Women’s History Month
by Anny Tadros
There are numerous famous women in history that we know of and celebrate, in areas such as science, human rights, culture, and politics. Such women include Marie Curie, Amelia Earhart, Harriet Tubman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Maya Angelou, and so many others who have made countless breakthroughs and have had a huge impact on the way our world is today. However, this article will cover the more underrated and lesser-known women in history who have also left their marks in important ways.
Ada Lovelace
Ada Lovelace (Dec. 10, 1815 – Nov. 27, 1852) was a mathematician and writer from England, who is considered to be the first computer programmer. She was the daughter of the poet Lord Byron and had a great interest in logic and math. She studied with many scientists throughout the course of her life, including Charles Babbage, who is considered to be the father of computers. Her works were inspired by the works of Babbage, and she made a set of notes vital to the development of today’s computers. One of her notes was about the “first computer program,” which included an algorithm that machines could implement. She realized that computers were able to follow simple directions and perform compound calculations, although her discoveries weren’t put into play at that time. It is said that her IQ of 160 was analogous to Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.
Katherine Johnson (Coleman)
Katherine Johnson (Aug. 26, 1918 – Feb. 24, 2020) was a mathematician who helped with NASA’s development of the journey to the moon. Her interest in and facility with numbers was apparent in her childhood, and she started attending high school at the age of 10. She graduated from West Virginia State University at 18. She then worked in the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics’ West Area Computing Unit, where she and other women would perform the complex calculations necessary in engineering. Five years later in 1958, this facility changed to become NASA, and 2 years after that, Johnson became the first woman to receive credit for being a coauthor of a NASA research report. Later on in her career, she wrote about 25 more. She played a role in other space missions: her calculation for the path of Freedom 7 allowed the first astronaut in space, and her work helped to launch Apollo 11. She died in 2020 at the age of 101.
Althea Gibson
Althea Gibson (Aug. 25, 1927 – Sept. 28, 2003) was a tennis and golf player. She was the first African American tennis player to participate in the U.S. National Championships in 1950 and the first African American to play at Wimbledon in 1951. As a child, she loved playing sports. She didn’t do very well in her academics and skipped school often, but she continued to play and excel in tennis, until the musician Buddy Walker noticed her skills and had her play on local courts. She was introduced to the Harlem River Tennis Courts in 1941, after winning local tournaments and proving she was skilled. She won 10 championships from 1947-1956, and attended Florida A&M University through a sports scholarship. She won both the women’s singles and doubles in Wimbledon in ‘57, and later switched to golf and again became the first Black woman to compete on the pro tour, switching back to tennis soon after. She retired in 1971 and died in 2003.
Grace Hopper
Grace Hopper (Dec. 9,1906 – Jan.1,1992) was a mathematician, computer scientist, and U.S. Navy rear admiral. When she was young, she had a great interest in learning and engineering. At the age of seven, she would take apart items such as clocks and put them back together. She graduated from Vassar College with a bachelor’s degree, and later went to Yale and pursued a Master’s and PhD in mathematics. She resigned from her teaching position in 1943 and joined the Navy. A year later, she was given the role of lieutenant, and her team worked on a prototype of one of the earliest electronic computers. The term “bug,” describing a computer malfunction, was actually coined by Hopper. She wrote a manual on how to work a sequence-controlled calculator, and became a researcher with Harvard. She invented the first computer compiler and co-developed one of the first computer languages. She was then assigned Chief of Naval Operations, after which she was promoted to captain in 1973, commodore in 1983, admiral in 1985, and then was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Medal. She said her “greatest joy came from teaching,” and she continued with this occupation until her death in 1992.
Reflection & Final Thoughts
What I find interesting about these women is that their careers and their impact mainly derived from their interest in the topics as kids. For example, Katherine Johnson, Ada Lovelace, and Grace Hopper all had an early affinity for math and calculations, which really impacted the things that they were able to achieve. Even Althea Gibson, who didn’t do too well in school, still pursued an occupation that incorporated her skills and interests, and she continued to look for more things to do as she grew. I believe that these incredible ladies make it clear that you should incorporate the things that you love into your everyday life, and because they are your natural interests, you are more likely to have success, even if it’s just the opportunity to lead a fulfilling and rewarding life.
If you’d like to learn more about the famous women who made an impact on our world, I recommend going to the National Women’s History Museum Website. There, they have many articles and biographies on great women: https://www.womenshistory.org/
Read MorePi Day
by Jordin Lim
Another year, another Pi Day at Science Academy! Taking place Thursday, March 14th (3.14, of course), ASB hosted a highly successful Pi Day.
What is Pi Day? Read this article from last year for some irrationally fun Pi Day history!
https://www.thescienceacademystemmagnet.org/2023/03/22/pi-day-article/
Students enjoyed an extended lunch with fan-favorite festivities, such as a pie eating contest, carnival games, and the renowned throw-pie-at-teachers activity. Shout out to the students who, according to the accounts of Mr. Shepherd and Mr. Park, hit them square in the face, which was quite a challenge considering the wind!
The carnival games were a wonderful way to spend our lunch. Fellow students running the booths were bursting with energy and made the game-playing experience extra fun. But the cherry on top was the multitude of prizes I saw students return to class with. One of my classmates showed up to 5th period with a whole grocery bag of little stuffed animals!
Hungry? Well, there were also tables set up where ASB offered students refreshments, pre-ordered pizza, and of course, plenty of pie.
This year, the seniors presented the student body with a new game. With the opportunity of winning $50 and $25 gift cards, we were to get the signatures of as many seniors as possible, who were designated with signs and cool hats. I found this to be an incredible activity! This allowed students of all grade levels to get to know the seniors. I saw a ton of students running around, trying to find as many seniors as they could.
Even if all these activities didn’t catch your eye–though I’m not sure how they wouldn’t– the extended lunch was an excellent opportunity to play around with your friends. I saw plenty of students enjoying their lunch playing volleyball on the blacktop or football and soccer on the field. I can’t wait for next year’s Pi Day and all the fun activities ASB has in store, and I bet the student body can’t either!
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