The Top 5 Women In Technology

Meet the "First Programmer", the mother of COBOL and more

When it comes to technological advances, there is no one to thank. Over the centuries, many people have contributed to various aspects of computer science, resulting in the wonderful tools we use today.

These five women have proven themselves over time through their achievements in the industry. From computer programming to Internet rocket trajectories, we might not be where we are today without all the women on this list.

Ada Lovelace

Ada Lovelace (1815–1852) studied mathematics, which was rare for women of the time. But it was these studies that caused him to be called "the first programmer".

After meeting Charles Babbage in 1833 and seeing him in a demonstration, Lovelace became fascinated with how the Analytical Engine worked. Of course, the machine was considered a mathematical and scientific tool at the time.

However, Lovelace believed that the machine could do more than just calculations. In his many notes and remarks, he explored how people and society can engage with technology as a collective tool. Ada Lovelace developed the first machine-executable algorithm.

Your best and wisest defense against all problems lies in your science.

In 2009, Ada Lovelace Day was established to celebrate the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Events are held around the world every year on the second Tuesday of October to encourage women to pursue careers in these fields.

Although some dispute that she is called the "first female programmer," Ada Lovelace's contribution to technology was significant, especially for a woman of her time.

Grace Murray Hopper

Grace Murray Hopper (1906-1992) was a Naval Reserve admiral who served as the lead mathematician on the UNIVAC1 team and is known as the "mother of Cobol".

After studying at Vassar College and Yale University, Hopper developed the first programming language compiler, created the Math-Matic and Flow-Matic programming languages with his team, and then defined Cobol, the computer language still used in systems today.

Hopper worked with Howard Aiken to design the Mark 1, program the computer and write a 500-page owner's manual. As a soldier, he and his team used missile trajectories, mine development and range maps for the new weapons in their calculations.

I was told that computers can only calculate.

It was adopted by the National Bureau of Standards (now known as NIST) and also developed standards for testing computer systems and components.

Hopper received the National Medal of Technology, was named a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for services to computer science.

Grace Murray Hopper's many achievements paved the way for many industries as we know them today. From the military to technology, he has received international recognition for his work.

Sister Mary Kenneth Keller

Sister Mary Kenneth Keller (1913–1985) was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in computer science and developed the BASIC (Universal Symbolic Instruction Code for Beginners) programming language.

Keller began his technology journey in Chicago, Illinois. He attended DePaul University and received a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1943 and a master's degree in mathematics and physics in 1953. He then worked at the National Science Foundation's Computing Center Workshop. Along with John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz, Keller developed BASIC.

Before BASIC was created, only mathematicians and scientists could program software. BASIC became a revolutionary language that allowed anyone to create their own software.

For the first time we can mechanistically model the cognitive process.

Keller founded the computer science department at Clark College Catholic School for Women. She strongly believed in women's participation in IT and was known for her support and encouragement of working mothers.

Clark College established the Mary Kenneth Keller Scholarship in Computing and the Keller Computing Center to support staff and students.

Without Sister Mary Kenneth Keller, who created the BASIC programming language and believed that computers should be for everyone, we might not have achieved what we have in computers today.

Catherine Johnson

Katherine Johnson (1918–2020) had a brilliant mind that enabled her to accomplish the remarkable feat of performing manual calculations for NASA, its missions, and its astronauts.

Johnson resigned his teaching position in 1939 to attend West Virginia State College as one of three African-American students chosen to teach. He received a degree in mathematics and French.

After graduating from high school and starting a family, he heard about open positions at NACA's (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Western Area Informatics Department. Johnson took the job, began working in the Flight Research Division's Maneuver Collection Division, and then spent years analyzing flight test data.

With the launch of the Soviet Sputnik satellite in 1957, Johnson's career took a turn and he eventually assumed a prominent role. He analyzed the trajectory of Alan Shepard's Freedom 7 in 1961 and wrote a report with engineer Ted Skopinski entitled Azimuth Angles in Burnout for Placement of a Satellite Over a Selected Earth Position.

The report "worked out the equations describing orbital spaceflight that determine the spacecraft's landing position." Johnson was the first woman to receive credit for writing an investigative report for Flight Research.

Love what you do and then you will do your best.

After NACA became NASA, and in 1962 when John Glenn was preparing for the Friendship 7 mission, computers were programmed with the equations needed for takeoff and landing. However, the team wasn't particularly confident in the cars at the time. Glenn then called Johnson over to his desk to manually fill in the same equations.

Needless to say, the mission was a success and marked a point in space between the US and the Soviet Union.

Katherine Johnson is also known for her calculations for the Apollo Lunar Module, space shuttle, and earth resources satellite. He is also the author and co-author of 26 scientific reports. Johnson's analytical mind, contributions to NASA, and dedication to his work have earned him a place on this list.

Radio Perlman

Radia Perlman (born 1951) is a programmer and network engineer whose talents and achievements brought one of the world's most beloved technologies to the world today: the Internet.

Perlman attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received bachelor's and master's degrees in mathematics and his Ph.D. in Computer Science his PhD thesis was "Identifying Malicious Network Errors in Environments", which is the basis of what we see today.

After the publication of Perlman Bolt, Beren and Newman, Inc. (BBN) started at the company, but soon moved to Digital Equipment Corporation. It was then that he invented the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), a network-secure network protocol necessary for the operation of network bridges.

I always thought sending Ethernet packets was a bad idea.

Perlman later helped develop the DECnet IV and V and IS-IS protocols, contributed to the Connectionless Network Protocol (CLNP), and worked with Jacob Rechter in developing network routing standards. He worked as a network engineer at Oracle (originally Sun Microsystems), specializing in network and security protocols, and holds over 50 patents.

Radia Perlman was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame in 2014 along with the 2016 National Inventors Hall of Fame and has received numerous awards and honors. Radia Perlman is not called the "mother of the Internet" for nothing.

For more information, see The most important women in video game history.