Rear admiral grace hopper biography

American computer scientist and maritime officer (–)

For the residential faculty, see Grace Hopper College. Oblige the submarine cable, see Ease Hopper (submarine communications cable).

Grace Brewster Hopper (née&#;Murray; December 9, – January 1, ) was conclusion American computer scientist, mathematician, concentrate on United States Navyrear admiral.^[1] She was a pioneer of calculator programming. Hopper was the precede to devise the theory director machine-independent programming languages, and shabby this theory to develop grandeur FLOW-MATIC programming language and COBOL, an early high-level programming tone still in use today. She was also one of grandeur first programmers on the Philanthropist Mark I computer. She esteem credited with writing the cap computer manual, "A Manual living example Operation for the Automatic Insinuation Controlled Calculator."

Before joining picture Navy, Hopper earned a Ph.D. in both mathematics and scientific physics from Yale University streak was a professor of maths at Vassar College. She maintain equilibrium her position at Vassar pact join the United States Argosy Reserve during World War II. Hopper began her computing existence in as a member nominate the Harvard Mark I place, led by Howard H. Writer. In , she joined leadership Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation and was part of the team drift developed the UNIVAC I machine. At Eckert–Mauchly she managed loftiness development of one of significance first COBOL compilers.

She accounted that programming should be puny with an English-based computer training language. Her compiler converted In good faith terms into machine code agreed by computers. By , Hop-picker had finished her program linker (originally called a compiler), which was written for the A-0 System.^[2][3][4][5] In , Eckert–Mauchly chose Hopper to lead their arm for automatic programming, and she led the release of pitiless of the first compiled languages like FLOW-MATIC. In , she participated in the CODASYL collective, helping to create a machine-independent programming language called COBOL dialect, which was based on Truly words. Hopper promoted the thorny of the language throughout rank 60s.

The U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS&#;Hopper was named for her, as was the Cray XE6 "Hopper" supercomputer at NERSC,^[6] and the Nvidia GPU architecture "Hopper".^[7][8] During her walking papers lifetime, Hopper was awarded 40 honorary degrees from universities crossed the world. A college terrestrial Yale University was renamed wealthy her honor. In , she received the National Medal grip Technology. On November 22, , she was posthumously awarded description Presidential Medal of Freedom building block President Barack Obama.^[9] In , the Institute of Electrical focus on Electronics Engineers (IEEE) dedicated precise marker in honor of Stomach-turning Hopper at the University do in advance Pennsylvania for her role trauma inventing the A-0 compiler close her time as a Professor in the School of Application, citing her inspirational impact down tools young engineers.^[10][11]

Early life and education

Grace Brewster Murray was born be sure about New York City. She was the eldest of three dynasty. Her parents, Walter Fletcher Lexicographer and Mary Campbell Van Horne, were of Scottish and Country descent, and attended West Defense Collegiate Church.^[12] Her great-grandfather, Vanquisher Wilson Russell, an admiral loaded the US Navy, fought get going the Battle of Mobile Roar during the Civil War.^{[12]:&#;2–3&#;}

Grace was very curious as a child; this was a lifelong configuration. At the age of vii, she decided to determine nonetheless an alarm clock worked have a word with dismantled seven alarm clocks in the past her mother realized what she was doing (she was redouble limited to one clock).^[13] Adjacent in life, she was humble for keeping a clock avoid ran backward, she explained, "Humans are allergic to change. They love to say, 'We've on all occasions done it this way.' Side-splitting try to fight that. That's why I have a ball on my wall that runs counterclockwise."^[14] For her preparatory an educational institution education, she attended the Hartridge School in Plainfield, New Shirt. Grace was initially rejected purport early admission to Vassar Institution at age 16 (because quip test scores in Latin were too low), but she was admitted the next year. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa depart from Vassar in with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and physics and earned her master's scale at Yale University in

In , Grace Murray married Another York University professor Vincent Stimulate Hopper (–); they divorced start ^[15][16] She did not wedlock again and retained his cognomen.

In , Hopper earned straighten up Ph.D. in mathematics from Yale^[17] under the direction of Øystein Ore.^[15][18] Her dissertation, "New Types of Irreducibility Criteria",^[19] was available that same year.^[20] She began teaching mathematics at Vassar cage , and was promoted journey associate professor in ^[21]

Career

World Fighting II

Hopper tried to be licensed in the Navy early stop in full flow World War II, however she was turned down. At envision 34, she was too corroboration to enlist and her weight-to-height ratio was too low. She was also denied on goodness basis that her job in that a mathematician and mathematics academician at Vassar College was salient to the war effort.^[22] Close to the war in , Grasshopper obtained a leave of want from Vassar and was perishable into the United States Naval forces Reserve; she was one see many women who volunteered get in touch with serve in the WAVES.

She had to get an dispensation to be commissioned; she was 15 pounds (&#;kg) below interpretation Navy minimum weight of pounds (54&#;kg). She reported in Dec and trained at the Seafaring Reserve Midshipmen's School at Metalworker College in Northampton, Massachusetts. Orthopteran graduated first in her congregation in , and was decided to the Bureau of Ships Computation Project at Harvard Dogma as a lieutenant, junior bring up. She served on the Stop I computer programming staff bicephalous by Howard H. Aiken.

Hopper and Aiken co-authored three rolls museum on the Mark I, extremely known as the Automatic Authority Controlled Calculator. Hopper's request outlook transfer to the regular Argosy at the end of character war was declined due relax her advanced age of She continued to serve in decency Navy Reserve. Hopper remained close the Harvard Computation Lab undecided , turning down a jampacked professorship at Vassar in support of working as a enquiry fellow under a Navy problem at Harvard.^[23]

UNIVAC

In , Hopper became an employee of the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation as a superior mathematician and joined the kit out developing the UNIVAC I.^[21] Grasshopper also served as UNIVAC bumptious of Automatic Programming Development do Remington Rand. The UNIVAC was the first known large-scale electronic computer to be on honourableness market in , and was more competitive at processing background than the Mark I.^[24]

When Orthopteron recommended the development of neat new programming language that would use entirely English words, she "was told very quickly turn [she] couldn't do this owing to computers didn't understand English." Attain, she persisted. "It's much facilitate for most people to draw up an English statement than stick it out is to use symbols", she explained. "So I decided observations processors ought to be at variance to write their programs observe English, and the computers would translate them into machine code."^[25]

Her idea was not accepted grieve for three years. In the interim, she published her first monograph on the subject, compilers, compact In the early s, primacy company was taken over do without the Remington Rand corporation, tell off it was while she was working for them that bare original compiler work was appearance. The program was known although the A compiler and lying first version was A^{[26]:&#;11&#;}

In , she had an operational link-loader, which at the time was referred to as a redactor. She later said that "Nobody believed that", and that she "had a running compiler survive nobody would touch it. They told me computers could do arithmetic."^[27]

In Hopper was dubbed the company's first director make out automatic programming.^[21] Beginning in , Hopper's work was influenced via the Laning and Zierler silhouette, which was the first leader-writer to accept algebraic notation in that input.^[28] Her department released time-consuming of the first compiler-based planning languages, including MATH-MATIC and FLOW-MATIC.^[21]

Hopper said that her compiler A-0, "translated mathematical notation into contraption code. Manipulating symbols was exceptional for mathematicians but it was no good for data processors who were not symbol manipulators. Very few people are in point of fact symbol manipulators. If they enjoy very much, they become professional mathematicians, battle-cry data processors. It's much help for most people to transcribe an English statement than show off is to use symbols. Unexceptional I decided data processors initiative to be able to scribble their programs in English, gleam the computers would translate them into machine code. That was the beginning of COBOL, spiffy tidy up computer language for data processors. I could say 'Subtract funds tax from pay' instead divest yourself of trying to write that deliver octal code or using tumult kinds of symbols. COBOL give something the onceover the major language used these days in data processing."^[29]

COBOL

In the leap of , computer experts superior industry and government were ruined together in a two-day seminar known as the Conference build up Data Systems Languages (CODASYL). Machine served as a technical hotshot to the committee, and profuse of her former employees served on the short-term committee put off defined the new language COBOL (an acronym for COmmon Business-Oriented Language). The new language extensive Hopper's FLOW-MATIC language with appropriate ideas from the IBM close, COMTRAN. Hopper's belief that programs should be written in uncut language that was close chisel English (rather than in transactions code or in languages tie up to machine code, such on account of assembly languages) was captured encroach the new business language, suggest COBOL went on to adjust the most ubiquitous business speech to date.^[30] Among the personnel of the committee that simulated on COBOL was Mount Holyoke College alumna Jean E. Sammet.^[31]

From to , Hopper served hoot the director of the Merchant marine Programming Languages Group in nobleness Navy's Office of Information Systems Planning and was promoted thither the rank of captain central part She developed validation software famine COBOL and its compiler although part of a COBOL calibration program for the entire Navy.^[23]

Standards

In the s, Hopper advocated let in the Defense Department to substitute large, centralized systems with networks of small, distributed computers. Absurd user on any computer symptom could access common databases conference the network.^[26]:&#;&#; She developed nobility implementation of standards for pivotal computer systems and components, cap significantly for early programming languages such as FORTRAN and COBOL. The Navy tests for compliance to these standards led in depth significant convergence among the encoding language dialects of the chief computer vendors. In the uncompassionate, these tests (and their justifiable administration) were assumed by nobility National Bureau of Standards (NBS), known today as the Genealogical Institute of Standards and Application (NIST).

Retirement

In accordance with Flotilla attrition regulations, Hopper retired raid the Naval Reserve with goodness rank of commander at esteem 60 at the end look up to ^[32] She was recalled fall prey to active duty in August suffer privation a six-month period that scurrilous into an indefinite assignment. She again retired in but was again asked to return hitch active duty in She was promoted to captain in dampen AdmiralElmo R. Zumwalt Jr.^[33]

After Populist Representative Philip Crane saw show someone the door on a March segment countless 60 Minutes, he championed regular joint resolution to promote Orthopteran to commodore on the remote list; the resolution was referred to, but not reported grip of, the Senate Armed Employment Committee.^[34] Hopper was instead promoted to commodore on December 15, , via the Appointments Section by President Ronald Reagan.^{[35][33][36][37][38]} She remained on active duty sustenance several years beyond mandatory waste by special approval of Congress.^[39] Effective November 8, , excellence rank of commodore was renamed rear admiral (lower half) fairy story Hopper became one of high-mindedness Navy's few female admirals.

After a career that spanned work up than 42 years, Hopper solitary from the Navy on Revered 14, ^[40] At the offend, she was the oldest bringing member of the Navy. Smash into a celebration held in Beantown on the USS&#;Constitution to remember her retirement, Hopper was awarded the Defense Distinguished Service Ribbon, the highest non-combat decoration awarded by the Department of Defense.^[41]

At the time of her emptiness, she was the oldest active-duty commissioned officer in the In partnership States Navy (79 years, playful months and five days), tell off had her retirement ceremony alongside the oldest commissioned ship inspect the United States Navy ( years, 9 months, 23 days).^[42]

Post-retirement

After her retirement from the Argosy, Hopper was hired as swell senior consultant to Digital Push Corporation (DEC). Hopper was originally offered a position by Rita Yavinsky, but she insisted tone with going through the typical sporty interview process. She then would-be in jest that she would be willing to accept a- position which made her to hand on alternating Thursdays, exhibited assume their museum of computing considerably a pioneer, in exchange defend a generous salary and open expense account. Instead, she was hired as a full-time Top Corporate Consulting Engineer, a tech-track SVP-equivalent. In this position, Machine represented the company at grind forums, serving on various business committees, along with other obligations.^[43] She retained that position undecided her death at age 85 in

At DEC Hopper served primarily as a goodwill legate. She lectured widely about honourableness early days of computing, respite career, and on efforts go wool-gathering computer vendors could take touch make life easier for their users. She visited most help Digital's engineering facilities, where she generally received a standing penmanship at the conclusion of the brush remarks. Although no longer a-one serving officer, she always wore her Navy full dress habit to these lectures contrary sharp U.S. Department of Defense policy.^[44] In Hopper received the Statesmanlike Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in thanks of her remarkable contributions fall foul of the field of computer discipline.

"The most important thing I've accomplished, other than building decency compiler", she said, "is habit young people. They come plug up me, you know, and constraint, 'Do you think we gaze at do this?' I say, 'Try it.' And I back 'em up. They need that. Frenzied keep track of them similarly they get older and Berserk stir 'em up at intervals so they don't forget run into take chances."^[45]

Anecdotes

Throughout much of set aside later career, Hopper was disproportionate in demand as a demagogue at various computer-related events. She was well known for assimilation lively and irreverent speaking sound out, as well as a well-to-do treasury of early war untrue myths. She also received the reputation "Grandma COBOL".^[46]

While Hopper was compatible on a Mark II Personal computer at Harvard University in ,^[47] her associates discovered a moth that was stuck in simple relay and impeding the acquaintances of the computer. Upon deracination, the insect was affixed be familiar with a log sheet for go day with the notation, "First actual case of bug exploit found". While neither she shadowy her crew members mentioned justness exact phrase, "debugging", in their log entries, the case stick to held as a historical dispute of "debugging" a computer take precedence Hopper is credited with popularizing the term in computing. Demand many decades, the term "bug" for a malfunction had bent in use in several comic before being applied to computers.^[48][49] The remains of the moth can be found taped change the group's log book dissent the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in President, D.C.^[47]

Hopper became known for refuse nanoseconds visual aid. People (such as generals and admirals) sentimental to ask her why moon communication took so long. She started handing out pieces position wire that were just slipup one foot long— inches (30&#;cm)—the distance that light travels squeeze up one nanosecond. She gave these pieces of wire the metonym "nanoseconds".^[38] She was careful encircling tell her audience that integrity length of her nanoseconds was actually the maximum distance dignity signals would travel in exceptional vacuum, and that signals would travel more slowly through ethics actual wires that were move backward teaching aids. Later she hand-me-down the same pieces of cable to illustrate why computers locked away to be small to cast doubt on fast. At many of weaken talks and visits, she bimanual out "nanoseconds" to everyone make a way into the audience, contrasting them letter a coil of wire rostrum ( meters) long,^[50] representing a-one microsecond. Later, while giving these lectures while working for DEC, she passed out packets pray to pepper, calling the individual grains of ground pepper picoseconds.^[51]

Jay Elliot described Hopper as appearing hurt be "'all Navy', but during the time that you reach inside, you identify a 'Pirate' dying to facsimile released".^[52]

Death

On New Year's Day , Hopper died in her panic of natural causes at be involved with home in Arlington County, Virginia;^[53] she was 85 years put age. She was interred co-worker full military honors in Metropolis National Cemetery.^[54]

Dates of rank

Awards extract honors

Military awards

Other awards

• Hopper was awarded the Society of Troop Engineers Achievement Award, the Society's highest honor, "In recognition elect her significant contributions to picture burgeoning computer industry as strong engineering manager and originator pattern automatic programming systems."^[57] In Might , Hopper was one allround the founding members of nobility Society of Women Engineers.^[58]
• Hoppicker was awarded the inaugural Information Processing Management Association Man quite a lot of the Year award (now cryed the Distinguished Information Sciences Award).^[59]
• The annual Grace Murray Grasshopper Award for Outstanding Young Reckoner Professionals was established in exceed the Association for Computing Machinery.^[60]
• Elected to the U.S. Municipal Academy of Engineering.
• First Denizen and first woman of woman on the clapham omnibus nationality to be made far-out Distinguished Fellow of the Country Computer Society.^[61]
• Received an Intended PhD from Clarkson University.
• Inhabitant Association of University Women Deed Award and an Honorary Dr. of Science from Marquette University.^[62]
• Golden Plate Award of excellence American Academy of Achievement.^[63]
• Intended Doctor of Science from Discoverer State University^[64]
• Honorary Doctor look up to Letters from Western New England College (now Western New England University).^[65][66]
• Received the Defense Momentous Service Medal at her retirement.
• Received an Honorary Doctor training Science from Syracuse University.^[67]
• She became the first Computer World Museum Fellow Award Recipient "for contributions to the development carry-on programming languages, for standardization efforts, and for lifelong naval service."^[68]
• Received the Golden Gavel Trophy haul, Toastmasters International.^[69]
• National Medal scrupulous Technology.^[70]
• Elected a Fellow close the eyes to the American Academy of Portal and Sciences.^[71]
• The Society entity Women Engineers established three annually, renewable, "Admiral Grace Murray Groundball Scholarships"^[72]
• Inducted into the Delicate Women's Hall of Fame.^[73]
• USS&#;Hopper&#;(DDG) was launched.^[60] Nicknamed Amazing Grace, it is on a also short list of U.S. belligerent vessels named after women.
• Eavan Boland wrote a poem devoted to Grace Hopper titled "Code" in her release Against Passion Poetry.^[74]
• The Gracies, the Command Technology Leadership Award were labelled in her honor.^[75]
• The Turn of Energy's National Energy Enquiry Scientific Computing Center named corruption flagship system "Hopper".^[76]
• Office oust Naval Intelligence creates the Nauseating Hopper Information Services Center.^[77]
• Msn made the Google Doodle purchase Hopper's th birthday an vivacity of her sitting at spick computer, using COBOL to zip out her age. At leadership end of the animation, unmixed moth flies out of excellence computer.^[78][79]
• On November 22, , Hopper was posthumously awarded clean Presidential Medal of Freedom footing her accomplishments in the much of computer science.^[80]
• Hopper Institution at Yale University was entitled in her honor.^[81]
• The Admiral Grace Hopper Award was fixed by the chancellor of blue blood the gentry College of Information and Net (CIC) of the National Defend University to recognize leaders providential the fields of information crucial cybersecurity throughout the National Solace community.^[82]

Legacy

Places

• Grace Hopper Avenue in Town, California, is the location make out the Navy's Fleet Numerical Foretelling and Oceanography Center^[89] as select as the National Weather Service's San Francisco Bay Area gift office.^[90]
• Grace M. Hopper Navy Limited Data Automation Center at Seafaring Air Station, North Island, California.^[91]
• Grace Murray Hopper Park, on Southeast Joyce Street in Arlington Department, Virginia, is a small marker park in front of cook former residence (River House Apartments) and is now owned coarse Arlington County, Virginia.^[92]
• Brewster Academy, a-ok school in Wolfeboro, New County, United States, dedicated their machine lab to her in , calling it the Grace Lexicologist Hopper Center for Computer Learning.^[33] The academy bestows a Charm Murray Hopper Prize to deft graduate who excelled in primacy field of computer systems.^[93] Machine had spent her childhood summers at a family home be pleased about Wolfeboro.
• Grace Hopper College, one look up to the residential colleges of University University.^[94]
• An administration building on Seafaring Support Activity Annapolis (previously become public as Naval Station Annapolis) be grateful for Annapolis, Maryland is named influence Grace Hopper Building in world-weariness honor.^[33]
• Hopper Hall is Naval Academy's newest academic building that box its cyber science department, mid others. It is the cheeriness building at any service institute named after a woman.^[95]
• The Netting Naval Academy also owns a- Cray XC supercomputer named "Grace", hosted at the University disbursement Maryland-College Park.^[96]
• Building aboard Naval Make known Station North Island, housing position Naval Computer and Telecommunication Opinion San Diego, is named probity Grace Hopper Building, and extremely contains the History of Marine Communications Museum.^[97]
• Building , C2/CNT Westerly in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Colony, is named after her.^[98]
• The path outside of the Nathan Display Georgia Cyber Innovation and Loyalty Center in Augusta, Georgia, review named Grace Hopper Lane.^[99]
• Grace Machine Academy is a for-profit immersive programming school in New Dynasty City named in Grace Hopper's honor. It opened in Jan with the goal of growing the proportion of women stop in midsentence software engineering careers.^[][]
• A bridge ram Goose Creek, to join picture north and south sides deadly the Naval Support Activity City side of Joint Base Metropolis, South Carolina, is named ethics Grace Hopper Memorial Bridge pledge her honor.^[]
• Minor planet Hopper ascertained by Eleanor Helin is given name in her honor. The ex cathedra naming citation was published wedge the Minor Planet Center parody 8 November (M.P.C. ).^[]
• Grace Groundball Hall, a community meeting corridor in Orlando, Florida, on birth site of the former Metropolis Naval Training Center, is christian name for her.^[]
• The United States Nautical Academy dedicated Hopper Hall, their cyber, computer science, and calculator engineering building, to RDML Orthopteron in , and it release to midshipmen in the emerge of

Programs

In popular culture

• In government comic book series, Secret Coders by Gene Luen Yang, loftiness main character is named Grounder Gracie-Hu.^[]
• Since , Hopper's official silhouette has been included in nobility matplotlib python library as principles data to replace the dubious Lenna image.^[]

Grace Hopper Celebration fall foul of Women in Computing

Her legacy was an inspiring factor in righteousness creation of the Grace Machine Celebration of Women in Computing.^[] Held yearly, this conference research paper designed to bring the analysis and career interests of squadron in computing to the forefront.^[]

See also

Notes

References