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IBM's Fran Allen Bridged The Digital Gap
2008-12-28
When IBM (IBM) recruited Fran Allen on a college campus, she planned to work only long enough to pay off her student loans. So much for that plan. She stayed at Big Blue 45 years, during which she was one of her era's top computer scientists. In 2007 Allen became the first woman to receive the $100,000 Turing Award Ñ the Nobel Prize in computing Ñ for her work in optimizing computer programs and high-performance computing systems. In layman's terms: Allen helped develop methods for writing software programs that translated programming language understood by humans into the computer's digital codes, made up of 0s and 1s. "It bridged the gap between how computers communicate and how people communicate," IBM's Colleen Haikes told IBD. "(It) allowed more people to be able to write code, which helped in all these other industries . . . in which supercomputing was needed." Allen's breakthroughs saved time and simplified tasks involving drug discovery, genomic research and climate mapping, INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY reported. The Rise Born in 1932, Allen grew up on a dairy farm in upstate New York and lived in a house with no electricity, plumbing or central heating. She soon saw her only career options were nursing and teaching. A spark came in eighth grade when her teacher pointed her toward math. Now aiming to be a high school mathematics teacher, she earned a degree from Albany State Teacher's College Ñ currently the State University of New York, Albany Ñ in 1954. Then she taught math for two years at her old high school in Peru, N.Y., and earned a master's degree in the subject from the University of Michigan in 1957. That's where IBM found her. The firm wanted Allen to teach its corps of scientists FORTRAN Ñ short for formula translation system and the first high-level programming language Ñ and how to program it. Once on board, she spent much time at IBM's T.J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., working on compilers Ñ programs that translate text between computer languages Ñ and leading the Parallel Translations project. "I like to explore new problems, new ideas and new things," Allen told IBD. "Once I understand what's going on, I tend to go on to the next interesting challenge" Ñ such as when she helped develop software for Blue Gene, a supercomputer project launched in part to demystify how proteins fold into three-dimensional structures. In the early 1960s, Allen worked on the top-secret Stretch-Harvest computer for the National Security Agency. The computer sought to decipher intelligence captured by listening posts around the world. Allen helped develop Alpha, a programming language designed to recognize patterns in coded messages. Only government specialists were allowed to see the output from Stretch-Harvest. Its printer was covered by black cloth. Even Allen wasn't privy to any decoding details. "Because it was top secret, it was never known how successful it was or what it involved," she said. As for her projects she knew were failures, they didn't keep her down. "I was never one that was bent on having a big career," she said. "I just wanted to have challenging work and enjoy doing it and have enjoyable people to work with." But fear failure? Not Allen. "Think very boldly and (do) not be constrained in one's thinking about solutions to problems," she advised. "Try to understand deeply what the problem is and possibly what the different options are Ñ and (do) not being afraid of failing." Aside from computing, Allen mentored researchers at IBM. Michael Burke, who studied under her for 11 years, said: "As a first-line manager, she viewed it as a major responsibility of hers to promote my career, to promote my work within IBM, and also let the external research and academic community know that I was doing good work even before I had publications." Other Allen students were Barbara Ryder, who would become the first woman to serve as a department head at Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, and Mary Lou Soffa, now chairwoman of the University of Virginia's Department of Computer Science. IBM was so taken by her dedication, it established the Frances E. Allen Women in Technology Mentoring Award to recognize people at IBM who showed "exemplary commitment to mentoring of technical women." In the award's first year, 2000, it went to Allen. Five others have won it since. One aspect of learning on the job that Allen imparts: "I strongly advise new people that the best thing to do at the beginning, at least, is to establish a reputation for good work and doing good science and participating in their profession. It would serve them much more than aiming for the next promotion, because the promotions will come." After retiring from IBM in 2002, Allen, 76, has remained active with the company, as a member of the Adventurous Research technical advisory team and the Review Board. While speaking all over the world, she tries to encourage women to pursue careers in science and technology. "Computer science isn't attracting as many women as I would like to see," Allen said. The data back her up. In 1985, women made up 37% of graduates receiving degrees in computer science. Two decades later, the number had sunk to 22%, says the Computing Research Association. Helping The Cause Allen used the $100,000 Turing prize money to start a fund to teach girls in global regions with a dearth of educational opportunities. Allen, who lives in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., also is active in environmental causes. For good reason: she's an outdoorswoman. In the 1970s she climbed mountains in the Arctic while using no maps or radio contact. In 2006 she and three friends climbed a 14,000-foot peak in the Himalayas. She's gone on treks in Austria, China and Tibet. "The biggest thing that has helped me," Allen said, "is to be surrounded by people I like and whose company I'm enjoying."
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