Adalab is all about women programmers!
Created by Ester Legaz and Inés P.pino
Four generations of Adalabers are already on their way to become feminine references within the IT sector. Four generations supervised by four exceptional women for their lives, their contributions and for their fights. Each promotion in Adalab chooses a relevant woman (following the alphabet) in the fields of science and technology to “represent” them. All these women are of vital importance for all Adalabers. They inspire and encourage us to continue fighting to break the gender gap. We present them briefly below:
Ada Lovelace
It is the inspirational figure behind the creation of Adalab.
Born in 1815, she is considered the first computer programmer in history -you have read it correctly, 1815! Lovelace created an algorithm to be processed by a machine, although computers did not exist at that moment. However, she was highly criticized throughout the years because of her “limited mathematical knowledge”. Nowadays, she is a really important reference to reduce the gender gap in the IT sector.
Borg
Anita Borg was an American computer scientist who fought to increase the presence of women in technology. One of her goals was to achieve absolute equality in the computing sector by 2020. In fact, she was the founder of the Institute for Women and Technology, a nonprofit organization to help women develop in this sector.
Clarke
Does the movie “The Imitation Game” ring a bell? Nothing? Well, Clarke was a brilliant student from an early age. Although she obtained a double degree in mathematics at Cambridge, she did not hold the title until 1948, for the simple fact of being a woman. Her role was crucial in deciphering Enigma, *THE* Nazis’ code during World War II. Despite having a similar role to her colleagues and becoming a deputy director, she was paid less and her professional career stopped due to her gender.
Dorcas
Graduated in Computer Science with several specializations (wireless networks, radio-communication, among others), with only 24 years of age, she founded OpenWorld, a software consultancy that is currently a very important open source center in Africa. She is the fifteenth person to be honored “honoris causa” — and the second woman! — by the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF). She also created AfChix, similar to Adalab, which seeks the participation of women in the IT sector, providing advice and guidance.
Now we have the important task to decide who will represent our generation. Some names are starting to sound familiar to us, as Evelyn Berezin, Annie Easley, Alexandra Elbakyan, Erna Schneider, Thelma Estrin or Elena García Armada. All of them are strong women who do have something to say about the importance of women in IT.
Who will become the 5th mentor, the one who will look after the “E” generation?
