Many of the early pioneers of Computer Science were women. In fact, the author of the first computer program was Ada Lovelace, the daughter of poet Lord Byron and the namesake of the Ada programming language. Another famous woman in our history was Grace Hopper who is known for discovering the first real computer bug in 1947 and for inventing the abomination known as COBOL. Even the famous actress Hedy Lamarr is well known in the technology world for having co-invented the first form of spread spectrum which is the basis for all modern wireless communication.

Nevertheless, this early involvement has not kept up to pace with the rapid growth of the field. Recent publications suggest that the percentage of women in the computing profession has dropped below 20% and the percentage of women matriculating into Computer Science degrees today may be much, much lower. The percentage of women in our major at WSU is only 4.3%.

The Linux Users Group at Washington State University is trying to change this. The proceeds from the Nerdy and the Grεεk fundraiser has established an endowment to support one or more scholarships for Women in Computer Science to encourage more women to enter into the degree. The endowment will also pay for a marketing campaign to attract women to the major.

Please help us change the future of computer science and provide additional opportunities for women by visiting the contribute page.