 Beatrice Alice Hicks ( January 2 , 1919 – October 21 , 1979 ) was an American engineer , the first woman engineer to be hired by Western Electric , and both co @-@ founder and first president of the Society of Women Engineers . Despite entering the field at a time where engineering was seen as an inappropriate career for a woman , Hicks held a variety of leadership positions and eventually became the owner of an engineering firm . During her time there , Hicks developed a gas density switch that would be used in the U.S. space program , including the Apollo moon landing missions . 
