Jill Tietjen cares about women. Women in engineering. Women in professional careers. Women who have had a profound impact on the intellectual, social and political development of our society.

Now, she and co-author Charlotte S. Waisman have written “Her Story,” a vivid documentation of the breadth and diversity of American women’s achievements throughout U.S. history. The book offers a one-of-a-kind illustrated timeline that highlights the varied and often unrecognized contributions of women since the 1500s.

The authors have compiled an extraordinary collection of women and events that provides a unique view of history. Part of the distinctiveness of “Her Story” is the inclusion of hundreds of lesser-known women from all walks of life who have broken barriers and created paths of noteworthy and inspiring achievement.

Tietjen believes this book had to be written. “Most people have heard of Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Margaret Sanger and Eleanor Roosevelt,” she says. “But did you know that a woman microbiologist discovered the bacterium responsible for undulant fever, which then led to the pasteurization of all milk? Or that a female mathematician’s work laid the foundation for abstract algebra?

“We hope this book goes a long way toward showing not only that a woman can do anything, but that many women have already been doing extraordinary things throughout history,” she says.

Tietjen is one of those women. For almost 30 years she has worked as an engineer, mentor, author and speaker — passionately encouraging women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and promoting recognition of their accomplishments. A Past National President and Fellow of the Society of Women Engineers, Tietjen received the U.Va. Distinguished Alumna Award in 2007.