Celebrating Women's History Month: Thelma Estrin

As Women’s History Month takes place in efforts to showcase women’s contributions to society in the past and present, Codology is launching a four-article series highlighting women who have contributed extensively to the world of computer science, with the third regarding Thelma Estrin. 

Born on February 21, 1924, Thelma Estrin had an early affinity for mathematics and science, two fields alienated from women following the Great Depression. However, corresponding to her interests, Estrin began her academic career by studying mathematics at the City College of New York in 1941. Upon getting married, she took an engineering assistant course at the Stevens Institute of Technology for three months in 1942, which further fueled her interest in engineering, accompanying her work experience for the Radio Receptor Company. 

In 1946, Estrin began pursuing an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and, two years later, would receive a Bachelor in Science from the same university. She also received her Master of Science in 1949 and Doctor of Philosophy in 1951 from UW. Upon completing her educational pursuits, Estrin joined the Electroencephalograph Department of the Neurological Institute of New York at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, sparking her interest in biomedical engineering. 

In 1953, Estrin started teaching drafting at the Los Angeles Valley College. Soon after, she and her husband moved to Israel to help build the country’s first computer, the Weizmann Automatic Computer. After their return to Los Angeles, Estrin organized UCLA’s Brain Research Institute's Data Processing Laboratory in 1961, serving as its director for ten years. During those ten years, she designed and developed an early analog-to-digital conversion system to convert electroencephalograms to digital signals.

Continuing her stay at UCLA, Estrin became a professor in the Computer Science Department of the School of Engineering and Applied Science in 1980. She also maintained other positions around the same time, including director of the Electrical, Computer, and Systems Research Division at the National Science Foundation, president of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, and the first female executive vice president of IEEE. 

As a finishing touch to her memorable career, Estrin published a 1996 paper on the intersectionality of women’s studies and computer science. Through “Women's studies and computer science: their intersection,” she underscored the necessity of widening women’s access to technology and “expand the world of science and technology from its patriarchal history, which consider these disciplines as inherently masculine." 

Overall, Thelma Estrin’s work in computer science and biomedical engineering was groundbreaking, with her legacy and accomplishments continuing to inspire women in STEM today. She is an example of the pioneers who steered away from the patriarchy implied within science and technology and ensured her life served as an example for others, with her contributions to medical technology impacting people internationally. Recognized with numerous awards, including the inaugural Service Award by the Association for Women in Computing, the IEEE Haraden Pratt Award, and the Superior Accomplishment Award from the National Science Foundation, we hope to further her story here at Codology to inspire other young women.