Ada Lovelace Day
Today is Ada Lovelace Day - a celebration of the original computer scientist and daughter of the esteemed Lord Byron. So in honour of this I'm joining in the fun and posting about an inspirational women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).
So here is a short post about....Professor Susan Stepney. Susan was my external PhD examiner for my thesis exam. She has done so much in her life and has ended up a prof at York by such an unconventional path. Her original studies were in theoretical physics, and worked in industry for many years. Now she is a prof at the University of York, where she teaches "science" to computer scientists. This is why I think Susan is of particular note today. For me she is fabulous because while she understands key things like how to develop software in an industrial setting, how to use UML correctly, and she is also a fantastic scientist and supervisor (from what I've heard).
Its a noble challenge to try and get CS bods to understand the need for statistics in the more empirical areas of CS. Without Susan, I would not know how to correctly construct a null hypothesis! Nor would I know the difference between a t-test and a wilcoxon. Whenever I write a paper these days I get the "voice of Stepney" in my head reminding me to be rigorous and consistent in the presentation of my research. Without this none of the work I do would be any use. Also the manner in which she is prepared to go against the grain to do research the way she wants to is really an inspiration to me at a time in which I dont know which direction I'm going in. Thank you Susan for putting the science into Computer Science, at least from my perspective.
So here is a short post about....Professor Susan Stepney. Susan was my external PhD examiner for my thesis exam. She has done so much in her life and has ended up a prof at York by such an unconventional path. Her original studies were in theoretical physics, and worked in industry for many years. Now she is a prof at the University of York, where she teaches "science" to computer scientists. This is why I think Susan is of particular note today. For me she is fabulous because while she understands key things like how to develop software in an industrial setting, how to use UML correctly, and she is also a fantastic scientist and supervisor (from what I've heard).
Its a noble challenge to try and get CS bods to understand the need for statistics in the more empirical areas of CS. Without Susan, I would not know how to correctly construct a null hypothesis! Nor would I know the difference between a t-test and a wilcoxon. Whenever I write a paper these days I get the "voice of Stepney" in my head reminding me to be rigorous and consistent in the presentation of my research. Without this none of the work I do would be any use. Also the manner in which she is prepared to go against the grain to do research the way she wants to is really an inspiration to me at a time in which I dont know which direction I'm going in. Thank you Susan for putting the science into Computer Science, at least from my perspective.