Norman Abramson

Developer of the ALOHAnet system for wireless computer communication and inventor of the first random access protocol, Abramson was an American engineer and computer scientist. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and...

Josephine M. Cheng

Developer of IBM's database technology for the web, allowing people to access huge amounts of data via the Internet previously accessible only through proprietary systems, Cheng has been an IBM Fellow (2000)...

Paul Vincent Galvin

Co-founder of Motorola, Galvin helped establish one of the world's leading telecommunications companies. Founded as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation on September 25, 1928, Motorola became a leader in communications equipment. Galvin was born...

Max Rafael Levchin

Co-developer of PayPal and co-creator of the Gausebeck-Levchin test, one of the first commercial implementations of a CAPTCHA, Levchin is a Ukrainian-born American computer scientist and internet entrepreneur widely known as one...

Jimmy Donal Wales

Co-founder of Wikipedia, Wales is an American Internet entrepreneur who has helped transform how the world accesses information. Wales was born on August 7, 1966, in Huntsville, Alabama. He grew up in a...

Grace M. Hopper

Developer of COBOL and pioneering computer scientist, Hopper was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer, and she developed the first compiler for a computer programming language. She...

Jack Keil Wolf

Known for his work in coding theory as applied to magnetic storage, Wolf made pioneering and sustained contributions to information theory and digital information storage. He was also an expert in signal...

Donald Ervin Knuth

Author of the landmark series *The Art of Computer Programming*, Knuth is renowned for his contributions to the analysis of algorithms and the design of programming languages. He has served as Professor...

Lisa P. Jackson

The first African American to serve as administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Jackson held that position from 2009 to 2013, following her nomination by President-elect Barack Obama and confirmation...

Steven W. Hunter

Systems Architect for Systems x and BladeCenter products at IBM, Hunter was named an IBM Fellow in 2011—the highest honor a scientist, engineer, or programmer at IBM can achieve. He has served...

John Russell Patrick

An influential force behind IBM's early adoption of the Internet and World Wide Web, Patrick led the team that created IBM's intranet and the IBM.com website. He was born in Salem, New...

Leonard J. Shustek

Founder of the Computer History Museum, Shustek co-founded Nestar Systems Inc., an early producer of networked client-server computer systems, in 1979. In 1986, Dr. Shustek co-founded Network General Corporation, a manufacturer of...

Judith (Judy) L. Estrin

Leader of the team that developed one of the first commercial local area network systems, Z-net, Estrin is an American business executive and technology entrepreneur who co-founded seven companies with Bill Carrico. She...

John (J. B.) Battiscombe Gunn

Inventor of the Gunn diode, the first inexpensive source of microwave power that did not require vacuum tubes, Gunn discovered the Gunn Effect while working at IBM in 1962. Gunn diodes have...

Barry Leiba

Developer of Ultimail, an early integrated multimedia e-mail system created with his team at IBM Research, Leiba is a computer scientist and software researcher. His work focused for many years on electronic...

Gottfried Ungerboeck

Inventor of trellis coded modulation, Ungerboeck is a pioneering researcher in digital communications. Ungerboeck received an electrical engineering degree (with emphasis on telecommunications) from Vienna University of Technology in 1964, and a Ph.D....

Joseph (Rod) Rodney Canion

Co-founder of Compaq Computer Corporation, Canion is a native of Houston who graduated from the University of Houston in 1966 and 1968 with Bachelor's and Master's degrees in electrical engineering with an...

Kathleen (Kathe) Spracklen

Co-programmer of the Chafitz ARB Sargon 2.5, the first commercial dedicated chess computer with an Auto Response Board, Spracklen is an American mathematician, computer scientist, and microcomputer chess pioneer. Born in Grand Rapids,...

Arnold Meyer Spielberg

Inventor of the first computer-controlled point-of-sale cash register, Spielberg is recognized as a pioneer in the computer industry, credited with a number of breakthroughs during his professional career, among them early guidance...

Lawrence (Larry) J. Schoenberg

His commitment to using digital tools in manuscript studies and to making his collection freely available online supported the work of many scholars. Co-founder and former CEO of AGS Computers, Inc., Schoenberg...