Barbara Boucher Owens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barbara Boucher Owens
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| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | New York University The University of Texas at Austin Ohio Wesleyan University |
| Known for | computer science education |
| Awards | SIGCSE Award for Lifetime Service to the Computer Science Education Community (2016) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Computer Science |
| Institutions | Southwestern University St. Edwards University Mercy College |
Barbara Boucher Owens is an American computer scientist. She is famous for her leadership in teaching computer science. She was the leader of a group called SIGCSE from 2007 to 2010. She was also an elected member of the SIGCSE Board for 16 years. This was from 1997 to 2013.
Learning and Degrees
Barbara Boucher Owens earned her first degree in Psychology. She got a Bachelor of Arts from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1965. Later, in 1967, she received a Master of Arts degree. This was in Experimental Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin. In 1977, she earned her highest degree, a Doctor of Philosophy. This degree was in Computer Applications to Education from New York University.
Work and Discoveries
Boucher Owens started her career at IBM in 1967. She worked on something called computer-assisted instruction. This means using computers to help people learn. In 1970, she began teaching at Brooklyn College. She taught Psychology there. In 1971, she helped start the Department of Computer Science at Brooklyn College. She taught there until 1977.
She also taught Computer Science at City University of New York (CUNY) in 1979. From 1982 to 1988, she was a professor at Mercy College. In 1989, she became an associate professor at St. Edward's University. She became a full professor of Computer Science there in 1996. In 1999, she joined Southwestern University as an associate professor. She retired in 2012 as an Emeritus Professor. This title is given to professors who have retired but are still highly respected.
Boucher Owens also helped create the Computing Educators Oral History Project. This project collects stories from people who have taught computer science.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Barbara Boucher Owens has received several important awards.
- The SIGCSE Award for Lifetime Service to the Computer Science Education Community in 2016. This award honors people who have helped computer science education for a very long time.
- She was named an ACM Distinguished Educator in 2012. This means she is recognized as an excellent teacher in computing.
