Mary Jean Harrold (March 12, 1947 – September 19, 2013) was an American computer scientist noted for her research on

software engineering Software engineering is a systematic engineering approach to software development. A software engineer is a person who applies the principles of software engineering to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate computer software. The term '' ...

. She was also noted for her leadership in broadening participation in computing. She was on the boards of both CRA and

CRA-W The Computing Research Association's Committee on Widening Participation in Computing Research (CRA-WP) has the mission of increasing the success and participation of underrepresented groups in computing research and education at all levels. In par ...

and was Co-Chair of

from 2003-2006.

Biography

Harrold received a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in Mathematics in 1970 and a

M.S. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

in Mathematics in 1975, both from

Marshall University Marshall University is a public research university in Huntington, West Virginia. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States. The university is currently composed of nine colleges: ...

. Harrold taught secondary mathematics in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, and

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

from 1970-1982. She then attended graduate school at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

. She received a

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includi ...

in 1985 and a

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

in 1988, both from

. Her dissertation adviser was Prof. Mary Lou Soffa. She stayed at the

as a visiting assistant professor. Then in 1990 she started at

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enr ...

as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 1995. In 1996 she started as an assistant professor at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

and was promoted to associate professor in 1998. In 1999, she moved to the Georgia Institute of Technology as an associate professor, and was promoted to professor in 2003. Harrold was involved with the SIGSOFT community. She was General Chair of the conference SIGSOFT in 2008.

Awards

Mary Jean Harrold was named an ACM Fellow in 2003. In 2004, as a current

co-chair, Harrold (along with Prof. Carla Ellis and Dr. Jan Cuny) accepted the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) award on behalf of CRA-W, for "significant achievements in mentoring women across educational levels". Her other notable awards include: * In 2011, she was named an

IEEE The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operat ...

Fellow "for contributions to software systems". * She is currently listed as the third top software engineering author of all time. * In 2007, ACM named her the top ranking software engineering researcher in the world.

References

External links

* Georgia Institute of Technology
Mary Jean Harrold, School of Computer Science
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harrold, Mary Jean 1947 births 2013 deaths Marshall University alumni University of Pittsburgh alumni American women computer scientists American computer scientists Software engineering researchers Georgia Tech faculty Fellows of the Association for Computing Machinery Fellow Members of the IEEE 20th-century American women scientists 20th-century American scientists American women academics University of Pittsburgh faculty Clemson University faculty Ohio State University faculty 21st-century American women Software testing people