Erna Schneider Hoover Credit: invent.org

She received a B.A. from Wellesley College and a Ph.D. from Yale University. In 1954, she accepted a research position at Bell Laboratories. There she invented a computerized switching system for telephone call traffic, and earned one of the first software patents ever issued.

Bell Labs, had recieived calls to replace their hard-wired and mechanical switching equipment with better and more efficient systems. Hoover's used a computer to monitor the frequency of incoming calls at different times, and to adjust the call acceptance rate accordingly. Using a simple idea, she was able to eliminate the danger of overload in processing calls.

Hoover's system earned her a position as the first female supervisor of a technical department at Bell Labs. The methods of Hoover's switching system are still used today.