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  • Anne-Louise Guichard Radimsky: An Educator and a Champion for Diversity in Computing
  • Irina Nikivincze (bio)

The life and career of Anne-Louise Radimsky1 intersects continents, cultures, and disciplines, and reveals the pathways available to women in the early years of computer science in the United States and in France. Having accepted a scholarship to study computer science in the United States in 1966, a young aerospace engineer, Anne-Louise Guichard (later Radimsky) embarked on the lifelong journey to become a cherished computer science educator and mentor. In the 1960s, the nascent French computer industry was crumbling and, in 1966, the French government resorted to Plan Calcul to support the development of a national computer industry and education.2 That move came too late as the history of computing in France became one of “transfer of technology and knowledge.”3 In the case of Radimsky, that knowledge was never transferred back as her career unfolded in the United States where the booming computer field was attracting trained computer professionals.4

Leaving France: Moving from Avionics to Engineering and Computer Science

The crossing of the Atlantic (or Pacific) ocean5 to America divides the past from the future for many immigrants as well as students coming to the United States. Although French universities entered computing research early, by the mid-1960s,6 the French computer industry was losing market to IBM and a French computer company, the Bull, came under control of General Electric.7 In the wake of government investment to support development of a national computer industry and the new discipline, a young female engineer, Anne-Louise Guichard, came to California to learn at the frontiers of the new discipline. She could not have anticipated that a pure happenstance would put her at the center of social tensions and the computer revolution. At that time, the study of computer science in the United States was just another step in the long chain of accomplishments.

Born in France during the second world war, Anne-Louise enjoyed learning and excelled in math and languages. As a student, Anne-Louise always tried to challenge herself by looking for the toughest path. Mathematics was her strength. In addition to mathematics and sciences, she chose to study Greek because it was challenging and esoteric. After graduating from high school, she attended preparatory classes and passed competitive exams to get into an engineering school. She entered École Nationale Supérieure de l’Aéronautique (also known as SUPAERO), one of the best schools for aerospace engineering, majoring in Systems Theory and specializing in Avionics. The choice of major proved to be beneficial. It was a popular area of research that saw a lot of developments in previous decades, and it was the foundational knowledge used by engineers developing missile guidance systems. In addition to her research responsibilities at the Centre d’Études et de Rechershes en Automatisme, she immediately received a lecturing position to teach Systems Theory to engineers at her school in Paris and later in the Engineering School of Tarassa, Spain.

Just three years earlier, 23-year-old Anne-Louise would not have even considered venturing far from home, but now things had changed. Recent experiences with traveling and teaching boosted her confidence and transcended cultural borders. When she saw a memo about a scholarship offered by Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) to study computer science in the United States of America, neither the distance nor the undertaking seemed too daunting. The scholarship was generous and it was an incredible opportunity to join one of the top schools in the United States. A pure happenstance would help her make the decision of which school to attend. A colleague helping her with paperwork has been at Berkeley and a brief conversation that Anne-Louise could be working at Berkeley too, put Berkeley at the top of her list of schools. The paperwork [End Page 81] was sent before Anne-Louise made up her mind. When the acceptance letter came, it was time to finish summer teaching and pack the suitcase for California.

University of California, Berkeley

Having received proper “French education,” Anne-Louise was happy about landing at Berkeley. She knew...

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