The Association for Computing Machinery has nominated Frances E. Allen, 75, the recipient of the 2006 A.M. Turing Award for contributions that essentially enhanced the presentation of computer programs in deciphering problems and hastened the use of high performance computing.
For the first time in history, this award has been conferred upon a woman.
It carries a $100,000 prize, with financial support provided by Intel Corporation.
After finishing her master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Michigan, she joined IBM in 1957. A time when the company hired women by circulating a brochure on campuses, that was titled My Fair Ladies.
She is recognized at IBM for her work with mentoring other IBM employees. The Frances E. Allen Women in Technology Mentoring Award is named in honor of her work in promoting the careers of men and women at IBM. She retired from IBM in 2002. Currently, she is an IBM Fellow Emeritus, recognized for her work in mentoring women and men in technology.
Her achievements:
She has received the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Award, the Anita Borg Technical Leadership Award, the Ada Lovelace Award, and the Association for Computing Machinery SIGPLAN’s Programming Languages Achievement Award.
