The Los Altos History Museum is kicking off the new year with a webinar entitled “Women in Tech: Then and Now” that will highlight the women pioneers who helped build Silicon Valley.
The webinar will include a presentation on the key technologies that advanced the progress of computing, the women who played roles in these advances and the status of their careers today. A panel of women technologists will also be present to discuss their experiences in the field and challenges they overcame.
Nomi Trapnell, a female pioneer in software engineering and management, will lead the presentation, based on her work as a docent at the Computer History Museum. For close to 50 years, Nomi worked in software product development for several top Silicon Valley computer companies, including Hewlett-Packard, ROLM, IBM, Tandem, and IBM, before retiring in 2007.
“In the 1970s, there were a lot more women in the computer science field, but those numbers steadily declined beginning in the 80s as high tech became viewed more as a man’s field,” she said. “This webinar will address the ways women’s contributions have largely been ignored, and current efforts to attract more young women to STEM careers.”
This webinar is offered in conjunction with the Museum’s exhibit, “Rise Up! The Fight for Women’s Suffrage,” on display on the porch of the J. Gilbert Smith House. The exhibit runs through February 21, 2021.
“Although women won the right to vote 100 years ago, the struggle for equality is ongoing. Silicon Valley has recently come under scrutiny for its treatment specifically of women in the tech field, and this panel explores that question from a historic perspective,” said Trapnell.
The free event will take place on January 14, from 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm. To sign up for the event, click here.