KSL Resources for Women in Tech Initiative

The untold history of women and computing: how pioneering women succeeded in a field shaped by gender biases. Today, women earn a relatively low percentage of computer science degrees and hold proportionately few technical computing jobs. Meanwhile, the stereotype of the male "computer geek" seems to be everywhere in popular culture. Few people know that women were a significant presence in the early decades of computing in both the United States and Britain. Indeed, programming in postwar years was considered woman's work (perhaps in contrast to the more manly task of building the computers themselves).

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Of the 1586 lunar craters that have been named to honour scientists and philosophers, only 28 honor a woman. Who were these women? What has happened to make women "deserve" such a singular lack of recognition? This book recounts their lives and achievements. In one way or another, these were remarkable women. Some were awarded a Nobel Prize, others were female astronauts, and others funded scientific projects. Most readers will only know a few of them if at all,but their exemplary lives are inspiring. Along the way, the book explains some of the science, and provides interesting facts about the Moon, enhancing appreciation and understanding of science throughthese individual stories.

Today the image of the scientist is still that of a white man in a white lab coat. This book questions this stereotype and the assumption that the practitioners of science and engineering have a uniform look and follow one particular path through life. The scientists and engineers featured in this book are all women. They come from different races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. They have different sexual orientations. Some have disabilities. The core of this important book is 88 profiles with photographs of women scientists and engineers whose diversity is stunning. Journeys of Women in Science and Engineering includes research scientists and engineers in areas from biochemistry to mathematics, from neuroscience to computer science, from animal science to civil engineering. It includes those who have made careers in public service -- people like Dr. Joycelyn Elders, the recent U.S. Surgeon General; Dr. Susan Love, the breast cancer activist; and Rhea L. Graham, the first woman and first African American director of the Bureau of Mines. It includes Nobel Prize winners, beginning assistant professors, division directors of corporations, and even an engineering school dean. Each profile is personal and accessible. Each woman talks about how she got into science or engineering, her enthusiasm for the work she does, her work environment, and discrimination she may have encountered. The women also talk frankly about their families or partners and about other aspects of their lives. The indexes by field of specialty make it easy for the reader to compare the life stories of, for example, all the chemical engineers or all the mathematicians. There is also an index by employment sector. The book begins with a thorough introduction to the history of women in science and engineering.