Mary Kenneth Keller facts for kids

Mary Kenneth Keller (December 17, 1913 – January 10, 1985) was an American Roman Catholic nun, teacher, and a very important person in the early days of computer science. She was one of the first two people in the United States to earn a special advanced degree called a doctorate in computer science.

Early Life and Education

Mary Kenneth Keller was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on December 17, 1913. Her parents were John Adam Keller and Catherine Josephine Keller.

In 1932, she joined the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a group of Catholic nuns. She made her final promises to this group in 1940.

College Degrees

Sister Mary Kenneth Keller studied at DePaul University in Chicago.

• In 1943, she earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Mathematics.
• In 1953, she earned a Master of Science (M.S.) in Mathematics and Physics.

Later, she went to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 1965, she earned her Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) degree. This was a very high-level degree. Her special research paper was about how computers could learn from patterns.

Working with Computers

While she was studying, Sister Mary Kenneth Keller worked at several universities. These included the University of Michigan, Purdue, and Dartmouth.

Developing BASIC

In 1958, she started working at Dartmouth College. At that time, only men were allowed to attend Dartmouth. She helped create the first version of the BASIC computer language. This language made it much easier for people to use computers. She worked with John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz on this important project.

Founding a Computer Science Department

Sister Mary Kenneth Keller strongly believed that computers could help everyone learn more. She thought computers could share information widely.

After getting her Ph.D. in 1965, she started the computer science department at Clarke College. This college, now called Clarke University, was a Catholic women's college in Dubuque, Iowa. It was founded by the same group of nuns she belonged to.

Leading the Department

Her department was one of the first computer science departments at a small college. Sister Mary Kenneth Keller led this department for twenty years. Today, Clarke University has the Keller Computer Center and Information Services. It is named after her and helps students and staff with computers. The college also has a scholarship in her honor for computer science students.

Advocacy for Computing

Sister Mary Kenneth Keller wanted more women to get involved in computing. She also believed computers should be used for education. She helped create a group called the Association of Small Computer Users in Education (ASCUE).

She wrote four books about computer science. In 1975, she said that computers are "the greatest interdisciplinary tool that has been invented to date." This means she saw computers as a powerful tool that could connect many different subjects and fields of study.

Sister Mary Kenneth Keller passed away on January 10, 1985, at the age of 71.

See also

• In Spanish: Mary Kenneth Keller para niños