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arXiv · 2208.01765

Mary Kenneth Keller: First US PhD in Computer Science

Jennifer Head·Dianne P. O'Leary
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Abstract

In June 1965, Sister Mary Kenneth Keller, BVM, received the first US PhD in Computer Science, and this paper outlines her life and accomplishments. As a scholar, she has the distinction of being an early advocate of learning-by-example in artificial intelligence. Her main scholarly contribution was in shaping computer science education in high schools and small colleges. She was an evangelist for viewing the computer as a symbol manipulator, for providing computer literacy to everyone, and for the use of computers in service to humanity. She was far ahead of her time in working to ensure a place for women in technology and in eliminating barriers preventing their participation, such as poor access to education and daycare. She was a strong and spirited woman, a visionary in seeing how computers would revolutionize our lives. A condensation of this paper appeared as, ``The Legacy of Mary Kenneth Keller, First U.S. Ph.D. in Computer Science," Jennifer Head and Dianne P. O'Leary, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing 45(1):55--63, January-March 2023.

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Jennifer Head, Dianne P. O'Leary. 2022-08-02. Mary Kenneth Keller: First US PhD in Computer Science. https://doi.org/10.1109/mahc.2022.3231763

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