MIT professor wins award celebrating women in computing

By Michael B. Farrell

April 18, 2012

1 minute to read

Nancy Lynch, a long-time Massachusetts Institute of Technology computer science professor, was named Tuesday the Athena Lecturer, an annual award for pioneering female researchers who work in computer science.

Lynch, who has been an MIT professor since 1981, is the seventh recipient of the award from the Association for Computing Machinery’s Council on Women in Computing. She works in the school’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and is known for pioneering work that uses mathematics to perfect wired and wireless computer networks.

As part of the award, Lynch will receive $10,000 from Google Inc., which has actively supported efforts to boost the number of women entering computing fields.

That number has fallen sharply in recent years, according to the National Center for Women and Information Technology. In 2008, 18 percent of computer and information science degrees went to women, compared with 37 percent in 1985.

The percentage of women in the IT work force is dropping, too. The group found that women made up about 25 percent of the tech workers in 2009, compared with 36 percent in 1991.

Lynch said she hopes awards like the Athena Lecturer help reverse the trend.

“We’d certainly like to attract more attention to the success of women researchers,’’ she said, “so we can get more women inspired to get into the field.’’