February 11th is International Day of Women and Girls in Science and we wanted to highlight some of the women who have made big contributions in the world of computer science. There are a multitude of women who have put their stamp on the computer science world and just don’t get a ton of credit or acknowledgement as some of their male counterparts. We’re here to turn that narrative and remind everyone of just how far we have come because of women in computer science.
Ada Lovelace
We can’t talk about Women in Computer Science without talking about Ada Lovelace. Ada was born in 1815 in London and from a young age, had a passion for mathematics. She took her passions and ran with them and became the world’s first computer programmer to draft plans for the machine called the Analytical Engine to perform computations. The details of the applications used for the Analytical Engine are still used to this day. Ada is remembered every year on Ada Lovelace Day held annually on the second Tuesday of October.
Grace Hopper
Our computing developments wouldn’t have gone so far if it weren’t for the mind of Grace Hopper. Grace was born in 1906 and went on to become an admiral in the U.S. Navy and a Computer Scientist. She was one of the first programmers for the Harvard Mark I computer, which was a general-purpose electromechanical computer used in the war effort for World War II. On top of that, Grace created a 500-page Manual of Operations for the Automatic Sequence-Controlled Calculator for the computer, which detailed the foundational operating principles of computing machines. Furthermore, she also invented the compiler, an intermediate program that translates English language instructions into the language of the target computer. Her invention influenced other computer developments, such as subroutines, code optimization, and formula translation.
Adele Goldberg
Some of the world’s most used programming languages are influenced by Adele Goldberg. Adele was born in 1945 and grew up to become a computer scientist who created much of the documentation for the reflective programming language Smalltalk-80. That language in particular introduced the programming environment of overlapping windows on graphic display screens in the 1970s. Adele was involved in creating software design templates, with some guiding the development of the Apple Macintosh desktop environment. On top of her work, Adele was the president of the Association for Computing Machinery from 1984 to 1986. Nowadays, Adele is a member of the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies Scientific Advisory Board.
Katherine Johnson
NASA wouldn’t be where it is today without the help of Katherine Johnson. Katherine was born in 1918 and became a mathematician. Katherine used her math skills to help confirm the accuracy of electronic computers used by NASA and performed critical calculations, which in turn, ensured safe space travel from the 1950s and beyond. Afterward, Katherine went on to co-author a research report that used equations for orbital spaceflight in 1960. In 1961, she performed trajectory analysis for the first human space flight and worked on calculations for Project Apollo's Lunar Lander, the Space Shuttle, and the Earth Resources Satellite. Katherine received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.
Stephanie Shirley
Society wouldn’t have pushed forward as fast with women in IT and computer programming if Stephanie Shirley hadn’t followed her passion. Stephanie was born in 1933 in Germany and in 1962, she launched her software firm, Freelance Programmers, where she initially only employed women after having experienced sexism at her previous workplace. One of the firm’s most notable projects was the development of the black box flight recorder for the supersonic Concorde, a British passenger airline. Through her foundation called The Shirley Foundation, she focuses on funding projects related to the IT field.
These are just a few women who have made great contributions to the world of Computer Science. Stay tuned for more inspiring women on a later blog.