https://ncwit.org/profile/lorinda-cherry/ Skip to content NCWIT.org Main Menu NCWIT.org [Search] [ ] * K-12 + I Want To o Raise Awareness o Inspire Students o Engage Students o Recognize Students & Educators o Create Systemic Change + K-12 Resources + K-12 Programs + K-12 Alliance + Get Involved * K-12 + I Want To o Raise Awareness o Inspire Students o Engage Students o Recognize Students & Educators o Create Systemic Change + K-12 Resources o K-12 Resources Act and advocate for more inclusive computing learning experiences. Encourage and inspire students to explore computing pathways that match their interests and abilities. + K-12 Programs o K-12 Programs Inspire and encourage individuals of all backgrounds, equip K-12 and higher education influencers, and foster virtual and in-person communities at local, regional, and national levels. + K-12 Alliance o K-12 Alliance Mobilize year-round alongside formal and informal educators and other adult influencers nationwide working together to create lasting impact. + Get Involved * Higher Education + I Want To o Raise Awareness o Inspire Students o Engage Students o Recognize Students & Educators o Create Systemic Change + Higher Ed Resources + Higher Ed Programs + Academic Alliance + Get Involved * Higher Education + I Want To o Raise Awareness o Inspire Students o Engage Students o Recognize Students & Educators o Create Systemic Change + Higher Ed Resources o Higher Education Resources Build consensus for action amongst colleagues, leaders, and advisors to create momentum for measurable, sustainable change within computing departments and institutions. + Higher Ed Programs o Higher Education Programs Recognize students' computing aspirations, honor faculty for their outstanding mentorship, secure strategic buy-in for lasting change, and more. + Academic Alliance o Academic Alliance Mobilize year round alongside faculty, staff, administrators, department heads, and other mentors nationwide working together to create lasting impact. + Get Involved * Workforce + I Want To o Recruit Employees o Retain Employees o Raise Awareness o Be an Inclusive Leader o Create Systemic Change + Workforce Resources + Workforce Programs + Workforce Alliance + Get Involved * Workforce + I Want To o Recruit Employees o Retain Employees o Raise Awareness o Be an Inclusive Leader o Create Systemic Change + Workforce Resources o Workforce Resources Employ strategic approaches that avoid the typical pitfalls of traditional diversity, equity, and inclusion interventions. + Workforce Programs o Workforce Programs Volunteer to engage with the next generation of technologists, amplify the bottom-line benefits of diverse technological contributions, and more. + Workforce Alliance o Workforce Alliance Mobilize year round alongside corporate seniors, executives, and team leaders nationwide working together to create lasting impact. + Get Involved * Resources + Multimedia + Research & Stats * Resources + Multimedia + Research & Stats * Programs + Aspirations in Computing + Color of Our Future + Conversations for Change + Counselors for Computing + Higher Ed Programs + NCWIT Recognitions + Regional Initiatives + Sit With Me + Tech Inclusion Journey * Programs + Aspirations in Computing o Aspirations in Computing Aspirations in Computing (AiC) provides encouragement, enables persistence, opens doors, and changes lives for women in technology from K-12 through career. + BridgeUP STEM o BridgeUP STEM BridgeUP STEM provides opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to learn the skills of computer science and research methodology within a research university setting. + Color of Our Future o Color of Our Future The Color of Our Future focuses on broadening the meaningful participation of underrepresented women and girls of color (Black, Latinx, and Native American). + Conversations for Change o Conversations for Change Conversations for Change: an online thought leadership presents research-based recommendations and prompts peer-to-peer discussions to further inclusivity in computing. + Counselors for Computing o Counselors for Computing Counselors for Computing (C4C) offers professional development to school counselors, positioning them to effectively guide ALL students in exploring computing pathways. + Higher Ed Programs o Higher Ed Programs Recognize students' computing aspirations, honor faculty for their outstanding mentorship, secure strategic buy-in for lasting change, and more. + NCWIT Recognitions o NCWIT Recognitions NCWIT Recognitions foster great potential that otherwise may have gone unrecognized, and foster great ideas that might never have come to fruition. + Regional Initiatives o Regional Initiatives Regional Initiatives serve as entry points into computing for women of diverse backgrounds, providing computing skill development, new employment opportunities, and more. + Sit With Me o Sit with Me Sit With Me uses its iconic red chair to create in-person and virtual spaces where everyone can reflect on the value of diversity and inclusion. + Tech Inclusion Journey o Tech Inclusion Journey The Tech Inclusion Journey (TIJ) is a unique, scalable software platform that empowers change leaders to implement systemic, sustainable approaches to the creation of inclusive cultures. * News & Events + NCWIT Summit + News + Events + re:think Magazine * News & Events + NCWIT Summit o NCWIT Summit The NCWIT Summit: where conversations lead to change is the world's largest annual convening of change leaders focused on significantly improving diversity and equity in computing. + News + Events + re:think Magazine * About NCWIT + Who We Are + NCWIT Alliances + Our Supporters + Get Involved + Contact Us * About NCWIT + Who We Are + NCWIT Alliances o K-12 Alliance o Academic Alliance o Workforce Alliance o Affinity Alliance + Our Supporters + Get Involved + Contact Us * [Search] [ ] * LOG IN Lorinda Cherry Lorinda Cherry NCWIT Pioneer in Tech Award Recipient Lorinda Cherry received her Master's in Computer Science from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1969, at a time when the computer science program was more of a specialized math degree, with some programming courses but little theory. She worked for a few years as a Fortran programmer, but found it "very boring" to constantly write programs based on someone else's ideas. She yearned to work on systems, but there were few entry points for such jobs: individual labs tended to recruit new graduates and train them in their in-house programming language, and Cherry was already overqualified. She eventually found a home at Bell Labs, where she worked on the nascent Unix operating system, which had not yet made the switch to C when she joined the team. Cherry thrived in the collaborative and creative environment of Bell Labs, which encouraged programmers to imagine and execute projects that interested them. She worked on several influential mathematical tools, including a desk-calculator language (bc); TeX and eqn, both typesetting systems for publishing mathematical formulae; and a method of data compression based on trigram statistics, among others. In these years, Cherry recalls, the potential of the computer had barely been tapped, and if asked what she did for a living, she would say that her job was to "see what kind of neat new things I can make the computer do, and in those days the computer wasn't doing a lot, but it was super interesting and there was a lot more stuff you could make it do." An early strength of the Unix system was the way it allowed different programs to cooperate on a task, and Cherry, who described herself as "thinking in Unix," often found ways to apply an insight or feature from one application to a seemingly unrelated context. Thus, one of the first spell-check programs, typo, evolved from her statistics work. Cherry went on to help develop other text-related projects, including Writer's Workbench, an editing program that was eagerly embraced by high school and college English departments. Cherry found inspiration for her work in every area of her life, from rally car racing to dog training. In fact, she authored a series of papers on using statistical analysis to evaluate the unconscious bias of dog show judges toward certain characteristics or breeds. As she told one interviewer, "I'm a practitioner. I'm off to write programs with any excuse or activity." Other Profiles you might like Janice Zdankus Photo Janice Zdankus Janice Zdankus is Vice President of Quality in Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Customer Experience and Quality team. In this role, Janice and her team are transforming Read More >> Yvonne Melton Yvonne Melton Yvonne is a Program Manager on Google's Computer Science Education team. In her role she manages external partnerships and works with program teams such as Read More >> Misty II Misty II A Boulder native, Misty is an experienced (computer) visionary. She enjoys recognizing friends and meeting new people. She is an ardent traveler, and mapping is Read More >> Lisa Flores Lisa Flores Lisa A. Flores is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Colorado. She has a Ph.D. in Speech Communication from the Read More >> Lifetime Partner Apple Strategic Partners strategic partners logos Investment Partners NCWIT Investment Partners Logos Newsletter Sign Up Donate Today Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Linkedin Account | Create an Account | My Orders | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | General Code of Conduct | Copyright | Site Map | Charitable Registration Disclosures Copyright (c) 2022 National Center for Women & Information Technology Scroll to Top