Elizabeth O'Neil facts for kids

Elizabeth Jean (or Betty) O'Neil is an American computer scientist. She is famous for her important work with databases. Databases are like super organized digital filing cabinets! Betty O'Neil helped create new ways to store and manage information. She teaches computer science at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Betty O'Neil's Path to Science

Betty O'Neil studied applied mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She graduated in 1963. Later, she earned her Ph.D. (a very high degree) in applied mathematics. She got this degree from Harvard University in 1968.

After her studies, she did more research. She also taught for a short time at New York University. In 1970, she became a professor. She joined the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Her Work with Databases

Betty O'Neil is well-known for her ideas about databases. She helped create important systems like C-Store. She also worked on the LRU-K page replacement algorithm. This helps computers manage memory better. Another big idea was the log-structured merge-tree. This helps store data efficiently.

She also looked closely at how databases handle information. She shared her thoughts on the ANSI SQL 92 isolation system. Her work has been very helpful for how computers store and use data today.

About Her Book

Betty O'Neil also wrote a book. It is called Database: Principles, Programming, Performance. She wrote it with Patrick O'Neil. The book helps people learn how databases work. The second edition came out in 2001.