The first Ada Lovelace Day is today, Tuesday 24th March 2009.  A lovely simple concept from Suw Charman-Anderson celebrating women in technology:

I will publish a blog post on Tuesday 24th March about a woman in technology whom I admire but only if 1,000 other people will do the same.

My woman in technology may at first seem like an odd one, but hear me out. When I was a little girl growing up in the 80s, one woman stood out as the person who told me tech was fun, tech was cool and tech was most definitely for girls.  For me, Judith Hann is a legend.

A quick search on Wikipedia will tell you that Judith Hann was the longest serving presenter (1974-1994) on the BBC’s Tomorrow’s World programme.

Judith Hann graduated from Durham University with a degree in Zoology and Botany.  She is a leading science journalist, an author and TV presenter specialising in technology, health and agriculture. She’s a tutor with the Royal Society and sits on the commission for Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology.  She leads various roadshows on behalf of the UK government focusing on current scientific issues.  In short, Judith teaches people about technology.

In it’s heyday in the 70s, Tomorrow’s World attracted over 10 million viewers and I was one of them.  I was five years old and I have vivid memories of sitting down with my Dad to watch the programme - I can still hear and see the opening titles. I couldn’t get enough of those crazy, futuristic things.  They made my eyes pop out of my head in wonder. It was StarWars, only real.

To have a woman, an educated, clever woman show me that being interested in new technology, gadgets and the design of the future was not only alright it was actually something I could do left an immeasurable impression on me.

Mainstream heroines of tech in our formative years shape us. They act as role models.  They tell us it’s ok to be a Girl Geek.  This may seem trite but we shouldn’t underestimate how significant our first steps are. Our move from the traditional care roles into mainstream technology careers is only just beginning.  I am 32 years old.  My mother is a teacher, my grandmother was a nurse. The rise of women in tech is only just beginning.  Here us roar.

Follow the spread of Ada Lovelace Day posts across the globe - http://ada.pint.org.uk/

Read about Ada Lovelace Day - http://findingada.com/