Maria Klawe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maria Klawe
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Klawe in 2015
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| 5th President of Harvey Mudd College | |
| In office July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Jon Strauss |
| Succeeded by | Harriet Nembhard |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Maria Margaret Klawe
1951 (age 73–74) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Spouses | Nicholas Pippenger, 1980 |
| Children | Two children |
| Alma mater | B.Sc., University of Alberta, 1973 Ph.D., University of Alberta, 1977 |
| Known for | SMAWK algorithm |
| Board member of | Microsoft, Broadcom |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematics Computer science |
| Institutions |
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| Thesis | Studies in amenable semigroups (1977) |
| Doctoral advisor | Anthony Lau |
Maria Margaret Klawe (pronounced KLAH-vay; born in 1951) is a Canadian-American computer scientist. She was the fifth president of Harvey Mudd College from 2006 to 2023. Maria Klawe was born in Toronto, Canada. She became a U.S. citizen in 2009. Before her role at Harvey Mudd, she was a dean at Princeton University. She is well-known for supporting and encouraging women in STEM fields. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
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Maria Klawe's Life Journey
Maria Klawe was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She lived in Scotland from age 4 to 12. Then, her family moved back to Canada, settling in Edmonton, Alberta.
Early Education and Career
Maria Klawe first studied at the University of Alberta. She took a break to travel the world. Later, she returned to the university and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in 1973. She continued her studies there. In 1977, she received her Ph.D. in mathematics.
After her Ph.D., she worked as an assistant professor at Oakland University for one year. She then started a second Ph.D. in computer science at the University of Toronto. Even though she had never studied computer science before, she was offered a faculty job there. She worked very hard, studying about 16 hours a day.
Working in Industry and Academia
Maria Klawe spent eight years working in the technology industry. She was a research scientist at IBM's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California. She later became a manager there.
After IBM, she and her husband, Nick Pippenger, moved to the University of British Columbia (UBC). She stayed at UBC for 15 years. During her time there, she led the Department of Computer Science. She also served as vice president of student services and later as dean of science.
Leadership at Harvey Mudd College
From UBC, Maria Klawe moved to Princeton University. Then, she became the first woman president of Harvey Mudd College in 2006. When she started, about 30% of the students and teachers were female. By the time she left, about 50% of the students and over 40% of the teachers were female. This shows her strong impact on increasing female representation. In 2009, she also joined the board of directors for Microsoft Corporation.
Recognitions and Achievements
Maria Klawe has received many awards and honors for her work. These recognitions highlight her important contributions to computer science and education.
Prestigious Fellowships
She has been recognized by several important organizations:
- In 1996, she became a fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery.
- In 2006, she was a founding fellow of the Canadian Information Processing Society.
- In 2009, she became a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
- In 2012, she was named a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.
- In 2019, she became a fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics.
Special Chair for Women in Science
In 1997, she was chosen for a special role. She became an NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (CWSE) at the University of British Columbia. This was one of only five such positions in Canada.
Honorary Degrees
Maria Klawe has received many honorary doctorates from universities. These are special degrees given to people who have made great achievements. Some of these universities include:
- Toronto Metropolitan University (2001)
- University of Waterloo (2003)
- Queen's University (2004)
- Dalhousie University (2005)
- Acadia University (2006)
- University of Alberta (2007)
- University of Ottawa (2008)
- University of British Columbia (2010)
- University of Toronto (2015)
- Concordia University (2016)
- McGill University (2018)
Other Notable Awards
In 2014, she won the Woman of Vision ABIE Award for Leadership. This award celebrates women who have made a big impact in technology. In 2018, Forbes magazine featured her. She was named among "America's Top 50 Women In Tech." She also served as the president of the Association for Computing Machinery from 2002 to 2004. In 2004, she received the A. Nico Habermann award.
Maria Klawe's Research Work
Maria Klawe's research has focused on several interesting areas in computer science and mathematics. She has explored how to solve complex problems using algorithms.
Key Research Areas
Some of her most important research includes:
- Algorithms for geometric problems: These are step-by-step instructions for solving problems related to shapes and spaces.
- Distributed leader election: This involves how computers in a network choose a leader.
- The art gallery problem: This is a classic problem about placing guards in an art gallery to see all parts of it.
- Gender and electronic games: She also studied how gender affects playing video games.
SMAWK Algorithm and Aphasia Project
Maria Klawe helped create the SMAWK algorithm. This is a special method for searching through data in a matrix. It is used in computational geometry. She also started the Aphasia Project. This project studied aphasia, a condition that affects language. It also worked to create tools to help people with aphasia. She began this project after her friend, Anita Borg, developed brain cancer.
Championing Women in STEM
Maria Klawe is a strong supporter of getting more women into STEM fields. She has worked hard to make these areas more welcoming for girls and women.
Increasing Female Participation
While she was a dean at UBC, she held a special position. She was the NSERC-IBM chair for Women in Science and Engineering. Her goal was to increase female involvement in science and engineering. During her five years in this role, the number of female computer science majors at UBC grew from 16% to 27%. The number of female computer science teachers also increased from 2 to 7.
Founding Organizations and Advocating for Change
In 1991, she co-founded CRA-W. This is a committee focused on the status of women in computing research. She was also a close friend of Anita Borg. Maria Klawe led the board of trustees for the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology for many years. She strongly believes that women should negotiate their salaries. She disagreed with a CEO who suggested women should just trust the system to give them the right raise.
Making Computer Science Fun and Welcoming
Maria Klawe thinks that introductory computer science courses should be fun and engaging. She believes this approach is better than trying to convince women to stay in the field. She also suggests that programming courses should be taught in middle school. However, she notes that peer pressure in high school could still make students lose interest.
At Harvey Mudd College, she put these ideas into practice. She believes that the media's portrayal of women affects career choices. She explained that in the 1970s, TV shows featured women in successful careers like doctors. This led to a big increase in women entering medicine.
Klawe emphasizes that introductory courses should focus on problem-solving. They should not be competitive environments where a few males dominate. She feels that a "testosterone culture" can prevent women from continuing in computer science. This happens when men who seem to know everything scare away those who are trying to learn.
Currently, she is working on projects to help biology majors learn computer science. She is also developing an online course called MOOC for 10th-grade students.
Artistic Pursuits
Maria Klawe is also an artist. She has shown her watercolor paintings in exhibitions.
See also
In Spanish: Maria Klawe para niños
