Texts and contexts: the cultural legacies of Ada Lovelace
An interdisciplinary workshop
Tuesday 8 December, 10am-6pm (arrivals from 9.30am)
Rooms L4 and L5, Mathematics Institute, University of Oxford
Attendance is free, registration required
In 2015 the University of Oxford is hosting a number of events to mark 200 years since the birth of mathematician and computer pioneer, Ada Lovelace (1815-1852). As part of these celebrations, this interdisciplinary one-day workshop will bring together postgraduates and early career researchers in literature, history, maths and computing, and anyone with interests in Lovelace, in order to discuss the cultural influence of her work from the nineteenth century to the present day.
We look forward to hearing a wide range of papers on subjects including Lovelace and LEGO, Lovelace’s poetic imagination, and the role that Lovelace can play in teaching computing to primary school children. Our keynote address, ‘Literature, science and medicine in the early nineteenth century’, will be delivered by Professor Sharon Ruston (Lancaster University). Professor Ruston will also take part in an expert panel, alongside biographer Professor Richard Holmes (Falling Upwards; The Age of Wonder), graphic novelist Sydney Padua (The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage), and novelist and critic Miranda Seymour (In My Father’s House).
Attendance at the workshop is completely free, although you must register in advance. Visit blogs.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/adalovelace and follow the registration link. Registration closes on Sunday 29 November.
As well as the workshop, a two-day symposium “Ada Lovelace: celebrating 200 years of a computer visionary” will take place on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 December, also at the Maths Institute. Thanks to the generosity of the symposium sponsors, there are a number of funded student places available for the symposium. Anyone wishing to apply for one of these places should contact sarah.baldwin@cs.ox.ac.uk.
For more information on the workshop, a full timetable and list of abstracts, visit adalovelaceworkshop.wordpress.com, and for the main symposium go to blogs.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/adalovelace. Email us at adalovelaceworkshop@ell.ox.ac.uk.