{"id":4217,"date":"2026-03-12T20:03:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T02:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nicolecutts.com\/blog\/?p=4217"},"modified":"2026-03-12T20:03:19","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T02:03:19","slug":"women-who-shaped-technology-and-why-we-need-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.nicolecutts.com\/blog\/?p=4217","title":{"rendered":"Women Who Shaped Technology \u2014 and Why We Need More"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In honor of Women\u2019s History Month<\/strong> and Women-Owned Business Wednesday<\/strong>, I\u2019ve been reflecting on the women who helped shape the technological world we live in today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While researching my recent article on artificial intelligence and leadership: AI, Identity Threat, and the Future of Professional Work<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/a>,<\/a> I found myself thinking about the broader history of technology\u2014and the women whose vision and innovation helped build the foundations of modern computing, communication, and digital entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their stories are reminders that women have always been part of technological progress, even if their contributions are not always widely recognized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ada Lovelace (1815\u20131852)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Ada Lovelace is widely regarded as the first computer programmer<\/strong>. Working with Charles Babbage\u2019s proposed Analytical Engine in the 1800s, she wrote what is considered the first algorithm designed for a machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even more striking, Lovelace predicted that computers might one day create music, process symbols, and perform tasks far beyond calculation\u2014an insight that anticipated modern computing by more than a century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hedy Lamarr (1914\u20132000)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Known to many as a Hollywood actress, Hedy Lamarr was also an inventor. During World War II she co-developed frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology<\/strong> designed to prevent signal interference in torpedo guidance systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The principles behind that invention later became foundational to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS technologies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson (1946\u2013 )<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Physicist Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson became the first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from MIT<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her research in telecommunications helped advance technologies behind caller ID, call waiting, and fiber-optic communications<\/strong>, tools that are now embedded in modern telecommunications systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Radia Perlman (1951\u2013 )<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Computer scientist Radia Perlman is often called the \u201cMother of the Internet.\u201d<\/strong> She invented the Spanning Tree Protocol<\/strong>, a technology that allows computer networks to function reliably without collapsing from data loops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Much of today\u2019s internet infrastructure still depends on the concepts she developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Beatriz Acevedo (1971\u2013 )<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Technology entrepreneur Beatriz Acevedo co-founded Mit\u00fa<\/strong>, one of the largest digital media platforms for Latino audiences, and later founded SUMA Wealth<\/strong>, a fintech company focused on financial empowerment in Latino communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her work highlights how technology can expand access and representation in business and finance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Whitney Wolfe Herd (1989\u2013 )<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Entrepreneur Whitney Wolfe Herd founded Bumble<\/strong>, the dating platform where women make the first move. The company quickly grew into a global technology business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Bumble went public in 2021, Wolfe Herd became the youngest self-made female billionaire<\/strong> at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Looking Forward<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As artificial intelligence and new technologies reshape industries, the question of who participates in building those systems<\/strong> becomes increasingly important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The women above helped shape computing, communications, digital platforms, and entrepreneurship. Their stories remind us that innovation has always depended on people willing to challenge assumptions and imagine new possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the next generation of technological breakthroughs is to serve everyone, more women will need to be part of designing, building, and leading them<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In honor of Women\u2019s History Month and Women-Owned Business Wednesday, I\u2019ve been reflecting on the women who helped shape the technological world we live in today. While researching my recent article on artificial intelligence and leadership: AI, Identity Threat, and … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[186,187,157],"class_list":["post-4217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-women-in-stem","tag-women-scientists","tag-womens-history"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.nicolecutts.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.nicolecutts.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.nicolecutts.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.nicolecutts.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.nicolecutts.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4217"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.nicolecutts.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4226,"href":"http:\/\/www.nicolecutts.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4217\/revisions\/4226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.nicolecutts.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.nicolecutts.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.nicolecutts.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}