Gladys West
Birth
October 27, 1930
Age
93 Years Old
Major Academic Events
Gladys West graduated her high school as valedictorian. She then attended Virginia State University with a full scholarship. She earned a degree in math in 1952, and a masters degree in 1955. After this, she taught mathematics in a segregated school in Virginia.
Contributions to Computer Science
Gladys West is best known for her work in developing GPS (Global Positioning System). She also became the project manager of Seasat, which showed that satellites could observe oceanographic data. This project proved invaluable in making accurate calculations from GPS satellites.
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gladys-West
https://ncwit.org/profile/gladys-west/
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-43812053
Timothy Berners-Lee
Birth
June 8, 1955
Age
68 Years Old
Major Academic Events
Timothy Berners-Lee, intrigued by electronics from a young age, pursued it as a hobby. Upon admission to Queen's College, Oxford University, in 1972, he opted for Physics to apply his scientific and mathematical aptitude. During his time there, he constructed his inaugural computer.
Contributions to Computer Science
Timothy Bernes-Lee o-authored "Weaving the Web" with Mark Fischetti, exploring the internet's past, present, and future. As a member of The Public Sector Transparency Board, he ensures accurate data accessibility. Serving as Director of the World Wide Web Foundation, he advocates for an open and freely accessible web. Berners-Lee pioneered Enquire, a program for storing information using hypertext, a technique widely used in file storage today. He is credited with establishing the World Wide Web, a network of interconnected webpages that is utilized by millions. For his contributions, he was honored with induction into the Internet Hall of Fame.
Sources
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tim-Berners-Lee
https://www.w3.org/People/Berners-
Lee
https://lemelson.mit.edu/resources/tim-
berners
Grace Hopper
Birth
December 9, 1906
Death
January 1, 1992
Major Academic Events
After graduating from Vassar College in 1928, she pursued her Ph.D. at Yale University, completing it in 1934. Returning to Vassar, she taught mathematics before joining the Naval Reserve in 1943. As a lieutenant, she worked on the Bureau of Ordnance's Computation Project at Harvard University starting in 1944.
Contributions to Computer Science
She contributed to the development of the initial large-scale automatic calculator, a precursor to electronic computers. Additionally, she authored "A Manual of Operation for the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator," the first-ever computer manual. She also pioneered the invention of the first computer language compiler and played a role in formulating naval applications for COBOL.
Sources
https://cpsc.yale.edu/grace-murray-hopper
https://www.biography.com/scientist/grace-hopper
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Grace-Hopper