“Machines take me by surprise with great frequency.” - Alan Turing
I was excited (and happy) to see this headline on Google News: "Turing Award goes to female for first time: IBM'S Frances Allen Wins Computing Honor". All I have to say is: "Wow! :-D"
There is an interesting part of the article that I want to especially point out:
"According to the Computing Research Association, only 17 percent of college graduates getting computer science and engineering degrees in the United States and Canada were women during the 2003-2004 academic year, the most recent year for which data is available."
OK, so I knew the numbers were surprisingly low. I am surprised every time I see them. I really shouldn't be, but I am. It is one of those statistics that I just don't understand. Why don't more women go into computer or engineering? I love computer science and I can hardly imagine not being in CS. Of course, I can't tell you why women don't go into computers or engineering since I did :-) However, I can make guesses from my experiences. But that would be a whole 'nother blog...
Some additional reading on the issue:
"Solving the gender equation: Study shows stereotypes hurt women's math"
"Studies show female engineers needed"
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