In computer science, the efforts of tens of thousands of scientists, researchers and engineers have innovated and bought to us the technology that is so widely present in our lives. Amongst them, have been women who have played important parts in revolutionising and greatly advancing computer science. The following are a few of the women who are hugely important in the field.
Ada Lovelace (1815 - 1852) - very popular in the computer science field as she is considered the first computer programmer. Ada Lovelace was an English mathematician and writer. Lovelace realised that the Analytical Engine, which was initially a proposed mechanical general purpose computer designed by mathematician Charles Babbage, had potential applications that went deeper than mathematical calculations. Curiously, Lovelace was also arguing, at that time, against the possibility of AI.
Admiral Grace Hopper (1906 - 1992) - Doctor Rear Admiral Grace Hopper of the US Navy, in addition to being a highly venerated and decorated military officer, was also a programmer. In 1949, Dr Hopper joined the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation, developing the UNIVAC I Computer. She proposed development of a text-based programming language, however she was turned down. She proceeded to initiate work on compilers, including working with mathematical notation for conversion of English code into machine language. This lead her to eventually develop the programming language COBOL. In addition to this, she was also influential in developing databases, through her work on CODASYL.
Margaret Hamilton (1936 - Present) - with a degree in mathematics, Hamilton went on to work in software engineering. Working on the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment project at MIT, where she was involved in unifying and coordinating radar data, she was also involved in other similar projects. Hamilton later went on to work for NASA, working on the Apollo Guidance Computer which led to the successful landing of the Apollo 11. Hamilton also implemented multiple robust fail-safe systems which were particularly important.
