Women in STEM: Adele Goldberg

By Robyn Lam

Adele Goldberg, born on July 22, 1945, is an American computer scientist. She is one of the co-developers of Smalltalk-80, a programming language, and of various concepts that are related to object-oriented programming. Additionally, she has become a huge inspiration to people of all ages due to her great accomplishments and outstanding mind.

Education

Adele attended amazing universities where she was able to grow her skills and they made her realize that she wanted to pursue a future in the field of computer science.

University of Michigan

Adele attended the University of Michigan where she received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics. At the University of Michigan, Adele first became interested in computers and after her junior year, she spent the summer working for IBM, International Business Machines Corporation which is an American multinational technology corporation, teaching herself how to program on large physical boards that were operated like early telephone switchboards.

University of Chicago

Adele attended the University of Chicago after she received her bachelor’s degree to gain a master’s degree and PhD in information science with a focus on computers in education. Due to the suggestion of a faculty member in the University of Chicago, she went to Stanford to conduct research on computer-aided instruction.

Career

Adele has been a part of multiple companies and in this blog, I have only listed a few.

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)

From 1984 to 1986, Adele was the President of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). ACM is the world’s largest educational and scientific society where it unites computing educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources, and address challenges that may occur. As the President, Adele was responsible for leading the chapter and managing its activities while following the policies and procedures of ACM.

Cognito Learning Media

Adele is a board member and adviser at Cognito Learning Media, a provider of multimedia software for science education. She has been an advocate of education for a long time and continues to pursue her love of education through Cognito Learning Media, creating computer science courses at community colleges in the U.S. and various international schools.

Neometron Inc.

Adele co-founded Neometron Inc., an Internet support provider in 1999, and is working with drug development teams, international, research programs, and educational technology.

ParcPlace Systems

Adele co-founded ParcPlace Systems, a company that created development tools for Smalltalk-based applications, in 1988 where she served as a chairwoman and CEO until it merged with Digitalk in 1995.

Palo Alto Research Center (PARC)

Adele first worked at Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) as a laboratory and research assistant in 1973 and eventually became manager of the System Concepts Laboratory. There, she and other researchers developed the programming language called Smalltalk-80. Smalltalk-80 developed the object-oriented approach of Simula 67, a general-purpose programming language, and introduced a programming environment of overlapping windows on graphic display screens. Smalltalk’s format was simple and customizable where objects could be transferred among applications with minimal effort. Adele and Alan Kay, her co-worker, were involved in the development of design templates and they were the forerunners of the design patterns later used in software design.

Achievements

Adele has received many awards and honors over the years through her hard work and dedication to exploring the world of computer science.

Computer History Museum (CHM)

The Computer History Museum (CHM) currently houses a collection of Goldberg’s working documents, reports, publications, and videotapes related to her work on the development of Smalltalk. In 2022, she, with Dan Ingalls, was made a Fellow of the CHM because she promoted and co-developed the Smalltalk programming environment and contributions, advancing the use of computers in education.

Women in Technology International Hall of Fame

In 2010, Adele was admitted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame which recognized, honored, and promoted the outstanding contributions women make to the scientific and technological communities that improve our society.

Association for Computer Machinery (ACM) Software Systems Award

In 1987, Adele received the ACM Software Systems Award. The ACM Software Systems Award is awarded to an institution or individual(s) recognized for developing a software system with lasting influence, reflected contributions to concepts, in commercial acceptance, or both.