This article salutes some of the first, best, groundbreaking, utterly badass, world-changing women of STEM from the past two hundred years.

Ada Lovelace: Prophetess of Modern Computing

1815-1852

When Charles Babbage designed the Analytical Engine, few people understood it. That’s where Ada Lovelace came in, basically schooling every scientist of her time on the potential of modern computing.

She recognized Babbage’s machine could be more than just a calculation engine. A visionary, she believed its functionality could be applied to words, pictures, and music. In other words, she foretold modern computing.

If that weren’t enough, she also wrote the first computer program to go with it, using looping and conditional branching techniques still in use today.

Marie Curie. Because science.

1867-1934

No discussion of groundbreaking women of STEM would be complete without mentioning two-time Nobel prize winner Marie Curie.

Curie (along with her husband Pierre Curie) discovered two elements: polonium and radium. Her work forms the basis for x-ray technology and cancer treatments which have saved countless lives.

Not content to just be the first lady of science, she also began a prize-winning science dynasty: her daughter Irene Joliot-Curie won the Nobel prize in 1935. And Marie’s granddaughter, Hélène Langevin-Joliot, is a nuclear physicist who still consults for the French government today.

Lillian Moller Gilbreth, Industrial Engineering Pioneer

1878-1972

Perhaps you grew up watching or reading Cheaper by the Dozen, the story of twelve kids growing up with efficiency-expert-parents — but you might not have realized the real-life scientist behind the story was Lillian Moller Gilbreth.

Gilbreth has been called a “genius in the art of living.” An engineer and doctor in psychology, and considered to be the first industrial/organizational psychologist, she took her knowledge of the scientific process and combined it with her husband’s passion for efficiency. Together, they revolutionized industrial engineering. Her daughter later wrote a book on how they applied that knowledge to their family life, which was made into the film you know and love today.

Gilbreth was the first to meld psychology, the scientific method, and industrial design — giving rise to entirely new disciplines. This science is at the forefront of making our work and play better, and we have her to thank for that.

Grace Hopper, Because Necessity is the Mother of Modern Computing Language

1906-1992

Many people don’t realize it was women who were at the forefront of early programming. One of these women was Dr. Grace Murray Hopper.

In those days, programming required heavy math skills, something many businessmen didn’t possess. Hopper envisioned a user-friendly computer language which would make it possible for businessmen to program. FLOW-MATIC was born.

FLOW-MATIC is not just a great name for a rap album—it was the first English-like data processing language. Her work gave rise to COBOL, a computer programming language designed for use in commerce, which is still in use today.

Hedy Lamarr, Technology Ninja

1914-2000

If you’re reading this article on your Bluetooth-enabled tablet over WiFi, you can thank Hedy Lamarr.

Many people know her as a sultry 1930s film star, but she was also an inventor. Self-taught, she was the sort of nerd who would rather stay home inventing than attend a Hollywood party — even though she most certainly had invites to all of those Hollywood parties.

At the beginning of World War II, she came up with the idea of using frequency-hopping to keep Axis powers from intercepting communications. This technology matured into the Bluetooth and WiFi we use to this day! Her ideas have improved everything from television, to printers, to those in-home virtual assistants we’re finally getting. All because of the glamorous Hedy Lamarr.

Erna Hoover, Revolutionary Software Designer

1926-

You may not know her name, but Erna Hoover revolutionized the communications industry — while she was on maternity leave.

After earning her Ph.D at Yale, Mrs. Hoover took a job at Bell Labs. A few short years later, while in the hospital recuperating from the birth of her second daughter, she had an epiphany.

You see, up until then, phone systems were hardwired and frequently became overloaded. Hoover envisioned a way to use software to manage it — basically revolutionizing modern communications.

Hoover received one of the first software patents ever for her design, and the principles of her invention are still in use today.

Roma Agrawal: Tomorrow’s Engineer, Today.

1983-

Roma Agrawal is only at the beginning of what is becoming an illustrious career in Structural Engineering. Only 35 years of age, Agrawal has already worked on major projects like London’s Shard.

Born in Ithaca and raised in Mumbai, Agrawal came to London to complete her degree. Since then, she’s built a towering list of achievements, including Young Structural Engineer of the Year.

Though women comprise only 8% of engineers in the UK, Agrawal is working to change that. With a long career still ahead of her, she’s one to watch in the coming years.

The Next 200 Years

The world is better because of the work of these women — women who’ve challenged stereotypes and entered fields previously dominated by men. They came with their own fresh insight, bringing new understanding into existing fields. Whether it’s by combining disciplines, or by making unparalleled contributions, they’ve given rise to the tools and technologies indispensable in today’s world.

Rock on, women of STEM.

The post These Women Built Your Wifi: A Salute To The Historical Women In STEM appeared first on HER Magazine ™.

• A coding studio where kids use robotics and custom-built apps to learn about electrical circuits.
• A music studio where kids learn how to create and record music and spin records like a DJ.
• A film studio where kids learn filmmaking techniques, in addition to editing videos.
• A fashion studio where kids learn to sew by hand or machine to create shirts, hats, dresses, or whatever they can imagine.
• A bread making studio where kids learn how to mix, knead, rise, add spices, and bake.

But, there’s something else that sets Steve and Kate’s Camp apart from other camps. Mike Saperstine, a partner at Steve & Kate’s Camp, says, “When we ask campers what they like most about the camp, the answer, overwhelmingly, is that they like Steve & Kate’s because they feel free.” While the activities have changed over the course of 38 years, Saperstein says campers continue to love the level of freedom and flexibility offered by the camp.

“The fundamental value of trusting kids to choose for themselves is the single most important part of our camp.” Saperstein says kids tell them that they like having the freedom to make their own choices. “It’s been our observation over 37 years that what is learned through kids experimenting at their own pace while having access to learning tools is profoundly different than going through a lesson plan.”

This type of setting provides a different type of experience. “Children are more invested, more creative, and learn intangible things, like to trust themselves and gain confidence in their ability to figure things out.”

And parents also love the flexibility of Steve & Kate’s compared to traditional camps. “They love the fact that they can buy any number of day passes, use them anytime, and get full automatic refunds for any leftover passes at the end of summer,” Saperstine explains. As a result, kids can be enrolled for a day, a week, a month, or whatever fits the family’s schedule.

Camp activities

This year, Circuit Cubes joins the camp. Nate MacDonald is the president and CEO of Circuit Cubes. He tells HER Magazine, “Circuit Cubes are electronic building blocks that teach kids the basics of circuitry while they are engaged in creative STEM play.” The cubes can be used in a variety of applications. “Kids learn how to complete circuits to light an LED, power a geared motor, and how serial and parallel circuits create different effects in their projects.” Since Circuit Cubes can be integrated with LEGOs, the possibilities are endless.

MacDonald was drawn to Steve & Kate’s because the kids are allowed to explore and be creative. “Kids are completely in charge of what they create while playing with Circuit Cubes, which contributes to the camp’s environment of encouraging the natural ways that kids learn.”

Currently, the kids can use the parts and materials to build four projects:

• The Scribblebot plays with chance and physics to help kids make cool art pieces. They learn to control the bot as they use it, gradually understanding its mechanics while they have fun.
• The hand-cranked flashlight is a sneaky fun way to teach how electricity actually works, as the LED will only turn on when kids spin the wheel in a certain direction; it doesn’t work in both directions. We’ve found that kids will experiment with the different directions to figure out which is the correct way to make their flashlight turn on.
• Our DIY race car project uses all three Cubes (Motor, Battery, and LED) to create a base vehicle chassis that can be modified as the young maker wants depending on his or her imagination that day.
• The gobo spotlight uses an LED Cube and Battery Cube to shine a light through images that kids draw or stencil on themselves. The light can be projected onto a wall — just like when Batman’s ready to save Gotham City!

Macdonald says that Circuit Cubes are ideally for kids between the ages of 5-12, but he’s discovered that regardless of age, everyone seems to enjoy tinkering with them.

The camps are thoughtfully designed for maximum effectiveness. “When choosing activities, we aim to have a balance of indoor, outdoor, mellow and high energy activities,” Saperstine explains. In addition to the 5 creative studios, campers can also choose to participate in indoor and outdoor play like game rooms, blocks, sports, and imaginative play.

In addition to the regular offerings, Steve and Kate’s also springs a few surprises on the campers. “Each day, we bring out special equipment meant to dazzle the kids and give them a chance to play with the equipment they may not otherwise get to play with,” Saperstine explains.   “In our line up, we have things like Zorbs (inflatable hamster wheels), water slides, inflatable soccer stadiums and Actev smart-kart (go-karts).”

Mentorship program

Steve & Kate’s also has a mentorship program for kids that are too old to be campers, but too young to serve as counselors. Saperstine says they wanted to understand what teenagers considered to be important, and discovered that they wanted the camp experiences, but also wanted to develop leadership and other skills. “So, we developed a mentorship program in which teens get mentored by our counselors on some of the important lessons in being a good leader like empathy and understanding various situations.”

The teens help younger campers, which provides an opportunity to practice what they’ve learned. But, Saperstine says, “Their days are wide open though, so whenever they want to make a beat with their friends in the music studio, they are welcome to at any time!”

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