Women in STEM - Ada Lovelace
In this week's Women in STEM post, we celebrate the birth and contributions of Ms. Ada Lovelace.
Born Augusta Ada King, child of the poet Lord Byron, and the Countess of Lovelace, Ada Lovelace has since become the first lady of computer science.
It is believed (and argued) that Ada Lovelace created the world's first algorithm.
Her unmatched mathematical aptitude combined with a deep fear of inheriting her father's madness, kept her occupied and always pondering. She described her approach as, "poetical science," and considered herself an "analyst and metaphysician." She considered both fields to be "tools for exploring the unseen world around us."
Ada was the first to envision the capability of computers doing more than just number-crunching, and her detailed notes showed how she gave a ton of thought to how individuals and society relate to technology as a collaborative tool.
Ada's mentor and collaborator, Charles Babbage - called the "Father of the Computer" - referred to her as "The Enchantress of Number." And while there is some argument whether she or he may have been the first to come up with the first algorithm, it is very clear that Ada's computational thinking skills were decades ahead of the rest of the world.
Her notes and theories were tested over 100 years after her death, and proven solid.
Ada Lovelace Day is now celebrated on the 2nd Tuesday of October, and many Women in Tech initiatives throughout the world celebrate her life and accomplishments.
To even learn more:
