Dr. Valerie Taylor, senior associate dean for academic affairs and Royce E. Wisenbaker Professor in the Department of Computer
Science and Engineering, is featured in the recently funded Kickstarter project, Notable Women in Computing playing card deck. The project was started to spread the history of women in computing.
Each deck contains information about 54 women who represent the past, present and future of computer science. Taylor is included for her research in high-performance computing and her dedication to increasing diversity in computing. Other notable women include Dr. Fran Allen, a pioneer in the field of optimizing compilers and programming languages. Allen was the first female IBM Fellow and the first women to win the Turing Award, which is the highest distinction given in computing.
The back of every card includes a picture of Dr. Grace Murray Hopper, who invented the first compiler and achieved the rank of Rear Admiral in the US Navy. The first edition of the cards was available during the 2014 Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference (GHC). GHC is the largest conference for women in computing.
Kickstarter was created to support the second edition of the playing card deck. With an initial goal of $3,000, 392 supporters of the project raised a total of $15,010. Backer incentives included a Give one/Get one initiative, where supporters had the option of receiving a deck of playing cards for themselves and having a deck donated to an educator.
Susan H. Rodger, professor of the practice at Duke University, Katy Dickinson, vice president -mentoring, Everwise, and Jessica Dickinson Goodman collaborated on this project. Duke University and Everwise contributed as the project's sponsors.
“The deck of cards provides a unique method of making known the great contributions of women in computing,” Taylor said.
“We are honored to have one of our faculty included with the deck of cards,” added Dr. Dilma Da Silva, department head of computer science and engineering at Texas A&M.
For more information visit the official Kickstarter page.