Since the early 18th century, before computers took over the world, data science was a prominent study that included concepts like mathematics, statistics, and data analysis that laid the foundation for revolutionary developments by incredible women that changed the world of computer programming forever.
So, what is data science? Data science is defined as the field in which scientific methods and systems are used to extract knowledge from unstructured, raw data. Simply, data science is turning messy, complicated data into a program that is easy to understand and can be used to make decisions.
There’s been a multitude of inventions that have furthered the discoveries in this field, and many of these discoveries have been made by innovative women. One of these women discovered how to gather data and turn it into different health diagrams in 1850s England: Florence Nightingale. Born in Venice, Nightingale made her way to becoming a nurse administrator of a British Army hospital during the Crimean War. In the midst of many dying soldiers and government leaders who accepted the fate of these soldiers without investigation, Nightingale was determined to find out the cause. She gathered as much data as she could and created charts, graphs, and more to advocate for reform and better healthcare. Her methods are known in modern times as data visualization. These data graphics are essential to data science projects today since they engage others and clearly explain data and results. Her diagrams and interactive presentations made the situation impossible to ignore, and she was able to convince Parliament leaders to incorporate sanitary reforms.
Another innovative woman who completely changed the way data was collected was Ada Lovelace. Known as the world’s first computer programmer, Lovelace was an accomplished mathematician and writer who discovered how to write an algorithm designed to be processed by a machine and expanded the discoveries in the science of computing and gathering data. However, Lovelace received much backlash years later from a historian who believed she was nothing more than a depressed, delusional girl who did not understand half of what she wrote. Many historians dispute this theory on account of records of Lovelace’s journals that detail her ideas and thoughts. As time went on and people started to realize how important computer programming was, they tried to discredit Lovelace and “[attempted] to reclaim it as a male activity” (Morais). While Lovelace’s mentor was impressive by himself, Lovelace’s ingenuity and ability to see the true potential of computer science launched discoveries that have allowed data science to be a field that includes more than simple computations and rather a field in which numbers and data could be manipulated in every which way.
“The science of operations, as derived from mathematics more especially, is a science of itself, and has its own abstract truth and value,”
~ Lovelace
These women are just two of many who revolutionized data science and the world of computer science. They are pillars of inspiration from which modern women can draw strength to pave their own way. Their contributions not only shaped the past, but continue to echo in the technologies and innovations we build today.
Works Cited
Andrews, RJ. “How Florence Nightingale Changed Data Visualization Forever.” Scientific American, 1 August 2022, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-florence-nightingale-changed-data-visualization-forever/. Accessed 23 May 2025.
Morais, Betsy. “Ada Lovelace, the First Tech Visionary.” The New Yorker, 15 October 2013, https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/ada-lovelace-the-first-tech-visionary. Accessed 23 May 2025.
“Women in Data Science: Closing the Gender Gap, One Data Science Master’s Degree at a Time.” Tufts University, 13 August 2024, https://onlinesoe.tufts.edu/blog/closing-the-gender-gap-in-data-science/. Accessed 23 May 2025.
About the Author
Hi! I’m Tvisha Kumar and I am currently a sophomore in high school. I’m very interested in Data Science and plan to pursue it in the future along with Applied Mathematics and Finance. The women in this article are only a few of the countless strong and formidable historical figures that have inspired me to pursue Data Science in the STEM field.
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