Sylvia Wilbur facts for kids
Sylvia B. Wilbur (born in 1938) is a British computer scientist. She played a key role in developing the early internet, known as the ARPANET. She was also one of the first people in Britain to send an email. Later, she became a top researcher in a field called computer-supported cooperative work, which is about how computers help people work together.
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Early Life and Learning
Sylvia Wilbur was born in Romford, Essex, in 1938. She grew up in a working-class family; her father was a dockworker. She went to a grammar school, but she left when she was 17. She needed to help her family, so she did not go to university right away.
She worked as a clerk and typist in East London. A few years later, she got married and had two children. When her children were old enough, around 1964, she started working again. She became a typist at Barking College, which is now part of the University of East London.
Her job involved typing computer programs written in a language called ALGOL onto punched tape. This experience sparked her interest in computers. She soon began to learn computer programming herself. Because she loved learning, she joined a distance learning program at the Open University. In 1974, she earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics. Later, she also completed a master's degree at the University of Kent.
Starting Her Career and Internet Work
While studying, Sylvia Wilbur changed her job at the University of East London. She moved from being a typist to a computer operator. She also learned another programming language called COBOL.
Just before finishing her degree, she got a research job at University College London. She worked as a computer programmer for Peter T. Kirstein. Kirstein was in charge of Britain's part of the ARPANET project. Sylvia's job was to program a PDP-9 computer. This computer acted as the local connection point, or node, for the network.
She also helped British network users connect to the ARPANET. She became a technical assistant and contact person for them. Because of her work, she was "probably one of the first people in this country ever to send an email, back in 1974."
Around 1978, Sylvia remarried. Her new husband also worked in the same department at University College London. To keep her work independent, she decided to leave her job there. After working for an examinations board for a year, she became a lecturer at the University of East London. About five years later, around 1983, she moved to Queen Mary College. She moved because she wanted more time to do research.
Later Career and Teamwork with Computers
Around 1986, Sylvia Wilbur started new research. She became a project manager for a government-funded project. This project focused on computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW). This field explores how computers can help groups of people work together.
Her early work in CSCW looked at ways people communicate at different times. This is called asynchronous communication, like sending an email. Later, she started using tools for communication that happen at the same time. This included teleconferencing, where people can talk and see each other live.
Sylvia Wilbur also helped organize workshops called "Women Into Computing." She worked with Hilary Buxton at Queen Mary College in the mid-to-late 1980s. These workshops invited local schoolgirls to the college. The goal was to encourage them to study computer science. Later, she used her teleconferencing skills to bring these workshops directly to the schools. This made it easier for students to join.
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