Google Doodle celebrates the life and legacy of first Native American female engineer

This post is part of Mashable's ongoing series The Women Fixing STEM, which highlights trailblazing women in science, tech, engineering, and math, as well as initiatives and organizations working to close the industries' gender gaps.

Google just debuted a new Doodle to honor the life and legacy of Mary G. Ross, the first Native American engineer.

Ross, a Cherokee citizen, was born in 1908, excelled in math as a student, and ultimately became the first female engineer at Lockheed Missiles & Space Company. Though much of her work remains classified, she helped develop the conceptual design of the Agena rocket and was a member of teams that sent missions to Mars and Venus.

Ross had a brief moment in the spotlight in 1958 when she appeared on the television game show What's My Line? The panelists tried to guess her profession based on certain clues. After they discovered she worked with rockets and satellites, the show's host confessed he'd been surprised to learn she actually designed the products.

Ross taught high school math and science after graduating from college. She then earned a master's degree in math and went to work for Lockheed Aircraft as a statistical clerk during World War II. She attended UCLA to study aeronautical engineering and became an engineer at her manager's urging.

Nearly a century before her career in aeronautics began, Ross' great-great grandfather, Chief John Ross, led the Trail of Tears, a forced migration between 1838 and 1839 that required Cherokee people to march from southeastern states to Oklahoma under brutal conditions.

When Ross died in 2008, she was remembered fondly by the Cherokee Nation.

"The accomplishments of Mary Golda Ross epitomize the Cherokee spirit,” Chad Smith, Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, said in a press release. “This exceptional woman was and will continue to be a great example to each of us. Her ambition and successes exemplify the importance of education and are evidence of the doors that can be opened through higher learning."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Ross personally attributed her success to growing up "in the Cherokee tradition of equal education for boys and girls."

When Ross applied for membership in the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) in 1969, her application included impressive praise from Lockheed manager P.B. Weiser: "I would unhesitatingly place her in the top 10% of engineers of my acquaintance and professional knowledge."

Ross was inducted into the Silicon Valley Engineering Council's Hall of Fame in 1992.

SWE partnered with Google to create resources linked to the Doodle. Karen Horting, executive director and CEO for SWE, says the Doodle is an opportunity to encourage young women to pursue a career in engineering.

Ross' heightened visibility may be particularly important for Native American girls and women. Native Americans and Alaska Natives have earned 1 percent of the bachelor’s degrees in the science and engineering fields over the past two decades. Just a tenth of a percent of people currently employed in STEM fields are female Native Americans, according to the National Science Foundation.

"For us to be able to showcase a woman engineer who was Native American — who was really such a trailblazer — to show that to today’s young people I think is amazing," says Horting.