Dr. Laura Ettinger

Interview with Hayley Clark by Hannah Marchitell

• Interview subject: Hayley Clark, female pathbreaker in LGBTQ youth organizations
• Interviewer: Hannah Marchitell, Clarkson University ’14, Social Documentation (History & Communication) major
• Date of interview: April 2011
• At the time of this interview, Hayley Clark was a seventeen-year-old senior at Potsdam High School in Potsdam, New York. After experiencing years of bullying, she and her girlfriend at the time decided that their high school needed a student support group for LGBTQ+ students and their allies. She sought out an advisor on her own and did a lot of the work to create the Potsdam High School’s Gay-Straight Alliance. She said that although this group is only in its first year, it has already been a rewarding experience for her.
• Taken from the Discussion Guide for Teachers, created by Hannah Marchitell. You can find her discussion guide here.

• Interview with Lois Graham by Hannah Gruenberg

  • Interview subject: Dr. Lois Graham, female pathbreaker in the field of mechanical engineering

  • Interviewer: Hannah Gruenberg, Clarkson University ’11, Engineering & Management major with a minor in Project management

  • Date of interview: February 28, 2011

  • Dr. Lois Graham (1925-2013) was the first woman to graduate from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with an engineering degree in 1945. She went on to the University of Illinois to become the first woman in the U.S. to earn her Ph.D. in mechanical engineering. She dedicated the rest of her life to teaching engineering and to promoting engineering as a field for women to enter. She was heavily involved in many early efforts to introduce girls to jobs in math and science, volunteering her time on weekends to visit high schools and teach girls. She also was involved in many engineering societies, including the Society of Women Engineers, of which she was president from 1955-1956. At the time of this interview, she lived in Canton, NY where she was no longer involved in engineering studies but still recognized nationally as a pioneer for women engineers. The interview is approximately 29 minutes long.

  • Taken from the Discussion Guide for Teachers, created by Hannah Gruenberg. Find her discussion guide here.

• Interview with Susan Powers by Emily Provencher

  • Interview subject: Dr. Susan Powers, female pathbreaker in the field of environmental engineering

  • Interviewer: Emily Provencher, Clarkson University ‘13, Engineering & Management major

  • Date of interview: April 11, 2011

  • Dr. Susan Powers is a female groundbreaker in the field of environmental engineering. She is the Associate Director for Sustainability at the Institute for a Sustainable Environment, as well as Spence Professor of Sustainable Environmental Systems, at Clarkson University located in Potsdam, New York. The interview covered many topics including how she first became interested in the field of engineering, how her male engineering classmates responded to her presence in the engineering program, how she balances her personal and professional life, and advice she would give to young women looking to study engineering or who are currently studying it. It is very evident throughout the interview, the passion that Dr. Powers has for her career and the work she does on a daily basis. Dr. Powers also stressed in the interview the importance of being a well-rounded student and getting involved in many things besides academics, such as clubs, study abroad and co-ops and internships. The interview is approximately 26 minutes long.

  • Taken from the Discussion Guide for Teachers, created by Emily Provencher. You can find her discussion guide here.

• Interview with Madeline Stevens by Brittany Wilkins

  • Interview subject: Madeline Stevens, female pathbreaker in LGBTQ youth organizations

  • Interviewer: Brittany Wilkins, Clarkson University ’11, Biology major

  • Date of interview: February 25, 2011

  • This is an up-close and personal interview with Madeline Stevens, who helped to start a Gay-Straight Alliance at Potsdam High School in Potsdam, New York. The interviewer started by talking with Stevens about her personal background and how she became interested and involved with the Gay-Straight Alliance. Then they progressed to a discussion of what the organization has done so far, her goals for the future, and the changes she would like to see at the state and national levels of government in the near or distant future.

  • Taken from the Discussion Guide for Teachers, created by Brittany Wilkins. You can find her discussion guide here.

• Interview with Beverly Washburn by Lisa Ferrucci

  • Interview subject: Beverly Washburn – female pathbreaker in the Women’s Air Force Band
  • Interviewer: Lisa Ferrucci, Clarkson University ’14, Mechanical Engineering major with minors in History and Math

  • Date of interview: April 15, 2011

  • Beverly Washburn (1931-2015), a long-time resident of Potsdam, NY, was one of the founding members of the Women’s Air Force Band in the early 1950s. She was the first female tuba player in an Air Force band, as well as the ensemble’s assistant conductor. Interviewer Lisa Ferrucci explains that Mrs. Washburn “pushed aside the social norms of her time to do what made her truly happy and fulfilled.”

  • Find Lisa's Discussion Guide for Teachers here.