and innovative electrical engineering teams in history, led by her brother, Benjamin Lamme. Together, they revolutionized the field of engineering. A 1907 edition of the Pittsburgh Dispatch reported, “Lamme’s work in designing dynamos and motors established her reputation -- even in that hothouse of gifted electricians and inventors.”  

During her 12 years at Westinghouse, she worked with the company’s best and brightest including her future husband, Russell Feicht. A highlight was working on a 2,000 horsepower motor that Feicht designed and that Westinghouse displayed at the 1904 St. Louis Fair.

Lamme’s achievements inspired other women to study engineering in a time when women were welcome to compete with men only until they were married. She worked at Westinghouse until 1905 when she married Feicht, director of engineering at Westinghouse at the time. Following her marriage, Lamme worked in engineering from home in addition to being a wife and mother. Her daughter, Florence, born in 1910, became a physicist and was employed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines at the time of her mother’s death.

The department’s Bertha Lamme-Feicht Award, now the Ada Irene Pressman Award, is presented to alumni who have made noteworthy contributions to their chosen professions while overcoming significant barriers in completion of their education or obstacles in their careers. The award is presented as part of the department’s annual Honors and Awards Ceremony recognizing outstanding alumni.

This month, we remember Lamme-Feicht as a trailblazer in American history, honoring her legacy and impact in the mechanical engineering profession.