Janet Abbate facts for kids

Janet Abbate, born in 1962, is a professor at Virginia Tech. She studies how computers and the Internet developed over time. A big part of her work looks at the role of women in the world of computing. She has written several important books about these topics.

Janet Abbate's Education and Career

Janet Abbate went to college at Radcliffe College and then to the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1994. After her studies, she worked at the IEEE History Center from 1996 to 1998. There, she researched the history of women in computing.

In 2004, she joined the faculty at Virginia Tech. She is now an associate professor. She also helps lead the graduate program in Science, Technology, and Society. Before becoming a professor, Janet Abbate was a computer programmer herself. This experience helps her understand the topics she researches.

Janet Abbate's Research and Books

Janet Abbate's research focuses on several key areas. She studies the role of gender in science and technology. She also looks at the history of computers and the Internet. Another area of her work is about labor issues in science and technology.

Inventing the Internet

One of her well-known books is Inventing the Internet, published in 2000. This book is important because it shows how the Internet was created. It highlights the social side of its development. It also shows how people outside the United States helped build early computer networks. Many people praised the book for using old documents to tell the story.

Recoding Gender: Women’s Changing Participation in Computing

Another important book by Janet Abbate is Recoding Gender: Women’s Changing Participation in Computing, published in 2012. This book explores how women have shaped computer programming over time. It includes interviews with women who worked in the field. The book received good reviews and won the Computer History Museum prize in 2014.

Janet Abbate is currently researching how computer science became a field of study.

See also

In Spanish: Janet Abbate para niños

• History of the Internet
• Protocol Wars