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Jean Sammet, born on March 23, 1928, was a computer scientist and programmer who made significant contributions to the development of programming languages and computer science education. Her work had a profound impact on the computing world, and her legacy continues to influence the field to this day.
Education and Early Years
Sammet's interest in mathematics and programming began at an early age. She earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Mount Holyoke College in 1948 and later studied computer science at the University of Illinois. She received her PhD in mathematics from the university in 1968.
COBOL and Programming Language Design
Sammet's early work focused on the development of programming languages. She was one of the designers of the COBOL language, which was widely used in business and government applications in the 1960s and 1970s. She also worked on the development of the FORMAC language, which was used for symbolic manipulation and algebraic computation.
Education and Inclusion in Computing
Sammet was a pioneer in the field of computer science education. She developed a curriculum for teaching programming to beginners and was instrumental in establishing the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education. Her efforts helped promote computer science education and increase the number of women in the field.
Preserving Computing History
Sammet was also an advocate for preserving the history of computing. She served as president of the Charles Babbage Institute, a research center dedicated to the history of information processing, and was a co-founder of the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.
Awards and Legacy
Sammet's contributions to the field of computer science were recognized with numerous awards and honors. She was elected as a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery in 1974 and received the organization's Distinguished Service Award in 1985. In 2001, she was inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame.
At Suris Code, we champion the legacy of pioneers like Jean Sammet, whose contributions to programming languages and computer science education remain vital in every line of code we write today.
Written by
Federico Ergang
CEO & Co-Founder
Federico Ergang is the CEO and Co-Founder of Suris Code, the vision and driving force behind a software factory that has been building real and scalable solutions for over 18 years. With more than 25 years of experience founding and leading software companies, he has turned Suris Code into a trusted technological partner for businesses in the United Kingdom, the United States, Chile, Colombia, Spain, and Argentina. He leads with the conviction that technology only creates value when it is built around real business needs, a philosophy that has already guided over 500 projects delivered across 6 countries.
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