Communications of the ACM
Interview With the Most Influential Woman in UK IT 2014: Wendy Hall
ComputerWeekly.com has selected Dame Wendy Hall its Most Influential Woman in UK IT 2014.
Credit: ACM
ComputerWeekly.com has named University of Southampton computer sciences professor Wendy Hall, a former president of ACM and an ACM Fellow, its Most Influential Woman in UK IT 2014.
With more than 30 years in the academic side of information technology, Hall has a long list of accomplishments, including being part of the team that invented the Mirocosm hypermedia systems. Hall was the University of Southampton's first female professor of engineering, served as head of its School of Electronics and Computer Science, and was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2009.
In an interview, Hall says she feels the underrepresentation of women in IT needs to be treated as an industry issue, rather than simply as a women's issue. She says this means engaging more men with the issue and avoiding female tokenism at conferences and on committees and panels. Hall also says it is important to approach the issue from a broader social perspective, to change the ideas of the families and peer groups most likely to influence the career choices of young people.
In addition, although she has seen much progress over the last three decades, Hall worries the tech industry is "stuck in a rut," especially compared to other fields such as medicine and business.
From ComputerWeekly.com
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