Making a young girl fall in love with Computer Science...

I touched and felt a computer for the first time in my life in October, 1992, a week after joining the engineering college. I recollect that in my first year engineering, I simply loathed the subject called 'computer programming' and vividly remember arguing for 20 minutes with my professor that I could do everything using my scientific calculator that she was saying could be done by a computer. I was very frustrated when my clarity on the topic was no better at the end of the argument. I then spent next 2 weeks reading the prescribed text book titled 'Programming in Fortran 77’ by V Rajaraman, multiple times which helped to some extent but at the end of all that, I still disliked computers. I strongly felt that I and they do not understand each other very well and can never be together. Then I firmly made up my mind that after completing my first year, I will never again look at a computer in my life. I was in Mechanical Engineering at that time which did not have any more courses on computers after the first year. I was also aspiring to do an MBA after my engineering and this further added firmness to my resolve.

After finishing the first 4 months in first year engineering, I expressed my anguish and frustration to a close friend of mine, who was regarded as a computer whiz kid in college, and confessed that I HATED computer science. He said nothing and simply gave me a book on 'Introduction to Programming' from Schaum Series and that helped me a lot to understand the real power of computer programming. I also chanced upon a book called ‘Applications of computers in the business and industry’ that for the very first time gave me a very broad perspective and helped me discover the potentialities and possibilities in this field. I had no clue till that day that computers could be useful to mankind in so many ways.  At that point I realized that computers will play an important role in future and hence I resolved to work on the subject deeply and know as much as I can within the remaining part of the year. I was still quite firm that I will abandon computer science after my first year and therefore it was important that I learn whatever is possible within this limited time.

During next 7 months, unbeknownst to me I got quite intimately involved with the subject and before I realized, I was madly in LOVE with computer science. I was so much in love that I shifted to Computer Engineering branch after the first year and an intense and raging affair with computer science ensued ever since.  I did finish my MBA as aspired and then chose to join the computer industry in the management stream and remained there. Computer Science continues to remain my first love even today and the intensity of love remains as much now as it was then.  This is one of those decisions in life that I will never regret.

Computer Science is a philosophy and not a technology. It is a way of thinking and perhaps even a way of living.  In a nutshell, Computer Science has transformed me in every possible way and has influenced varied aspects of my personality such as: mind set and thinking, self esteem and confidence, way of looking at the world, approach to problem solving, approach to technology, reasoning and higher order thinking and so on. Nothing in me has been left untouched by this amazing subject [It probably merits a full fledged article to explain my fascination for this subject!!]

It surprises me that even after two and a half decades, the percentage of girls who pursue computers and mathematics is very low and the reason being solely the lack of interest and awareness. There are several reasons why many youngsters might not be interested in the subject as it is unique and exotic in its own way and has an élan of its own kind. It is extremely important that a correct approach is adopted while introducing the subject to a novice. The right kind of appreciation is needed to be developed before one can start liking the subject and discover the elegance and beauty of computer science.

The discovery of my love for computer science was purely accidental and the probability of that happening in those days was very very low. It took me one complete year and a very frustrating one at that. There was a very high probability that I would have abandoned this subject for good. The probability of abandoning the subject and considering it as a drudgery holds good for students at the university even today. I am not talking about learning a programming language or learning a technology or a platform which is very easy and one might be driven to do that due to the lure of a well paid software jobs. It is probably easy to accomplish this in developing countries where one tends to be driven by job market and money as one might not be able to afford to be driven purely by interest or passion.  But if we really want to increase the participation in this field in a country like the U.S. where typically many people tend to choose to work in the area of their passion, one needs to be able to generate that intense passion and fervor.

It has a lot to do with creating a mind blowing first impression, generating a deep urge to know more, creating an enabling atmosphere for getting intimate with the subject, developing a mindset that will allow one to realize and then fully absorb its awesome beauty, and finally falling in love with it. In the context of the efforts being made by the U.S. government and corporates to generate interest in the STEM area especially among young girls, it is very imperative to note that the goal is in reality all about generating passion.  This needs to be looked as an endeavor that helps youngsters experience the ethereal beauty and immerse them in a magical world. The curriculum, reading materials, class room sessions, practical sessions on computer etc should be carefully developed  with the aim of being able to create ‘an experience like never before’ in the minds of youngsters and must focus on their feelings, emotions and mindset as a central theme. It is all about making them fall in love that lasts a life time and not about making them learn a technique or luring them with good career prospects.

What concerns me is that the interest shown in computer science by many youngsters and especially young girls remains lukewarm even today.  I was some what surprised when I read somewhere that in subjects like computer science, girls constitute only 15% of the overall students in the class at University level. And these are numbers for the U.S. which is arguably the most progressive country in the world. I am aware of several initiatives by U.S. Government and large corporates in the last few years to increase the awareness and ultimately the representation of women in the STEM field but we indeed have a long way to go before we would have reached the goal. On the contrary, countries like India beat the trend with 37% women enrolled today in computer science at university level. It is very startling to note that the corresponding number in the U.S. was 35% in 1980 and it steadily dropped over the years to a low of 10% in 2010 and then rose slowly to reach 15%.

I found the following observation by a researcher to be quite interesting and profound: “The omission of women from the history of Computer Science perpetuates misconceptions of women as uninterested or incapable in the field”.

Keeping this in view it will be a good idea to familiarize our young girls with the "history of computer science" and the path breaking contributions to this field by women, in 19th and 20th centuries, which would inspire them. There is a lot of information on the Internet and even many books are available on this topic which I am sure could generate interest amongst the youngsters on this seemingly esoteric but in reality an adorable subject.

Let me quickly talk about the four women who in my opinion were the pioneers in the field of computer science during their times and hopefully this will act as a starting point….

Ada Lovelace could be termed as the “First Lady of Computer Science". She was a great mathematician and was the first woman to actually write a computer program in as early as 1843 based on a very complex algorithm and executed the same on what was called as ‘Charles Babbage Analytical Engine’ which is the precursor of the modern day computer. The programming language used for developing modern day ‘Real Time Military’ software systems is named as ADA in her honor. ADA is a very structured and evolved programming language with a number of innovations which could be termed as a work of ingenuity. The ‘C’ programming language of today inherited a number of concepts and principles from ADA.

Grace Hopper was one of the very few computer scientists who worked for the U.S. Navy in 1950s. Grace conceptualized and designed a new programming language for use in business applications and also wrote a full fledged compiler for the same. The modern day COBOL programming language has a lot of resemblances to the one that was designed by Grace.

Edith Clarke was initially trained as mathematician and worked in that area before proceeding to pursue her Masters in Electrical Engineering from MIT in 1918. She was the first woman to be awarded that degree. Edith pioneered the usage of advanced mathematical methods in computer science. She leveraged mathematics and computer science solve complex problems related to electrical power systems. This was unheard of in those times and forms a basis for the modern day computer based automation and control systems used in the industry today.

Hedy Lamarr was a very popular actress in her times who also made significant innovations to the field of wireless communications. She pioneered the concept of ‘Frequency Hopping’ which is the foundation for modern day Data/Wireless communication technologies. The application of her invention in those days was to actually control and guide the ‘torpedoes’ even while in motion and prevent them from being intercepted by the enemy leveraging the concept of frequency hopping. She was far ahead of her times to have been able to conceive this idea and for others to be able to comprehend what she was talking about. Those were the Second World War (1939-45) days and she was a very famous actress who was very well known for her ‘stunning looks’ and ‘ethereal beauty’ and not many knew of her intellectual abilities. Electrical engineering was an area that she picked up as a hobby during her spare time which indeed speaks volumes about her intellect. The invention that she made however was dismissed right away by the naval authorities who asked her to stop wasting time on areas that she does not understand and instead use her popularity for raising funds needed for the war. This was an area that could have potentially altered the history of the war. The advanced missile systems and anti-missile systems of today accomplish similar objectives as envisaged by Hedy Lamarr in the 1940s. It was 1997, when her contributions were finally recognized and she was honored with a special international award for being a pioneer in the area of wireless communications.

Better Late than never. Isn't it?