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== Early life and education == == Early life and education ==
Popplewell was born in 1920 in ].{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} Her parents were Bessie and Alfred Popplewell. She attended Sherbrook Private Girls School.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.northmeols.com/history/greaveshall/|title=Greaves Hall - The history of Greaves Hall, Banks, Nr Southport|website=northmeols.com|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref> She studied the ] at the ].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Alan Turing: The Enigma: The Book That Inspired the Film The Imitation Game - Updated Edition|last=Hodges|first=Andrew|authorlink=Andrew Hodges|date=2014|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=9781400865123|language=en}}</ref> She worked with statistics in the form of ]s.<ref name=":0" /> She was considered an expert in the ] desk calculator.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/acl/technology/atlas50th/p009.htm|title=Interview:David, Mike|website=chilton-computing.org.uk|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref> She graduated with a ] degree in 1942, which was converted to a ] degree in 1949 from ].<ref>https://twitter.com/theUL/status/1076092273933340673</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=44CAM_ALMA21347731530003606&context=L&vid=44CAM_PROD&search_scope=SCOP_CAM_ALL&tab=cam_lib_coll&lang=en_US|title=The Cambridge University list of members|year=1974|website=cam.ac.uk}}</ref> Popplewell was born in 1920 in ].{{citation needed|date=December 2018}} Her parents were Bessie and Alfred Popplewell. She attended Sherbrook Private Girls School.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.northmeols.com/history/greaveshall/|title=Greaves Hall - The history of Greaves Hall, Banks, Nr Southport|website=northmeols.com|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref> She studied the ] at the ].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Alan Turing: The Enigma: The Book That Inspired the Film The Imitation Game - Updated Edition|last=Hodges|first=Andrew|authorlink=Andrew Hodges|date=2014|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=9781400865123|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=http://www2.theiet.org/resources/library/archives/research/wes/WES_Vol_5.html|title=The Woman Engineer|website=www2.theiet.org|access-date=2020-01-18}}</ref> She worked with statistics in the form of ]s.<ref name=":0" /> She was considered an expert in the ] desk calculator.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chilton-computing.org.uk/acl/technology/atlas50th/p009.htm|title=Interview:David, Mike|website=chilton-computing.org.uk|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref> She graduated with a ] degree in 1942, which was converted to a ] degree in 1949 from ].<ref>https://twitter.com/theUL/status/1076092273933340673</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://idiscover.lib.cam.ac.uk/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=44CAM_ALMA21347731530003606&context=L&vid=44CAM_PROD&search_scope=SCOP_CAM_ALL&tab=cam_lib_coll&lang=en_US|title=The Cambridge University list of members|year=1974|website=cam.ac.uk}}</ref>


== Career == == Career ==
In 1943 she was a Technical Assistant in the Experimental Department at ] Ltd. and joined the ].<ref name=":4" />

In 1949 Popplewell joined ] in the Computer Machine Learning department at the ] to help with the programming of a prototype computer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://curation.cs.manchester.ac.uk/digital60/www.digital60.org/birth/manchestercomputers/mark1/manchester.html|title=The Manchester Mark 1 (Digital 60)|website=curation.cs.manchester.ac.uk|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ourcomputerheritage.org/CatE.pdf|title=Catalogue of historical computer documents donated by Professor D B G Edwards|author=Anon|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref> At first she shared an office with Turing and ], a ] mathematics graduate.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Alan Turing and His Contemporaries: Building the World's First Computers|last=Lavington|first=Simon|date=2012|publisher=BCS, The Chartered Institute|isbn=9781780171050|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.turing.org.uk/scrapbook/manmach.html|title=Alan Turing Scrapbook - Manchester Computers|website=turing.org.uk|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref> Her first role was to create a library for the prototype ].<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Campbell-Kelly|first=Martin|authorlink=Martin Campbell-Kelly|date=1980|title=Programming the Mark I: Early Programming Activity at the University of Manchester|journal=IEEE Annals of the History of Computing|volume=2|issue=2|pages=130–168|doi=10.1109/mahc.1980.10018|issn=1058-6180}}</ref> This included input/output routines and mathematical functions, and a reciprocal square root routine.<ref name=":2" /> She worked on ].<ref name=":2" /> She wrote sections of the subroutines for functions like ].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://universityhistories.com/2019/03/15/women-at-the-console/|title=Women at the Console|date=2019-03-15|website=University Histories|language=en|access-date=2019-03-22}}</ref> Together they designed the programming language for the ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hopl.info/showlanguage.prx?exp=3914|title=HOPL|website=hopl.info|access-date=2018-12-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219044222/http://hopl.info/showlanguage.prx?exp=3914|archive-date=2018-12-19|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.1stassociated.co.uk/regions/alan-turing-article2.asp|title=Alan Turing - Mathematician, war time code breaker, pioneer of computer science and in charge of Hut 8|website=1stassociated.co.uk|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref> She wrote the ''Programmers Handbook'' for the ] in 1951.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://curation.cs.manchester.ac.uk/computer50/www.computer50.org/kgill/mark1/progman.html|title=Turing Manual|website=curation.cs.manchester.ac.uk|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref> Whilst Turing worked on Scheme A, an early ], Popplewell proposed Scheme B, which allowed for decimal numbers, in 1952.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rutherfordjournal.org/article010109.html|title=The Rutherford Journal - The New Zealand Journal for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology|website=rutherfordjournal.org|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/HistoryOfManchesterComputers/History%20of%20Manchester%20computers_djvu.txt|title=Full text of "A history of Manchester computers (book)"|website=archive.org|language=en|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref> In 1949 Popplewell joined ] in the Computer Machine Learning department at the ] to help with the programming of a prototype computer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://curation.cs.manchester.ac.uk/digital60/www.digital60.org/birth/manchestercomputers/mark1/manchester.html|title=The Manchester Mark 1 (Digital 60)|website=curation.cs.manchester.ac.uk|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ourcomputerheritage.org/CatE.pdf|title=Catalogue of historical computer documents donated by Professor D B G Edwards|author=Anon|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref> At first she shared an office with Turing and ], a ] mathematics graduate.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Alan Turing and His Contemporaries: Building the World's First Computers|last=Lavington|first=Simon|date=2012|publisher=BCS, The Chartered Institute|isbn=9781780171050|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.turing.org.uk/scrapbook/manmach.html|title=Alan Turing Scrapbook - Manchester Computers|website=turing.org.uk|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref> Her first role was to create a library for the prototype ].<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Campbell-Kelly|first=Martin|authorlink=Martin Campbell-Kelly|date=1980|title=Programming the Mark I: Early Programming Activity at the University of Manchester|journal=IEEE Annals of the History of Computing|volume=2|issue=2|pages=130–168|doi=10.1109/mahc.1980.10018|issn=1058-6180}}</ref> This included input/output routines and mathematical functions, and a reciprocal square root routine.<ref name=":2" /> She worked on ].<ref name=":2" /> She wrote sections of the subroutines for functions like ].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https://universityhistories.com/2019/03/15/women-at-the-console/|title=Women at the Console|date=2019-03-15|website=University Histories|language=en|access-date=2019-03-22}}</ref> Together they designed the programming language for the ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hopl.info/showlanguage.prx?exp=3914|title=HOPL|website=hopl.info|access-date=2018-12-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181219044222/http://hopl.info/showlanguage.prx?exp=3914|archive-date=2018-12-19|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.1stassociated.co.uk/regions/alan-turing-article2.asp|title=Alan Turing - Mathematician, war time code breaker, pioneer of computer science and in charge of Hut 8|website=1stassociated.co.uk|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref> She wrote the ''Programmers Handbook'' for the ] in 1951.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://curation.cs.manchester.ac.uk/computer50/www.computer50.org/kgill/mark1/progman.html|title=Turing Manual|website=curation.cs.manchester.ac.uk|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref> Whilst Turing worked on Scheme A, an early ], Popplewell proposed Scheme B, which allowed for decimal numbers, in 1952.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rutherfordjournal.org/article010109.html|title=The Rutherford Journal - The New Zealand Journal for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology|website=rutherfordjournal.org|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/HistoryOfManchesterComputers/History%20of%20Manchester%20computers_djvu.txt|title=Full text of "A history of Manchester computers (book)"|website=archive.org|language=en|access-date=2018-12-18}}</ref>


Revision as of 16:52, 18 January 2020

Cicely Williams
BornCicely Mary Popplewell
1920 (1920)
Stockton-on-Tees
Died1995 (aged 74–75)
Buxton
Alma materUniversity of Cambridge (BA, MA)
Known forwork on Manchester Mark 1 and Ferranti Mark 1
Scientific career
FieldsSoftware engineering
InstitutionsUniversity of Manchester

Cicely Mary Williams (née Popplewell, 1920-1995) was a British software engineer who worked with Alan Turing on the Manchester Mark 1.

Early life and education

Popplewell was born in 1920 in Stockton-on-Tees. Her parents were Bessie and Alfred Popplewell. She attended Sherbrook Private Girls School. She studied the Mathematical Tripos at the University of Cambridge. She worked with statistics in the form of punched cards. She was considered an expert in the Brunsviga desk calculator. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1942, which was converted to a Master of Arts degree in 1949 from Girton College, Cambridge.

Career

In 1943 she was a Technical Assistant in the Experimental Department at Rolls Royce Ltd. and joined the Women's Engineering Society.

In 1949 Popplewell joined Alan Turing in the Computer Machine Learning department at the University of Manchester to help with the programming of a prototype computer. At first she shared an office with Turing and Audrey Bates, a University of Manchester mathematics graduate. Her first role was to create a library for the prototype Manchester Mark 1. This included input/output routines and mathematical functions, and a reciprocal square root routine. She worked on ray tracing. She wrote sections of the subroutines for functions like COSINE. Together they designed the programming language for the Ferranti Mark 1. She wrote the Programmers Handbook for the Ferranti Mark 1 in 1951. Whilst Turing worked on Scheme A, an early operating system, Popplewell proposed Scheme B, which allowed for decimal numbers, in 1952.

Popplewell went on to become an advisor and administrator in the newly formed University of Manchester Computing Service where she was remembered as a 'universally liked' mother-figure. She left the Service in the late 1960s shortly before her marriage.

Popplewell taught the first ever programming class in Argentina at the University of Buenos Aires in 1961. Her class included the computer scientist Cecilia Berdichevski. She was supported by the British Council. Popplewell published the textbook Information Processing in 1962.

Her life was documented in Jonathan Swinton's 2019 book Alan Turing’s Manchester.

Personal life

In 1969 Popplewell married George Keith Williams in Chapel-en-le-Frith. She died in 1995 in Buxton.

References

  1. "Greaves Hall - The history of Greaves Hall, Banks, Nr Southport". northmeols.com. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  2. ^ Hodges, Andrew (2014). Alan Turing: The Enigma: The Book That Inspired the Film The Imitation Game - Updated Edition. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9781400865123.
  3. ^ "The Woman Engineer". www2.theiet.org. Retrieved 2020-01-18.
  4. "Interview:David, Mike". chilton-computing.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  5. https://twitter.com/theUL/status/1076092273933340673
  6. "The Cambridge University list of members". cam.ac.uk. 1974.
  7. "The Manchester Mark 1 (Digital 60)". curation.cs.manchester.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  8. Anon. "Catalogue of historical computer documents donated by Professor D B G Edwards" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  9. Lavington, Simon (2012). Alan Turing and His Contemporaries: Building the World's First Computers. BCS, The Chartered Institute. ISBN 9781780171050.
  10. "Alan Turing Scrapbook - Manchester Computers". turing.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  11. ^ Campbell-Kelly, Martin (1980). "Programming the Mark I: Early Programming Activity at the University of Manchester". IEEE Annals of the History of Computing. 2 (2): 130–168. doi:10.1109/mahc.1980.10018. ISSN 1058-6180.
  12. ^ "Women at the Console". University Histories. 2019-03-15. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
  13. "HOPL". hopl.info. Archived from the original on 2018-12-19. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  14. "Alan Turing - Mathematician, war time code breaker, pioneer of computer science and in charge of Hut 8". 1stassociated.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  15. "Turing Manual". curation.cs.manchester.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  16. "The Rutherford Journal - The New Zealand Journal for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology". rutherfordjournal.org. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  17. "Full text of "A history of Manchester computers (book)"". archive.org. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  18. Swinton, Jonathan (2019). Alan Turing's Manchester. Manchester: Infang Publishing. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-9931789-2-4. {{cite book}}: |asin-tld= requires |asin= (help)
  19. ^ Berdichevsky, Cecilia (2006), "The Beginning of Computer Science in Argentina — Clementina - (1961–1966)", History of Computing and Education 2 (HCE2), IFIP International Federation for Information Processing, vol. 215, Springer US, pp. 203–215, doi:10.1007/978-0-387-34741-7_15, ISBN 9780387346373
  20. Impagliazzo, John (2006-07-27). History of Computing and Education 2 (HCE2): IFIP 19th World Computer Congress, WG 9.7, TC 9: History of Computing, Proceedings of the Second Conference on the History of Computing and Education, August 21–24, Santiago, Chile. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 9780387346373.
  21. Leal, Luis Germán Rodríguez; Carnota, Raúl (2015-11-01). Historias de las TIC en América Latina y el Caribe: Inicios, desarrollos y rupturas (in Spanish). Fundación Telefónica. ISBN 9789802715282.
  22. Carnota, Raul Jorge (2015). "The Beginning of Computer Science in Argentina and the Calculus Institute, 1957-1970". IEEE Annals of the History of Computing. 37 (4): 40–52. doi:10.1109/mahc.2015.34. ISSN 1058-6180.
  23. "Information Processing 1962: Amazon.co.uk: Cicely M Popplewell: Books". amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  24. "Alan Turing's Manchester". The Portico Library. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
  25. "Ancestry - Sign In". ancestry.com. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
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