Irene Carswell Peden

Irene Carswell Peden (September 25, 1925 – August 22, 2025) was an American electrical engineer who is known for being the first American woman engineer or scientist to live and work in the interior of the Antarctic. There she developed new methods to analyze the deep glacial ice by studying the effect it has on radio waves. A Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers where she broke a number of barriers and received significant awards, her many other awards include the Society of Women Engineers' Achievement Award in 1973 and election to the National Academy of Engineering.

Early life and education Born on September 25, 1925, in Topeka, Kansas, Irene was the oldest of three girls, her mother was also the oldest child of four, in a Swedish immigrant family. Her mother was a school teacher in math and music education. Her father was in the automobile business. Irene graduated from Central High School in Kansas City, Missouri. She started college at Kansas City Junior College, the only institution her family could afford. It was there that she fell in love with physics. One of her professors there suggested she pursue a four-year degree - in electrical engineering. She decided that the University of Colorado Boulder was a manageable distance from home and off she went. In 1947, she graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.

Professional career and doctoral education Irene and her first husband moved to Wilmington, Delaware subsequent to her 1947 graduation. After much effort on her part, she found a job as a junior engineer for Delaware Power and Light Company. When her husband got admitted to graduate school at Stanford University in 1949, they relocated to California. Peden got a job at the Antenna Lab of the Stanford Research Institute, one of the few places willing to hire a woman. While working, she decided she wanted to pursue graduate education and started working on her master’s degree part time. Taking a leave of absence, she completed her master's degree in 1958 and earned her PhD in 1962, both degrees in electrical engineering.

The National Science Foundation policy required principal investigators of Antarctic research projects to spend time on-site so that they could understand the region and the weather and the associated difficulties in conducting research. But the U.S. Navy did not want women in Antarctica. Peden overcame a significant series of objections and obstacles and in 1970 became the first American woman engineer or scientist to conduct research in Antarctica.

Personal life and death After her arrival in Seattle, Washington in 1961, she met and married attorney Lee Peden, who was divorced and had two teenage daughters.

Awards and honors Peden received the Society of Women Engineers' Achievement Award in 1973 1973 “In recognition of her significant contributions in the fields of radio wave propagation research and electrical engineering education.” She was elected a Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers as well as a Fellow of the IEEE, AAAS, ASEE, ABET and the Explorer’s Club. She received the U.S. Army's Outstanding Civilian Service Medal in 1987 for her research and work in the Antarctic. She also received distinguished aluma awards and honorary doctorates.

Advocacy Peden advocated for women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for decades. She also fought for equal treatment for women including through conducting salary surveys at the University of Washington. She worked to expand pre-college engineering education. She fought for equal opportunity for her work and research.

Legacy Peden was the first American woman engineer or scientist to live and work in Antarctica. She was the first woman to receive a PhD from Stanford University in electrical engineering and possibly the first woman to receive a PhD in any engineering field from Stanford University. She was the first woman faculty member in engineering at the University of Washington. In addition, she was the first woman on the board of directors of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. She was the first woman selected to the Advisory Board of the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

Additional reading Tietjen, Jill S. (2025). Chapter 28 "Irene Carswell Peden". In Craig, Cecilia; Teig, Holly; Kimberling, Debra; Williams, Janet; Tietjen, Jill; Johnson, Vicki (eds.). Women Engineering Legends 1952-1976: Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award Recipients. Springer Cham.