Women have made many important and
fascinating contributions to science and technology. When asked to name a woman
scientist, however, too often the only woman people can think of is Marie
Curie. She is of course a very important part of women’s history in science,
but she’s only one of many women influencing science and engineering!
To celebrate Women’s History Month
and help kick off the STS blog, this is the first of three posts about women in
science & technology who are not Marie Curie. For this series,
members of our STS faculty have chosen women in science and technology – both
historical and contemporary – who they think are worth our attention. In this
post, we share three women in science and technology who helped make history.
Ada Lovelace – selected by Erica
Haugtvedt
Ada Lovelace wrote arguably the
first computer program for Charles Babbage’s hypothetical mechanical computer,
the “analytical engine.” She was the only legitimate daughter of George Gordon,
Lord Byron, the famous Romantic poet, peer, and politician. Lovelace’s parents
separated when she was an infant; the estrangement was bitter. Lovelace’s
mother, herself considered a youthful prodigy in mathematics, committed herself
to educating Lovelace in mathematics and science as an antidote against Byron’s
poetic influence. Lovelace, however, remained attached to the legacy of her
father and would not only name he...