Results for: pioneers in tech
Pioneers in Tech: Mary Allen Wilkes, first to WFH with a computer
Remote work has long been common in the tech industry, even pre-coronavirus, but it had to start somewhere. After all, you couldn’t exactly squeeze an ENIAC in the spare bedroom. That’s why the story of Mary Allen Wilkes remains relevant...
Pioneers in Tech: Elizabeth “Jake” Feinler’s domain names
The use of .com, .edu, .org, etc., is so commonplace you might not have contemplated its origin story. But someone had to make sense of what became the internet—and that someone is Elizabeth “Jake” Feinler, who managed the internet’s host...
Pioneers in Tech: Frances Allen, first female Turing Award winner
Legendary IBM computer scientist Frances Allen, who passed away on her 88th birthday in August 2020, is an exemplary technology pioneer to recognize during Women’s History Month. Allen grew up on a dairy farm and attended a one-room school in...
Pioneers in Tech: The first African American PhD in Computer Science
The contributions of the Black community to technology history are only just beginning to be recognized, with “hidden figures” such as NASA’s Katherine Johnson finally receiving the accolades they deserve. Another tech pioneer that should be a household name is...
Pioneers in Tech: The ENIAC Six
On Feb. 14, 1946, John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert unveiled one of the U.S. Army’s best-kept secrets of World War II: the ENIAC. The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer was built behind closed doors in a restricted area at...
Pioneers in Tech: First PhD in Computer Science was a sister act
Here’s a bit of trivia to wow your friends: The first woman (and the second person in the United States) to earn a PhD in computer science was a Roman Catholic nun. Sister Mary Kenneth Keller earned her doctorate from...
Pioneers in Tech: Evelyn Berezin, Word Processing Trailblazer
The story of Evelyn Berezin’s decision to start the Redactron Corporation begins with one of those anecdotes that seems unbelievable today. The computer programmer had received a prestigious job offer from the New York Stock Exchange—only to have the offer...
Pioneers in Tech: Becky Bace, the “Den Mother of Computer Security”
Picture a “cybersecurity expert” in your mind, and then catch yourself if you imagine a stereotype. Not every cybersecurity expert is a white male—as proven by the influence and impact of Rebecca “Becky” Bace, an intrusion detection pioneer who passed...
Pioneers in Tech: Radia Perlman and the Spanning Tree Algorithm
You may not have heard of the “Spanning Tree Algorithm,” but it’s the backbone of the Ethernet technology we enjoy and rely upon today. The algorithm, also known as the “Spanning Tree Protocol” or STP, was the brainchild of Radia...
Pioneers in Tech: Hedy Lamarr, Hollywood’s Golden Age Inventor
Even if you’re not an old movie buff, the name Hedy Lamarr likely conjures images of glamorous red carpets, camera flashes, and the Hollywood sign. After all, Lamarr captivated audiences of the 1930s and 1940s with her beauty—even serving as...
