Julia Dain, 17-25 May 2018

Item

MS. 15797 digital 7

Born digital audio recording of interview with Julia Dain, former research assistant for the Programming Research Group (PRG)
Link to digital surrogate

Comprises:

(item 1) born digital audio of interview with Julia Dain, former research assistant for the Programming Research Group (PRG). Interview conducted by Georgina Ferry, 17 May 2018. Running time 1:00:16, topics include:

(00:00:17) school education and family
(00:02:50) first encounter reading about electronic computers, 1963-4
(00:04:24) pre-university traineeship at Marconi Company
(00:06:31) research labs of Marconi and computer equipment, women in the department
(00:09:22) introduction to operating systems, learning ALGOL and other programming languages during traineeship
(00:11:04) applying to study Maths at Oxford and Cambridge
(00:12:29) interview at Warwick University with Professor David Epstein
(00:13:49) time at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, studying Maths
(00:15:46) mountaineering
(00:18:02) Programming Research Group (PRG) role in Oxford, September 1969, equipment used
(00:20:38) Cambridge Programming Language
(00:22:08) rationale for not persisting with MSc or DPhil
(00:23:36) colleagues, set up and operations at Programming Research Group
(00:26:46) comparing Programming Research Group to Numerical Algorithms Group
(00:29:27) working with Joseph Stoy and other colleagues
(00:32:18) working at the Regional Computer Centre, University of Manchester, starting a family
(00:35:34) returning to computing work, part time job at Warwick University, types of machines and systems worked on
(00:38:19) experiences of being the only woman in the Warwick Computer Science department, progressing in the department
00:41:25 intake of women computing undergraduates at Warwick
(00:42:49) running Warwick-WISE computing course for 6th form girls
(00:49:10) working for Parallax, building software in 1995
(00:53:22) childcare
(00:54:07) working for Parallax in commercial environment
(00:59:35) observations on computing careers appealing to women.