Mary Kenneth Keller: First US PhD in Computer Science

Abstract

In June 1965, Sister Mary Kenneth Keller, BVM, received the first US PhD in Computer Science, and this paper outlines her life and accomplishments. As a scholar, she has the distinction of being an early advocate of learning-by-example in artificial intelligence. Her main scholarly contribution was in shaping computer science education in high schools and small colleges. She was an evangelist for viewing the computer as a symbol manipulator, for providing computer literacy to everyone, and for the use of computers in service to humanity. She was far ahead of her time in working to ensure a place for women in technology and in eliminating barriers preventing their participation, such as poor access to education and daycare. She was a strong and spirited woman, a visionary in seeing how computers would revolutionize our lives. A condensation of this paper appeared as, ``The Legacy of Mary Kenneth Keller, First U.S. Ph.D. in Computer Science," Jennifer Head and Dianne P. O'Leary, IEEE Annals of the History of Computing 45(1):55--63, January-March 2023.

This revision expands the abstract, adds a reference to a condensed version of this paper published in a journal, references Keller's work on ACM curricula, and notes an IEEE prize in her honor