Ada Lovelace & Lilian Gilbreth are two of many redefining female pioneers who have been discredited for their insurmountable advancements in STEAM. Our duty as designers and practitioners within STEAM, is to make visible the accomplishments that have been watered down by the industry and to restore equity within these fields.

The exclusion of women in top occupations and positions of power is unassailable. This reoccurring issue is not only prominent within IXD, but through Law, Finance, Construction, and STEM in its entirety. This heightens the importance of learning about both history and herstory. 

Lovelace was a mathematician who laid the groundwork of modern algorithms. She is considered, “The first computer programmer” and expanded the bounds of what a computer is envisioned to do. This includes envisioning a computer system that not only works with numbers, but with symbols that produce images and sound. Despite her accomplishments, she was still labeled as the wife of Charles Babbage or the daughter of Lord Byron. Her achievements should stand on its own, and it is painful seeing women being overshadowed by the successes of their male peers purely based on bias.

Gilbreth was an engineer and management consultant that significantly improved industrial management efficiency. Her refrigerator foot pedal invention with GE appliances was one of the early works of accessibility in product design. Alongside this, she was Purdue University’s first female engineering professor, advocating for women in engineering. She made an everlasting impact on modern managerial and HCI practices. Similar to Lovelace, her efforts were undermined by the recognition of her husband. It was only when he was no longer a part of the equation, then her work began to be noticed. It is sad to consider that if her husband was less short lived, Gilbreth accomplishments may not have been recognized at all. 

The groundwork Lovelace and Gilbreth paved is the reason why women in STEAM exist. It is importantly to reflect on the trailblazing women who brought us together in this very class. By influencing an entire demographic to exceed past their confinements and expectations, they have redefined what it means to be a woman. We carry on that legacy.