[Jon Stratis]

Some of the students on my team tackled this question as a team brainstorming session over dinner Friday at champs... and our Dean's List winner already managed to find a way to send in our suggestions to HQ. We fully agree that half all divisions should be named for women, especially since there was such a big focus on women at champs this year.

Rear Admiral Grace Hopper is famous for her contributions to computer programming. She worked on the Harvard Mark I computer and created the first compiler for programming. Her work led to the development of the programming language, COBOL. She coined the term “debugging” based upon removing a real moth from a computer. As a reflection of her immense impact and dedication to the advancement of computer science, she earned the nicknames “Amazing Grace” and the “Mother of Programming.”

Elizabeth Blackwell was the first female in the United States to graduate from medical school and the first woman listed on the UK Medical Register. She persevered through many rejections from medical schools and hospitals who didn’t think women belonged in medicine. After earning the respect of her fellow students and even professors, she went on to promote women in education especially in the medical field. She was also a social activist and an abolitionist.

Dame Jane Goodall is famous for her 45 years of research of chimpanzees in the wild. She discovered chimpanzees use tools and the research of their behavior led to advancements in human psychology. Her mission is to irradicate animal testing and cruel exhibition of all animals, especially the chimpanzees. She is also a tireless advocate of environmental conservation. (However, she is still alive, which is different from all the other division names.)

Nicola Tesla is famous for his development of Alternating Current, the Niagra Falls electrical plant and numerous inventions. He created the foundation for radio and a better light bulb. Simply put, he was a visionary. Most importantly, he had a spirit of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition, evidenced by his opinion that electricity should be free. Although, he is not a woman, he would make an excellent addition to the esteemed group of scientists celebrated by having a FRC division named in their honour.