In 2014, women earned only 14.8 percent of all doctoral degrees in the field of mechanical engineering. About 12 percent of all bachelor’s degrees in the field are awarded to women. The field of mechanical engineering has always been dominated by men.
So it is rather unique that at the recent fall graduation ceremonies at the University of New Mexico, two sisters – Athena and Maya Combs-Hurtado – were among the 26 students awarded bachelor’s degrees in mechanical engineering.
The sisters were co-president of the Hispanic Engineers Student Organization on campus and were involved with the Society of Women Engineers. They also volunteered in science programs at local public schools. During their college years, Athena held an internship at Oso Biopharmaceuticals in Albuquerque and Maya interned at Chrysler Corporation in Detroit. As a senior project, the sisters worked together to design an automatic pet door that operated by reading a microchip on a dog’s collar.