Despite still being considered a male-dominated universe, the number of women in science has grown significantly. According to data from the National Institute for Studies and Educational Research Anísio Teixeira (Inep), between 2010 and 2021, the number of female students who completed higher education courses in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics increased by 96%, jumping from 37,005 to 72,791.

In the two decades, the number of women enrolled in these courses also grew, from 108,522 to 242,275, an increase of 132%. This phenomenon affects all areas of scientific knowledge, including computing. This is important because, since the advent of personal computers in the 1970s, they have been seen as a male specialty. But it’s not quite so.

Even before computers as we know them today existed, many women contributed to calculating machines, as well as to the creation of technology we use daily, such as Bluetooth. Unfortunately, however, they have been hidden from our history, despite their important contributions. That’s why today you’ll learn about five women who revolutionized the world of computing.

Women in Science: Stories to Inspire

Hedy Lamarr

• Born as Hedwig Eva Marie Kiesler, the Austrian Hedy Lamarr was a Hollywood star. In addition to her successes on the silver screen, she was one of the inventors of wireless internet, Wi-Fi. During World War II, she invented, in partnership with George Anthiel, a device to interfere with radio signals to evade Nazi radars.

Ada Lovelace

• Considered the first programmer in history, Augusta Ada Byron King, also called Countess of Lovelace or Ada Lovelace, was an English mathematician and writer who lived in the 19th century. She translated an article about the mathematician Charles Babbage and his calculating machine “The Analytical Engine,” making her own notes, including an algorithm to be processed by machines – considered the first computer program.

Grace Hopper

• Have you ever heard of computer bugs? The term was coined by a woman named Grace Hopper. The American was the first woman to graduate from Yale University with a PhD in mathematics, as well as the first admiral of the United States Navy. Legend has it that Grace solved a data processing problem by removing a moth nesting inside a computer. With that, she “debugged” or removed an “insect,” which became synonymous with fixing malfunctions.

Stephanie Steve

• At 90 years old, Vera Buchthal in Dortmund is known as Stephanie Shirley and Steve Shirley. That’s because the scientist had the habit of signing her letters with a male name so that her gender wouldn’t hinder business and potential contracts for her company. She noticed that when she signed as Shirley, she often received no response.

Aware of the discrimination women faced in the field of information technology, she decided that her company would preferably hire women. Especially if her employees had people under their supervision. In addition to her business work, Shirley is known for her philanthropic work, focusing, among other topics, on autism.

Katie Bouman

• At 29, American Katie Bouman was the first person to capture an image of a black hole, solving some of the main mysteries of astronomy, in 2019. It took four years of work, during which Katie led 200 other scientists. To capture the image, she developed an algorithm called CHIRP. The technology was able to combine all the images obtained by the eight telescopes around the world (which, when combined, form a virtual telescope the size of Earth) to create the final product. Currently, Katie Bouman is an assistant professor of computer science at the California Institute of Technology, where she researches computational methods for image generation.

Girls in Network

Just as these women revolutionized science, the Ramacrisna Institute believes that more girls can find their place in the field through the Girls in Network project. In this initiative, students learn logistical programming concepts, including variables and functions, decision and control commands, repetition loops, and databases, as well as develop mobile applications and functional websites according to current market standards, using languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

The course also includes an educational robotics module. Using the professional Lego kit, students develop creativity and reasoning through the assembly and programming of robots, using programming logic techniques and fundamentals, through lines of code and commands, which give movement and life to the robots they create.

During classes, they are also introduced to women who have revolutionized science. Course instructor Dâmares Amorim explains why these profiles are part of the curriculum. “We show several references of women who stand out in the field of technology during the classes, as examples and inspiration, and also to break existing prejudices, showing and teaching our students that technology is also our place,” she says.

The instructor herself is an example of how inspiration can transform one’s future. It was within Ramacrisna that she developed an interest in the programming field, which led her to study Systems Analysis in college. Today, Dâmares understands that she is a role model for the girls. “But we also had other women teachers as references, who played a fundamental role and served as current examples, born right here in the FabLab, like Jennifer, who was a Girls in Network student and became a programming intern and now teaches the course she once took, as well as Professor Rebeca who started here at the Institute and now works as a CAD drafter at Arcelormittal,” she says.

Investing so that girls and women can play leading roles in scientific spaces is of utmost importance to transform lives. In this way, it is possible to expand horizons and achieve the long-awaited equity.

Ramacrisna’s greatest achievement is seeing girls and boys building their future and transforming the reality in which they live. Become a sponsor of the Institute’s projects that promote equal opportunities. To clarify doubts about the Girls in Network program or learn more about our activities, please contact us.