Edith Clarke was a pioneering engineer who significantly impacted the development of the modern electrical grid. She invented a graphical calculator, known as the Clarke Calculator, that greatly simplified the work of electrical engineers. 

After completing her graduate studies at MIT, she became the first woman to earn a master's degree in electrical engineering. She had difficulty finding a job after getting her degree, so she worked as a supervisor of computers. While working there, she invented a graphical calculator that could solve problems which involved electric current. 

After her husband became incapacitated by illness, she had to oversee the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge. She became a chief engineer, where she spent her time managing daily operations, ensuring the project's success, and relaying information. 

Even though she was the one that ensured the bridge was effectively built, her husband ended up getting most of the credit for the project's completion and success. However, it is important to not overlook her importance here, since she was the one that took over the project and led it to completion.