Grace Hopper is among the few residents of New York and the entire United States who have achieved great success in science. Throughout her life, she studied mathematics and physics in particular. At the beginning of the 20th century, she became perhaps the only woman in the USA who obtained a doctorate in mathematics. In addition, Hopper applied her knowledge and helped to decipher intercepted enemy data using computer programming during the Second World War. Learn more at newyorka.
Hopper’s interest in science
Grace has been incredibly curious since her childhood. She was interested in everything surrounding her. Young Grace once dismantled seven alarm clocks to understand how the mechanism works in detail. Grace attended school with great pleasure and reached high achievements. However, Hopper didn’t manage to enter college on the first try because she failed her exam in Latin.
She studied physics and mathematics in college. After that, she entered Yale University, where she obtained a master’s degree and then a doctorate. She worked in the sphere of Irreducibility Criteria and taught mathematics. In those days very few American women could reach such success in science as Hopper.
Hopper during the Second World War
When the Second World War began, the mathematician Hopper was 34 years old. Despite everything, she tried her best to join the US Navy and fight against Nazi Germany applying her knowledge. But her age and physique did not allow her to enlist. At the age of 38, she was too old for it and Hopper’s body mass index was too low. Thus, she was rejected by the US Navy. But she was eventually called to the US Navy ranks at the height of the war in 1943. At the last stage of the Second World War, she worked on electromechanical computer programming that helped to decipher intercepted data.
Hopper’s achievements in science
After the end of World War II, Grace Hopper continued to work on programming with tremendous success in numerous spheres:
- the compiling program research
- the creation of a new programming language without codes, which is close to English
- the US Navy information systems planning
- software development
- the development of standards for testing computer systems and components
- teaching activity
- the creation of the first linker
- the development of the machine-independent programming languages theory
- the FLOW-MATIC programming language development
- the COBOL programming language development.
The COBOL language as one of the programming languages developed by Hopper became an innovative business language, which gained incredible popularity during the 20th and 21st centuries.
Grace was active in her scientific practice throughout her life. She was the author and co-author of many scientific research projects in the field of computer programming. She was recognized as an outstanding figure in the USA who made a huge contribution to the development of computer systems. Grace’s work during World War II was also highly appreciated. So, she was awarded numerous medals for her service in the defense of the country.
Hopper lived a busy life. It ended in her sleep just on the eve of 1992. The memory of this outstanding and very talented New York scientist will live forever.