There have been many famous female scientists, but surprisingly few in the fields of computing and communications. Here are the ten most famous:
Ada Byron, Countess of Lovelace
Hertha Ayrton
Hedy Lamarr
Betsy Ancker-Johnson
Katharine Blodgett
Grace Hopper
Mina Rees
Erna Schneider Hoover
Mildred Dresselhaus
Randi Altschul
I found this very interesting. I'm ashamed to admit that the only two names I recognised on this list are Ada Lovelace - oldies like myself remember that the computer language ADA was named after her - and Hedy Lamarr, who as well as being a Hollywood film star was named on a patent for a technique that formed the basis for CDMA.
In my own field of RF and wireless I'd nominate Linda Katehi, one of the pioneers of RF MEMS, as worthy of a mention. But, as noted in Melanie's article this week on the skills shortage, it's sad that the numbers of women in electronics and IT are still so low even 21 years after WISE Year, and perhaps the lack of role models has something to do with this.
Helen Duncan