Think computer science is a field designed for, and by, men? Think again! In this segment, which aired this morning on NPR, we learn that the one of the biggest pioneers of computer programming was actually a woman named Ada Lovalace!
Long before the invention of electronic computers, Lovelace was a mathematician, born in 1815 who, predicted the creation of a machine that could not just do complex math equations, but also handle words, music, images and more.
Years after her death, her extensive notes were studied by the people who made the first computers.
In the 1940s, female mathematicians created the programs for the first completely electronic general-purpose computers. Only when these programs started to gain attention did men take over in the field.
The percentage of women in the computer science fields has dropped from 40 percent to 17 percent over time. We would love to be a part of that change!
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