Hypatia, Hedwig Lamarr & Grace Hopper. See details.
A toile tribute to 5 historic women of math and computer science: Evelyn Granville, Ada Lovelace, Hypatia, Hedwig Lamarr & Grace Hopper. Evelyn Boyd Granville (1924-) was the second African-American woman in the U.S. to earn a doctorate in Mathematics, in 1949, from Yale University (Euphemia Haynes earned hers in 1943). Granville's early work was developing the computer programs used for trajectory analysis for both the Mercury and Apollo space missions. During her long tenure at the University of Texas, she concentrated on elementary school math enrichment programs. Ada Lovelace (1815 - 1852) is credited as the first person to write a computer program, an algorithm written for the Analytical Engine, a mechanical computer created by Charles Babbage. She believed in "poetical science" and this outlook led to examining how individuals and society relate to technology, making her also, perhaps, the first new-media theorist. The daughter of Lord Byron, Ada led a colorful, inventive life before dying of cancer at the age of 36. Hypatia of Alexandria (370-415) was a philosopher, astronomer and mathematician. She taught at the Museum of Alexandria and is credited with teaching the significance of conic sections to the understanding of orbits and navigation. She, with her student Synesius, developed the plane astrolabe and hydroscope. She was a popular lecturer drawing students from all the known world until she was killed by a mob in 415. In true toile fashion, An ornate Astrolabe is featured. These were used for astronomy and navigation. Hedwig Lamarr (1914-2000) was not only a beautiful movie star and pin-up favorite, she was also an inventor. An Austrian refugee, she was interested in munitions technology and helping the war effort against the Nazis. It was this that led her to develop (with composer George Antheil) "spread spectrum radio" - frequency hopping signals that could avoid interference and detection. Years ahead of its time, it was the precursor to today's Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and cell phone networks. She created other inventions, too, including a reflective dog collar. Grace Hopper (1906-1992) was an early computer scientist and decorated United States Navy rear admiral. A pioneer in the field, she developed COBOL (COmmon Business-Oriented Language) the first compiler, or modern computer language. She is also credited with coining the term "debugging" for fixing programming issues, based on an actual moth she retrieved from a relay (and carefully taped into her logbook). Illustrations, based on multiple historic sources, by Eleanor Ramsay. ©2014. This print may only be used for editorial, educational and non-commercial projects.