Episode 26: Margaret Ingels
Margaret Ingels was born on October 25, 1892 in Paris, Kentucky. It is said that she was fascinated by condensation on a cold glass from a young age. In 1911, Margaret enrolled at University of Kentucky and studied mechanical engineering. In 1916 she graduated with a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering. She was the first woman to get an engineering degree from the University of Kentucky. In 1917 Margaret moved to Pittsburgh to work for Carrier Lyle Heating and Ventilation Corporation and became involved with ‘conditioned air’. She returned to University of Kentucky to get a Masters in Mechanical Engineering which she received in 1920, making her the first woman in the US to obtain a masters degree in that field. She went back to Pittsburgh to work at the Pittsburgh Laboratory under the US Bureau of Mines with Paul Anderson. In 1921 she joined the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers research lab. There she studied air conditioning and measured germ laden dust in schools to see how it affected the attendance and health of the students. Margaret helped create the Anderson-Armspach determinator which became the industry standard for air filtration. In 1929, Margaret moved to Syracuse, NY to work at Carrier again. While here she worked on the design of the sling psychrometer which measures relative humidity. Margaret wrote many technical articles for magazines and journals and a biography about Willis H. Carrier. She also gave more than 200 speeches on heating and ventilation over her career including her famous ‘Petticoats and Slide Rules’ in 1952. The same year, Margaret retired from Carrier and moved back to Kentucky where she stayed until she passed away on December 13, 1971 at age 79.
Caryatid: Andrea Thompson
Andrea Thompson attended North Carolina A&T State University and received a bachelors degree in Architectural Engineering with a concentration in HVAC. Today she works as a Senior Project Manager at Specialized Engineering Solutions in Charlotte, North Carolina. The company does mostly work on healthcare projects and she feels passionate about this type of work because she is able to help people since at some point everyone requires healthcare and that she wants to increase comfort and reduce infections through clean, efficient systems.
References
Esmagazine.com. 2021. 20 to Watch: Women in HVAC - Andrea Thompson. [online] Available at: <https://www.esmagazine.com/articles/101075-to-watch-women-in-hvac---andrea-thompson> [Accessed 4 April 2021].
Lewis, Anna M. “Margaret Ingels” Women of Steel and Stone: 22 Inspirational Architects, Engineers, and Landscape Designers. 131-136. United States: Chicago Review Press, 2017.
“Margaret Ingels (Posthumous), BSME 1916, MSME 1920.” University of Kentucky College of Engineering. Accessed April 3, 2021. https://www.engr.uky.edu/alumni-philanthropy/alumni/programs/hall-distinction/margaret-ingels-posthumous-bsme-1916-msme-1920.
Images: Exploreuk.uky.edu. 2021. Margaret Ingels papers & Images. [online] Available at: <https://exploreuk.uky.edu/fa/findingaid/?id=xt74qr4nm007#fa-heading-ref119> [Accessed 5 April 2021].
