Erna Schneider Hoover
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Erna Schneider Hoover (born June 19, 1926) is an American mathematician who invented a computerized telephone switching method which "revolutionized modern communication".<ref name=tws2E2114>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=tws2E2112>Template:Cite news</ref> It prevented system overloads by monitoring call center traffic and prioritizing tasks<ref name=tws2E2112/> on phone switching systems to enable more robust service during peak calling times.<ref name=tws2E2114/> At Bell Laboratories where she worked for over 32 years,<ref name=tws2E2113>Template:Cite news</ref> Hoover was described as a pioneer for women in the field of computer technology.<ref name=tws2Q111>Template:Cite news</ref>
Early life
Erna Schneider was born on June 19, 1926,<ref name=tws2E2114/> in Irvington, New Jersey.<ref name=tws2Q111/> Her family lived in South Orange, New Jersey and her father was a dentist and her mother was a teacher.<ref name=tws2Q111/> She had a younger brother who died from polio at the age of five.<ref name=tws2Q111/> She loved swimming, sailing, canoeing, and became interested in science at an early age. According to one source, she read the biography of Marie Curie which suggested to her that she could succeed in a scientific field despite the prevailing ideas about gender roles.<ref name=tws2Q111/> She graduated from Columbia High School in nearby Maplewood in 1944, which would induct her into its hall of fame in 2007.<ref>Hall of Fame Template:Webarchive, Columbia High School. Accessed November 12, 2018.</ref>
Hoover attended Wellesley College where she studied classical and medieval philosophy and history.<ref name=tws2E2114/><ref name=tws2Q311/><ref name=tws2Q314>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=tws2Q315/> She graduated from Wellesley in 1948 with honors, earning a bachelor's degree, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and was honored as a Durant Scholar.<ref name=tws2Q111/> She earned her PhD from Yale University in philosophy and foundations of mathematics in 1951.<ref name=tws2E2114/><ref name=tws2Q311/> Around that time, there were very few women who graduated with a PhD in philosophy (5%), compared to men.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Personal life
While at Yale, she met Charles Wilson Hoover, Jr. She married him in 1953, during her three year stint teaching at Swarthmore (1951–1954). They had three daughters.<ref name="tws2Q111" /><ref name=":0" />
Career
Hoover was a professor at Swarthmore College from 1951 to 1954<ref name=tws2E2114/> where she taught philosophy and logic.<ref name=tws2Q111/> However, she had been unable to win a tenure-track position, possibly because of her gender and marital status, according to one view. Her husband was very supportive of his wife's career pursuits.<ref name=tws2Q111/> When they moved to Summit, New Jersey in 1954, for his new job at Bell Laboratories, she had difficulty finding a teaching job. Instead, she joined her husband's employer as a senior technical associate, and was promoted in 1956. According to one source, the internal training program was the "equivalent of a master's degree in computer science."<ref name=tws2Q111/> Switching systems were moving from electronic to computer-based technologies. Problems happened when a call center would be inundated with thousands of calls in a short amount of time, overwhelming the unreliable electronic relays, and causing the entire system to "freeze up."<ref name=tws2Q111/>
Hoover used her knowledge of symbolic logic and feedback theory to program the control mechanisms of a call center to use data about incoming calls to impose order on the whole system.<ref name=tws2Q111/> It used computer electronic methods to monitor the frequency of incoming calls<ref name=tws2Q312>Template:Cite news</ref> at different times.<ref name=tws2Q313/> Her method gave priority to processes that were concerned with the input and output of the switch over processes that were less important such as record keeping and billing.<ref name=tws2Q111/><ref name=tws2Q311/> The computer, as a result, would adjust the call center's acceptance rate automatically, greatly reducing the overloading problem.<ref name=tws2Q315>Template:Cite news</ref> The system became known as stored program control.<ref name=tws2Q313/>
Hoover's thinking about the invention happened while she was in a hospital recuperating after having given birth to her second daughter, according to several sources.<ref name=tws2Q313>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=tws2Q311>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=tws2Q411>Template:Cite news</ref> Lawyers for Bell Labs handling the patent had to go to her house to visit her while she was on maternity leave so that she could sign the papers.<ref name=tws2E2114/> The result of the invention was much more robust service to callers during peak load times:
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To my mind it was kind of common sense ... I designed the executive program for handling situations when there are too many calls, to keep it operating efficiently without hanging up on itself. Basically it was designed to keep the machine from throwing up its hands and going berserk.{{#if:|
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For her invention, termed Feedback Control Monitor for Stored Program Data Processing System, Hoover was awarded Template:US patent in November 1971, one of the first software patents ever issued.<ref name=tws2Q312/> The patent was applied for in 1967 and issued in 1971.<ref name=tws2Q111/><ref>See Patent #3623007 November 23, 1971</ref> As a result of her invention, she became the first woman supervisor of a technical department at Bell Labs.<ref name=tws2E2112/><ref name=tws2Q311/> She headed the operations support department in 1987.<ref name="tws2E2113"/> The principles of her invention are still being used in telecommunications equipment in the 21st century.
Hoover worked on various high-level applications such as research radar control programs of the Safeguard anti-ballistic missile system, which were systems to intercept incoming intercontinental ballistic missile warheads.<ref name=tws2Q111/> Her department worked on artificial intelligence methods, large databases, and transactional software to support large telephone networks.<ref name=tws2Q111/> She worked at Bell Labs for 32 years until retiring in 1987.<ref name=tws2E2113/> In addition, she served on the boards of higher education organizations in New Jersey.<ref name=tws2Q111/> As a member of the board of Trustees of The College of New Jersey, she was described as a visionary who was instrumental in increasing women faculty as well as enrolling the "best prepared high school graduates" in the state, and she helped build the college into a respected institution of higher education by lobbying extensively for state funding.<ref name=tws2Q112>Template:Cite news</ref>
Awards
She was awarded one of the first patents for computer software.<ref name=tws2Q111/> She was elected as a member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2008.<ref name=tws2Q313/> She received the Wellesley College alumni achievement award.<ref name=tws2Q111/> In 2020, the College of New Jersey awarded her an honorary degree for services to higher education in New Jersey, after her time on their board. Schneider Hoover was the recipient of the National Center for Women & Information Technology's 2023 Pioneer Award.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Her invention laid the groundwork for modern interconnected communication systems. While her initial system has evolved and integrated with other advancements, the fundamental principles of automated telephone switching systems persist. The legacy of Erna Schneider Hoover's work endures in the seamless and efficient communication networks that underpin contemporary society, particularly in business-to-customer interactions. Her life's work not only transformed the telecommunications industry but also paved the way for future generations of women in science and technology.
Further reading
References
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