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 |
| 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 Klawe (pronounced KLAH-vay) is a Canadian-American computer scientist. She was the fifth president of Harvey Mudd College from 2006 to 2023.
Maria was born in Toronto, Canada, in 1951. 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 helping more women and girls get involved in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Contents
Maria Klawe's Life Story
Maria Klawe was born in Toronto, Ontario. She lived in Scotland from age 4 to 12. Then, her family moved back to Canada, settling in Edmonton, Alberta.
Education and Early Career
Maria 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's degree (B.Sc.) in 1973. She continued her studies there and received her Ph.D. in mathematics in 1977.
In 1977, she became an assistant professor at Oakland University. She only stayed for one year. Maria then started a second Ph.D. in computer science at the University of Toronto. She had never studied computer science before. She took advanced classes and studied about 16 hours a day to learn quickly. She was offered a teaching job before finishing her degree.
Working in the Tech World
Maria spent eight years working in the tech industry. She worked at IBM's Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California. She started as a research scientist. Later, she became a manager for math and computer science teams.
After IBM, Maria and her husband, Nick Pippenger, moved to the University of British Columbia (UBC). She worked there for 15 years. She led the Computer Science Department from 1988 to 1995. She also served as vice president for student and academic services. From 1998 to 2002, she was the dean of science at UBC.
Leading Harvey Mudd College
From UBC, Maria moved to Princeton University. After that, she became the first woman president of Harvey Mudd College. When she started at Harvey Mudd, about 30% of students and teachers were female. Today, about 50% of the students are female. Also, over 40% of the teachers are female.
In 2009, she became a citizen of the United States. Later that year, she joined the board of directors for Microsoft Corporation.
Awards and Special Recognitions
Maria Klawe has received many awards for her work.
- 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.
- She became a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2009.
- In 2012, she was named a fellow of the American Mathematical Society.
- She became a fellow of the Association for Women in Mathematics in 2019.
In 1997, she was chosen as a NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering (CWSE) at the University of British Columbia. This was a special role to help more women get into science and engineering.
She has also received many honorary doctorates from universities. These include degrees from the University of Waterloo, Queen's University, the University of Alberta, and the University of Toronto.
In 2014, she won the Woman of Vision ABIE Award for Leadership. This award celebrates women who are leaders in technology. In 2018, Forbes magazine named her one of "America's Top 50 Women In Tech."
Maria also served as the president of the Association for Computing Machinery from 2002 to 2004. In 2004, she won the A. Nico Habermann award.
Maria Klawe's Research
Maria Klawe's research has focused on several areas. She studied algorithms, which are like step-by-step instructions for computers. She worked on solving problems in geometry and how computers can work together.
She also helped invent the SMAWK algorithm. This is a special way to search through information in a grid. It is used in computer geometry.
Maria also started the Aphasia Project. This project studied aphasia, a condition that affects how people speak. The goal was to create tools to help people with aphasia. She started this project after a friend, Anita Borg, became ill.
Helping Women in Tech
Maria Klawe is very passionate about getting more women into STEM fields. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
Increasing Female Participation
When Maria was a dean at UBC, she worked to increase female participation. During her time, the number of female computer science students grew from 16% to 27%. The number of female computer science teachers also increased.
In 1991, she helped create CRA-W. This group works to support women in computer science research. She was also a close friend of Anita Borg. Maria led the board of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology for many years.
Her Beliefs on Education
Maria believes that girls should take an introductory computer science course in college. She thinks these courses should be fun and engaging. She feels that if programming is taught too early, like in middle school, peer pressure might make girls lose interest. This is how she approaches teaching at Harvey Mudd.
Maria also thinks that media plays a role in how many women enter technical fields. She points out that in the 1970s, TV shows started showing women in successful careers like doctors. This led to more women going into medicine.
She emphasizes that introductory computer science classes should focus on solving problems. They should not be competitive. Maria believes that a "testosterone culture" can prevent women from continuing in computer science. This happens when a few male students dominate discussions.
Currently, Maria is working on new projects. She is helping biology students learn computer science. She is also developing an online course for 10th-grade students.
Art
Maria Klawe is also an artist. She has shown her watercolor paintings in exhibitions.
See also
- Timeline of women in science
- In Spanish: Maria Klawe para niños
