Women in Computer Science: Grace Hopper
- Zahrah Green
- Aug 15, 2022
- 2 min read
By Zahrah Green
Who She Was:
Grace Brewster Murray Hopper was a computer pioneer who also served as a naval officer. Yale awarded her a master's degree in mathematics in 1930 and a PhD in mathematics in 1934. Hopper, one of the first three modern "programmers," is best recognized for her pioneering contributions to computer language development. She was known for being irreverent, sharp-tongued, and smart, and she had long and influential careers in both the United States Navy and the commercial sector.
Where She Studied:
Grace Brewster Murray was born in New York City in 1906, the daughter of Walter Fletcher Murray and Mary Campbell Van Horne. She earned a Phi Beta Kappa degree in mathematics and physics from Vassar College in 1928. Hopper began teaching mathematics at Vassar while completing her PhD after getting her master's degree in mathematics from Yale. In 1934, she received her PhD in mathematics from Yale. During a one-year break from Vassar, Hopper studied at New York University with the renowned mathematician Richard Courant.
How She Impacted the Field of Computer Science:
After WWII, Hopper joined the Harvard faculty as a research fellow in 1949, and later joined the Eckert-Mauchly Corporation, where she continued her pioneering work in computer technology. Hopper was a key figure in the development of UNIVAC, the first all-electronic digital computer. She created the first computer compiler, a program that converts written instructions into computer-readable codes. This work led to her co-creation of COBOL, one of the first standardized computer languages.
Recognition:
Hopper became a well-recognized figure toward the end of her life. She was the recipient of more than 40 honorary degrees, and many scholarships, professorships, awards, and conferences are named in her honour. In 1972, she received Yale’s Wilbur Lucius Cross Medal and Hopper’s work with computers not only gained national attention but was recognized internationally. In 1973, Hopper was named a distinguished fellow of the British Computer Society, then the first and only woman to hold the title. In 1991 President George Bush awarded Hopper the National Medal of Technology, the nation’s highest technology award; she was the first woman to be so honoured as an individual.
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