Ejercicio 1 — Text A: Women Engineers
Comprensión escrita7 puntosText A
Women Engineers
Gladys West is a mathematician whose work helped with the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS). A black woman born in rural America under racial segregation, her work has transformed our everyday lives. Her excellent performance at high school granted her a scholarship for university. She became the second black woman programmer to work at a naval base. Gladys programmed a computer to produce an accurate model of the shape of the Earth, tides, gravitation, and other forces and this model became the basis for GPS.
Marian Croak is a pioneer in telecommunications engineering, who has over 200 patents. She is known for the invention of VoIP (voice over Internet protocol), the technology which permits real-time audio and video calls over the Internet. Marian was born in the USA. As a child, her father built a chemistry set for her, and this is what inspired her to follow a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths).VoIP allows us to video chat, to have economical phone calls with loved ones around the world, and work remotely. She is a supporter for racial justice and women in engineering.
Larissa Suzuki is a computer scientist and engineer who works in the field of AI (artificial intelligence). She works at Google exploring how AI can solve real-world problems, and collaborates with NASA. She was fascinated with electronics, and imagined ways of making static things walk and dance. Toys like Lego allowed her to be creative and explore building structures. She has developed systems for smart cities, robots, healthcare, and finance. Larissa has autism and hyperactivity disorder. She has been dedicated to equality and diversity in engineering.
These women have overcome various obstacles due to their personal struggles and have had tremendous impact. Today women continue to pave the way for future generations.
Adapted from “Women Engineers,” Science Museum, May 30, 2023. <https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/women-engineers/>