Lifein stealth ofmicrochipgenius whomigratedtoanew...
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The contents of the publication from which these extracts have been taken are copyright works and without prior permission or save as permitted by statute may not be copied or otherwise reproduced (even for internal purposes) or resold. Section: News Edition: 01 Date: 14 November 2015 Page: 36,37 Circulation: 394910 Source: ABC Jul 2015 Ref: 106189938 ‘Life in stealth’ of microchip genius who migrated to a new identity Lynn Conway beat transgender bias and began a revolution, says Magnus Linklater W hen Lynn Conway stepped on to the stage on Thursday night to receive the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s (RSE) James Clerk Maxwell Medal award — one of the most prestigious honours in science — few among the audience can have appreciated the remarkable journey that led up to that moment. Not only, as a woman, has her reputation as one of the pioneers of microchip technology been overshadowed by the male professor who has been given most of the credit, for much of her life she guarded a personal secret that might have destroyed her career. In the 1960s, Professor Conway, now 77, invented a system for integrating multiple sources of information onto a single circuit. It went on to revolutionise the world of computers, was taken up and developed by most of the major Silicon Valley companies, and is now accepted as one of the breakthrough moments in the design of the modern high-speed computer. Yet her early work was brought to an abrupt end when she was sacked from IBM after revealing that she was intending to embark on gender transition. Born a man, and married with two children, she had struggled with her gender identity, and finally decided to undergo the treatment that would lead to full transition. When she revealed her plans to IBM, bosses at the computer giant abruptly fired her. She went into hiding, underwent the process of transition on her own, and began her career again, leading what she has described as “a life of stealth” as a woman. Even after her breakthrough work on microchip design was acknowledged, with the publication of db ki bli i i 1979 a groundbreaking publication in 1979, she concealed her past. “I had no support — certainly not from my family,” she said. “I was on my own, I led a life in stealth.” In those days transgenderism, particularly if it involved surgery, was not only controversial, it was regarded with deep suspicion. “A lot of the time I was frightened to death about being found out — really bad things could happen to you,” she says now. “In San Francisco, when I was transitioning, there was a lot of trouble with the police.” She compares her life then to that of an immigrant embarking on life in a new country, learning a new language, encountering hostility and stigmatisation because of language and culture. “I had to emigrate,” is the way she puts it. She joined the pioneering company ‘A lot of the time I was frightened to death about being found out’ Xerox PARC, and took up again the research she had begun with IBM. What she succeeded in doing was something that had eluded computer engineers for years — how to integrate multiple calculations on to a single chip, hugely increasing the speed with which they could be processed. Known as “very large scale integrated circuits”, the title of a publication which went on to revolutionise computer design when it was rolled out in 1979, it inspired students and professionals to build and develop a wide range of microchips that changed the industry for ever. She describes the moment when she pressed the “send” button on her computer, distributing a work which might make or break her career, as a seminal one, and compares it to the kind of decision you make when you are rock- li bi ( fh f i ) climbing (one ofher favourite sports.) “What I learned from that is how to develop skills to do hard things even if you are frightened,” she says. “Stepping off was really tough. You knew that if you fell over you were going to take everybody with you, but you just think ‘I can do this,’ so you have a go at it.” Sitting alongside her husband, Charlie Rogers, a professional engineer with whom, in their early life together, she used to go whitewater-rafting and motocross cycling, she describes the technology of her work on microchips in layman’s terms: “It’s like a queuing problem in a café — you have a number of people waiting in a line to get served. A lot of them are going for different things. If you knew what one of them wanted, they could just jump ahead and get served. So you need a system with a number of instructions that get them going through the line and coming out at the other end without having to wait.” It was, of course, a great deal more complex than that, and, in truth, very few people, even among her colleagues understood what she was trying to do. That included Professor Carver Mead, her immediate superior, whose name always precedes hers when the microchip process is described. The seminal text on the subject, Introduction to VLSI Systems, lists Mead’s name first, but was actually written by Conway. “He was the professor, he got all the awards,” she told The Times. At the time she was often described as Mead’s assistant. The so-called Mead-Conway revolution in microchip design is now recognised as a critical moment in the development of today’s high-speed information transmission, but it was not until 2012 that Professor Conway’s own contribution was fully acknowledged. As the citation from the RSE puts it, she is the “hidden h d” i h i hi d i
Transcript of Lifein stealth ofmicrochipgenius whomigratedtoanew...
The contents of the publication from which these extracts have been taken are copyright works and without prior permission or save as permitted by statute may not be copied or otherwise reproduced (even for internal purposes) or resold.
Section: News Edition: 01 Date: 14 November 2015 Page: 36,37
Circulation: 394910Source: ABC Jul 2015
Ref: 106189938
‘Life in stealth’ of microchip genius who migrated to a new identityLynn Conway beattransgender bias andbegan a revolution,saysMagnus Linklater
When Lynn Conwaystepped on to thestage on Thursdaynight to receive theRoyal Society of
Edinburgh’s (RSE) James ClerkMaxwell Medal award — one of themost prestigious honours in science— few among the audience can haveappreciated the remarkable journeythat led up to that moment.Not only, as a woman, has her
reputation as one of the pioneers ofmicrochip technology beenovershadowed by the male professorwho has been given most of thecredit, for much of her life sheguarded a personal secret that mighthave destroyed her career. In the
1960s, Professor Conway, now 77,invented a system for integratingmultiple sources of information ontoa single circuit. It went on torevolutionise the world of computers,was taken up and developed by mostof the major Silicon Valleycompanies, and is now accepted asone of the breakthrough moments inthe design of the modern high-speedcomputer.Yet her early work was brought to
an abrupt end when she was sackedfrom IBM after revealing that she was
intending to embark on gendertransition. Born a man, and marriedwith two children, she had struggledwith her gender identity, and finallydecided to undergo the treatment thatwould lead to full transition. Whenshe revealed her plans to IBM, bossesat the computer giant abruptly firedher. She went into hiding, underwentthe process of transition on her own,and began her career again, leadingwhat she has described as “a life ofstealth” as a woman.Even after her breakthrough work
on microchip design wasacknowledged, with the publication of
db ki bli i i 1979
a groundbreaking publication in 1979,she concealed her past.“I had no support — certainly not
from my family,” she said. “I was onmy own, I led a life in stealth.” Inthose days transgenderism,particularly if it involved surgery, wasnot only controversial, it wasregarded with deep suspicion.“A lot of the time I was frightened
to death about being found out —really bad things could happen toyou,” she says now. “In San Francisco,when I was transitioning, there was alot of trouble with the police.”She compares her life then to that
of an immigrant embarking on life ina new country, learning a newlanguage, encountering hostility andstigmatisation because of languageand culture. “I had to emigrate,” is theway she puts it.She joined the pioneering company
‘A lot of the time I wasfrightened to deathabout being found out’Xerox PARC, and took up again theresearch she had begun with IBM.What she succeeded in doing was
something that had eluded computerengineers for years — how tointegrate multiple calculations on to asingle chip, hugely increasing thespeed with which they could beprocessed. Known as “very large scaleintegrated circuits”, the title of apublication which went on torevolutionise computer design whenit was rolled out in 1979, it inspiredstudents and professionals to buildand develop a wide range ofmicrochips that changed the industryfor ever. She describes the momentwhen she pressed the “send” buttonon her computer, distributing a workwhich might make or break hercareer, as a seminal one, andcompares it to the kind of decisionyou make when you are rock-li bi ( f h f i )
climbing (one of her favourite sports.)“What I learned from that is how to
develop skills to do hard things evenif you are frightened,” she says.“Stepping off was really tough. Youknew that if you fell over you weregoing to take everybody with you, butyou just think ‘I can do this,’ so youhave a go at it.”Sitting alongside her husband,
Charlie Rogers, a professionalengineer with whom, in their earlylife together, she used to gowhitewater-rafting and motocrosscycling, she describes the technologyof her work on microchips in layman’sterms: “It’s like a queuing problem ina café — you have a number ofpeople waiting in a line to get served.A lot of them are going for differentthings. If you knew what one of themwanted, they could just jump aheadand get served. So you need a systemwith a number of instructions that getthem going through the line andcoming out at the other end without
having to wait.” It was, of course, agreat deal more complex than that,and, in truth, very few people, evenamong her colleagues understoodwhat she was trying to do. Thatincluded Professor Carver Mead, herimmediate superior, whose namealways precedes hers when themicrochip process is described. Theseminal text on the subject,Introduction to VLSI Systems, listsMead’s name first, but was actuallywritten by Conway. “He was theprofessor, he got all the awards,” shetold The Times. At the time she wasoften described as Mead’s assistant.The so-called Mead-Conway
revolution in microchip design is nowrecognised as a critical moment in thedevelopment of today’s high-speedinformation transmission, but it wasnot until 2012 that ProfessorConway’s own contribution was fullyacknowledged. As the citation fromthe RSE puts it, she is the “hiddenh d” i h i hi d i
The contents of the publication from which these extracts have been taken are copyright works and without prior permission or save as permitted by statute may not be copied or otherwise reproduced (even for internal purposes) or resold.
Section: News Edition: 01 Date: 14 November 2015 Page: 36,37
Circulation: 394910Source: ABC Jul 2015
Ref: 106189938
hand” in the microchip designrevolution, a major source ofinnovation in a field that eventuallymade personal computers andsmartphones possible.Looking back at the setbacks and
struggles that marked her earlycareer, she is remarkably phlegmatic.
She refuses to blame IBM for theircruel and insensitive response to herpersonal dilemma, though shedescribes its then head, the late TJWatson, as “a rabid homophobe”.“Times change,” she says. “I tend to
be neutral on things like that. I don’tthink there are good guys and badguys, we simply have differentreference frames. What happenedthen was a function of the time.People are entrapped by rituals theyhave fallen into. Who were the peoplewho burnt witches at the stake,actually believing they were doing theright thing? Look at what happenedin Germany. I would hesitate to getdown on IBM at all. It is not thecompany it was then. IBM haschanged more than most.”Gradually, as her work was
recognised, Professor Conway began
to reveal details of her personal lifeon her own website, and went on tocampaign actively on transgenderissues, becoming a role model forothers in her own position.She was invited to the White
House, drew up a code of ethics forhow her profession should treatlesbian, gay, bisexual and transgenderpeople, and was named last year byTime magazine as one of “21transgender people who influencedAmerican culture.”As she reflects on a life with more
than its share of struggles, she says itis actually the setbacks that havemade her the person she is today.“The clouds have parted, the
darkness has gone, I am really happyat the way things have turned out,”she says now. “The experience hasempowered me.”
Happy to play the game for more than she can lose
What’s the book onyour bedside table?A History of the Worldin 12 Maps, by JerryBrotton
Which disc would youtake to your desertisland?Vivaldi, The FourSeasons
Who would you takeon a one-way trip toMars?Charlie!(my husband)
What’s the best adviceyou’ve ever received,and who was it from?This advice has longhad a major impact onme: “Play the game formore than you canafford to lose. . . onlythen will you learn thegame” — WinstonChurchill
Favourite TV:WestWing or America’s GotTalent?West Wing!
Day offRock-climbing orcomputer lecture?Rock-climbing (onlythese days it would justbe mountainscrambling, rather thanroped vertical-wallclimbing)
High fashion ordungarees?
Definitely dungarees(we call them “jeans”)
Tell us a secret(something that mightbe a little bitembarrassing to admit)My behaviour lets slipthat I never really “grewup” and instead kept onplaying, as if inkindergarten
The contents of the publication from which these extracts have been taken are copyright works and without prior permission or save as permitted by statute may not be copied or otherwise reproduced (even for internal purposes) or resold.
Section: News Edition: 01 Date: 14 November 2015 Page: 36,37
Circulation: 394910Source: ABC Jul 2015
Ref: 106189938
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Professor Lynn Conway, who was fired
by IBM when she revealed plans to change gender, has been called the ‘hidden hand’ in the microchip design revolution
