Girls' Day 2017: Teens explore the world of software development
Published 11 May 2017
Girls' Day is an annual day of action which is meant to spark girls’ interest in technical and scientific professions. On this day, girls between the ages of 10 and 17 have the opportunity to visit relevant companies and organizations. This is to help them familiarize themselves with so-called STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). For the 17th Girls' Day on 27 April 2017, the Yatta Office Frankfurt invites five girls to delve into the fascinating world of software engineering.
Female pioneers of software
Software put the first humans on the moon. More specifically: her software. NASA programmer Margaret Hamilton, who was then 32-years old, contributed countless lines of valuable source code to the first manned Moon landing on 20 July 1969. And Hamilton is by far from the first nor the only female pioneer of software engineering. As early as the 19th century, the mathematician Ada Lovelace paved the way for modern computer science by writing a brilliant program for a mechanical computer. Today she is celebrated as the first programmer in history; even a programming language is named after her. In the 1940s, the computer scientist Grace Hopper laid the groundwork for modern programming. In the following decade, Lois Haibt and her team at IBM developed the first higher-level programming language, FORTRAN, which is still used today.
There are numerous similar examples that all show one thing: Great milestones of software development have been achieved by women. To make sure these parts of history will repeat themselves in times when software revolutionizes our entire life, Yatta supports initiatives such as Girls' Day.
Exploring the world of source code
After all, software is changing the world. Thus, everyone can change the world – and make it a better place – by means of software. This is what makes the profession of software developer so exciting, creative, and versatile. The Yatta employees are happy to share their enthusiasm about the possibilities of software technology on Yatta Girls’ Day. Students will have the opportunity to explore the world of source code and gain insights into the different tools and tasks of a software developer. Yatta Girls' Day will be rounded off by a lunch and a Q & A with Yatta’s experienced computer scientists.
More information about Yatta Girls' Day, which is already booked out, can be found (in German) on the Girls’ Day portal.
