Anita Borg, Software Pioneer and Women's Technology Advocate, Dies

Computer science pioneer Anita Borg, who helped break the "silicon ceiling" in the technology field for women and minorities, died from brain cancer earlier this week at 54 years old. She started in the technology industry with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Programming and went on to earn a Ph.D. in Computer Science at NYU's Courant Institute. Borg founded the group, 'Systers' in 1987, a female e-mail group that provides mentoring, support and encouragement to women in the technology industry, after noticing how few women were present in the technology industry. Systers now has 2,500 members and is in 38 countries worldwide. Borg helped to found the Grace Hopper Celebration in Computing Conference, a semi-annual conference that recognizes women's accomplishments in the high-tech industry; she also started the Institute for Women and Technology, a group that manages the Systers e-mail network and the Grace Hopper conferences, and has an emphasis on improving the lives of women worldwide through technology.

Ms. Borg received the $250,000 Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment in February 2002, and was appointed by President Clinton in 1999 to the Commission on the Advancement of Women and Minorities in Science, Engineering and Technology. Highly respected in the technology and engineering fields, Borg was a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, a member of the Board of the Computing Research Association, and a former Board member of the National Academy of Engineering Committee on the Celebration of Women in Engineering.

Share: