Technology is one of the fields that traditionally has been dominated by men. However, if it was not for women such as Ada Lovelace, Radia Perlman, and others, tech would not be where it is today.

In this article, we find out more about 5 women who made important contributions to the world of technology.

Ada Lovelace

Augusta Ada King-Noel, Countess of Lovelace, and better known to modern audiences as Ada Lovelace, lived from 1815 until 1852. A skilled mathematician and writer, Lovelace is known as the prophet of the age of the computer.

Her most important contribution to technology was the work she did on Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, a mechanical computing machine that is widely regarded as an ancestor of the modern computer.

Sister Mary Kenneth Keller

Sister Mary Kenneth Keller was born in 1913, and she became a nun in 1930. Information technology really started taking off during the 1940s and 1950s, and Keller was quick to recognise its importance.

At the time, the field was not regarded as suitable for women. Keller challenged this, and she enrolled in mathematics and computer science studies. In 1965, she became the first woman to receive a PhD in computer science. This also made her one of the first two Americans to receive such a doctorate.

Radia Perlman

It is thanks to Radia Perlman that people can enjoy the thrilling action of online bingo in Australia and elsewhere. She is affectionately known as the mother of the internet because she is responsible for the algorithm that makes the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) possible.

The STP is an essential part of the foundation of the internet. Perlman insists that she was but one of many people who were involved in the creation and development of the worldwide web. A programmer and network engineer, she also has played in important role in other aspects of designing and standardising networks. One of her other important contributions was link-state routing protocols.

Grace Hopper

Known as the mother of computing, Grace Hopper worked as a programmer on the Mark 1 computer at the Harvard Computation Lab during her time in the Navy Reserve in the 1940s. She later transferred to the Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corp, where she worked as a senior mathematician.

There, she played a crucial role in the development of the UNIVAC I computer. Part of her contribution was the creation of the first compiler, as well as helping to develop COBOL. Hopper also came up with the idea that code is a language that can be written and read.

Annie Easley

Born in Alabama 1933, Annie Easley defied the odds and pursued her dream of getting a decent education. Her determination paid off, because she eventually became one of the first African Americans to be employed by NASA as a computer scientist.

She was an important member of the team responsible for developing software for the Centaur rocket stage. Easley also worked on energy conversion systems, such as developing code that made hybrid car batteries possible.