Change is an undeniable part of life. Diversity too.

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20th Century Fox’s Hidden Figures movie tells the story of three African-American female mathematicians working at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. They wanted a chance to change their lives; while they were at it, they changed history. These human “computers,” with help from an early mainframe provided by IBM, created computations that enabled John Glenn to become the first American astronaut to orbit the earth. This space race led to breakthroughs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics worldwide.

Inspired by the achievements of these three women, IBM aims to shine a spotlight on hidden figures from science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to serve as role models for the next generation. Because when creative minds work with the best technology, we can outthink anything.

In light of the movie’s recent release in the Benelux, we asked external female influencers to share their thoughts on the movie.

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Change is an undeniable part of life. Diversity too. Thanks, and due, to diversity we change and learn from each other. But diversity also brings along differences, which are difficult to overcome.

I am a researcher and a teacher. In both roles, I interact with students. In my environment students are different in at least two ways, in culture – because we have a very international student population; and in gender – because in computer science,
still, most students are men but there are many women too. Many cultures bring different ways to experience gender, sometimes good
sometimes less so. Always, however, the multi-cultural mix brings awareness of the fact that intelligence and passion for computer science has no gender. Gender differences are in the way people address a problem, look for solutions, collaborate, value knowledge, experience digitalization. And as we all know, differences in all these cases bring innovation, which is what our society really needs.

So, I am always very happy when I see more girls and women in my classes. They bring the different perspectives we need, they are ambassadors for other women following, and more importantly they make sure that digital solutions are created by representatives of every member of our society, and hence benefit the needs of both women and men. Diversity also changes our image of the field: synergies blend differences that become less exotic over time. I look forward to the time when I enter the classroom and do not feel the trigger to count ‘how many women will I have this year in the course’. Meanwhile, I make time for all girls and women that want to know how computer science can benefit from their creativity and intelligence, and help them realizing their ambitions when they e.g. look for a professional opportunity or want to spend a period of their studies abroad, or simply do their thing like anybody else.

By Patricia Lago

Professor in Software Engineering at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam,

IPN Board member (ICT Platform Netherlands),

ACM-WE National Representative for the Netherlands