Judith Gal-Ezer facts for kids

Judith Gal-Ezer, born in 1947, is a well-known Israeli computer scientist. She is especially famous for her work in computer science education. She helped create the computer science lessons taught in high schools across Israel. She is now a professor emerita at the Open University of Israel, which means she is a retired professor who still holds her title.

Her Journey in Computer Science

Judith Gal-Ezer started her higher education at Tel Aviv University. She graduated in 1968. Later, in 1978, she earned her PhD in applied mathematics from the same university. She also continued her studies in computer science there from 1983 to 1985.

After teaching at Tel Aviv University for a few years, she joined the faculty at the Open University of Israel in 1990. She worked there until she retired in 2016.

Making a Difference in Education

Judith Gal-Ezer was one of the people who helped start the Computer Science Department at the Open University of Israel. She held many important leadership roles at the university. She was the head of Mathematics and Computer Science. She also served as the Vice President for Academic Affairs. This role means she helped manage all the teaching and learning programs.

For more than 25 years, she played a key role in developing Israel's high school computer science curriculum. This means she helped decide what computer science topics students would learn in high school. Her work has greatly influenced how young people in Israel learn about computers.

Awards and Recognition

Judith Gal-Ezer has received many important awards for her work. These awards show how much her contributions to computer science education are valued.

• In 2007, she won the SIGCSE Award for Outstanding Contribution to Computer Science Education. This award recognizes people who have made a big difference in teaching computer science.
• In 2015, she received the Taylor L. Booth Education Award from the IEEE Computer Society. She won this for her excellent research and how she used it to improve computer science education.
• In 2017, she was given the ACM Karl V. Karlstrom Outstanding Educator Award. This award recognized her central role in creating the high school computer science curriculum. It also honored her research and her service to the education community.
• In 2021, she was named an ACM Fellow. This is a very high honor given to members of the Association for Computing Machinery for their important contributions to computer science.