When computers were still the size of a room, Jean E. Sammet was there, coding and even creating languages that provided a fundamental base for computing today. Ms. Sammet began her career studying math at Mt. Holyoke and later received her master's in mathematics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1949. Throughout her life she innovated in programming languages, heading the first scientific programming group at Sperry Gyroscope Co. and was part of the team that developed COBOL. She began working at IBM in 1961 where she developed FORMAC, the first widely used language and system for manipulating non-numeric algebraic expressions. Sammet continued working at IBM for 27 years, and has been given numerous computing awards including the ACM Distinguished Service Award, Ada Lovelace Award from the Association for Women in Computing, and was named a Computer History Museum Fellow. Most recently, she was bestowed the 2013 Pioneer Award from the National Center for Women and Information Technology.
From Grace Hopper to Ada Lovelace: women who revolutionized computer science
Today’s Google Doodle honors computer science whiz Grace Hopper, who led the team that invented Common Business-Oriented Language, or COBOL, the first programming language that used words instead of numbers.
