Gillian Lovegrove facts for kids

Gillian Lovegrove (born 1942) is a computer scientist and professor who is now retired. She was a leader in the field of computer science and worked at several universities. Gillian is well-known for caring about why there aren't as many girls and women in computer studies and jobs. She also talked a lot about how the UK needed more people trained in information technology (IT).

Early Life and Education

Gillian Lesley Lowther, who is now known as Gillian Lovegrove, was born in Yorkshire, England, on October 28, 1942. She grew up near Hull.

She went to Malet Lambert School and then studied mathematics at Newnham College, Cambridge. After getting her first degree in 1964, she continued her studies at Cambridge University. There, she earned a special diploma in Numerical Analysis and Automatic Computing, which is like a master's degree.

Career in Computing

Gillian Lovegrove started her career as a math lecturer at Portsmouth Polytechnic from 1965 to 1968. Later, she became a research fellow at Southampton University in 1968. She began lecturing in math there in 1969.

For a few years in the 1970s, she worked part-time because she was also raising her children. In 1974, she earned her PhD. Her special project was about "modular operating systems," which are like the main programs that run computers. She studied under a famous computer scientist named David Barron.

In 1980, Gillian started teaching computer studies full-time at Southampton University. She became very interested in a new way of programming called object-oriented computing.

Girls and Computers

Gillian Lovegrove noticed that not many girls were studying or working in computer fields. She wrote two important papers about this with her colleague, Wendy Hall. These papers were called Where Are All the Girls? (1987) and Where Are the Girls Now? (1991).

She also helped organize "Women into Computing" conferences in the late 1980s. At these events, people often talked about how sad it was that so few women were choosing computer courses or careers.

In 1992, Gillian moved to the University of Staffordshire. There, she became an associate dean and led the information systems department. She was also part of a team called "IT EQUATE." This team worked to find ways to encourage more girls in school to think about IT as a subject to study and a job for the future.

In 1995, a reviewer praised her chapter "Women in Computing." They said she tackled tough questions about laws, university culture, and how to help more women get into computing.

Addressing IT Shortages

Gillian Lovegrove was not only worried about the lack of women in computing. She also cared about the overall shortage of IT graduates in the UK. In 2001, she shared her ideas with the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee. She suggested ways universities could create a welcoming environment for women in computing.

She kept talking about these issues at conferences. The Times Higher Education Supplement noted that her main focus became how computing could help the UK economy. At a conference in 2002, she suggested that companies and universities work together to teach students. She believed this could help, even though teachers were already very busy with many students.

Leadership in Informatics

In 1999, Northumbria University asked Gillian to become the Head of the School of Informatics. Under her leadership, the school grew a lot.

She also led the Council of Professors and Heads of Computing (CPHC) and chaired its Information Strategy Group. She managed the Education and Training Forum for the British Computer Society (BCS) and advised the BCS on Higher Education.

See also

In Spanish: Gillian Lovegrove para niños