Description
As a young girl in the 1930s, Jean Bartik dreamed of adventures in the world beyond her family’s farm in northwestern Missouri. After college, she had her chance when she was hired by the US Army to work on a secret project. At a time when many people thought women could not work in technical fields like science and mathematics, Jean became one of the world’s first computer programmers. She helped program the ENIAC, the first successful stored-program computer, and had a long career in the field of computer science. Thanks to computer pioneers like Jean, today we have computers that can do almost anything.
This book is included in the nonfiction book series, Notable Missourians, for young readers in grades 4 to 6 about people who contributed to Missouri’s history or culture and who were born or lived in Missouri.
Ebooks are available in pdf format through ebrary and EBSCO.
Study Guide for Jean Jennings Bartik: Pioneer Programmer [download pdf]
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Missouri Farm Life
Chapter 2: College and War
Chapter 3: A Human Computer
Chapter 4: The First Programmers
Chapter 5: A Career with Computers
Legacy: Computer Pioneer
Timeline
For Further Reading
Index
Image Credits
Authors
Kim D. Todd is the Assistant Director of the Jean Jennings Bartik Computing Museum and a user consultant with Information Technology at Northwest Missouri State University. She was co-editor of Jean Bartik's autobiography, Pioneer Programmer: Jean Jennings Bartik and the Computer that Changed the World (Truman State University Press, 2013).
John Hare is an illustrator, graphic designer and artist. He lives in Gladstone, Missouri.
Reviews
Jean Jennings Bartik: Computer Pioneer is an exciting historical biography in the Notable Missourians photo-illustrated series for young readers in grades 4-6. This is a distinguished volume in a highly successful educational series, Notable Missourians.
—Midwest Book Review, September 2015
Truman State University Press’s Notable Missourians book series is perfect for elementary school students that are working on class projects or just interested in learning about and taking pride in their home state. This book is perfect for any child interested in computer history or pioneering women.
—Missouri Life, February, 2016
