Today is Ada Lovelace Day, a day to celebrate women and girls in technology and science. It is in honor of Ada Lovelace, who is often credited with writing the first computer program.
The only child of the poet Lord Byron and Anne Isabella Milbanke, Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace was born on December 10, 1815. As a young adult she took an interest in mathematics, and in particular Charles Babbage’s work on the analytical engine.
She translated an article by Italian mathematician Luigi Menabrea on the engine, which she supplemented with a set of notes of her own. These notes contain an algorithm encoded for processing by a machine, i.e. the first computer program. The notes were published in The Ladies Diary and Taylor’s Scientific Memoirs under the initials “A.A.L.”
The computer language “Ada” is named after Lovelace. Since 1998, the British Computer Society has awarded a medal in her name and in 2008 initiated an annual competition for women students of computer science.
Ada Lovelace is a wonderful role model for girls (and boys!) interested in science and technology. Despite gains by women, social factors still play a role in holding women back in science, technology, engineering and math – the STEM fields. A new report by AAUW presents evidence that can help explain the STEM gender gap. The report, which looked at recent research on the topic, found the stereotype that boys are better than girls in math and science still negatively affects the performance of girls in these fields. Stereotypes can lower girls’ performance in STEM subjects and reduce their interest in pursuing science or engineering jobs.
This March 24, think about how you can encourage the girls in your life to pursue their educational interests and believe in their math and science abilities. A lot of other blogs are celebrating in style today, too: Jono Bacon has highlighted ten women making strides in the technology field and Mikell Taylor has posted a great tribute to women in robotics. Thank you, Ada Lovelace, for paving the way!