Ada Lovelace Day 2021 - Ramya Chavali's STEM story

Posted on: 12 October 2021 in Blog posts

Tuesday 12 October 2021 is Ada Lovelace Day. Every year this day is an international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). To celebrate we spoke to one of our new members of staff in the Department of Computer Science, Ramya Chavali, about her pathway into Computer Science, the role models who inspired her and about women in STEM.

Ramya Chavali's STEM story

Hello, I am Ramya, and I come from India. As is the case with the learners and makers of technology, I too have been perennially inspired by the marvels of the field and strived to build my knowledge and skills to understand technology better and eventually contribute to the same.

My passion lies with the field of Computer Science which, with its firm mathematical grounding, logical approach and practical applications, continues to make the impossible into tangible realities. Like every child in the modern age, I too was exposed to computers from an early age, and gradually began to understand how much I related to the field.

Technology always fascinated me, especially computers. When I was a child, a computer seemed like a wondrous thing and as my learning progressed the wonderment surrounding the field never wore off.

Pursuing an undergraduate degree in Computer Science Engineering and subsequently working in the industry for the next two years made me realise how right I was in choosing to work in a field that has emerged as the crux of all technological innovations. Being in the industry, however, opened my eyes to the reach of the field and made me realise that the knowledge I possess till date does not do justice to it. With new discoveries emerging each day in the field, I was immensely motivated to widen my knowledge and contribute to those discoveries and increase the reach of Computer Science with the aid of a graduate study from the University of Liverpool. 

I first worked as a student demonstrator here in the University while doing my masters in Advanced Computer Science. Managing demonstrating duties alongside my master’s course helped me to interact with students which then helped me reflect on my knowledge. I have learned to explain a concept in multiple ways required by the diverse student community. My parents are professors, and seeing them nurture students from a very tender age has made an everlasting impression of how noble the teaching profession is. I have tutored younger people and peers throughout my academic life. This experience at the University further strengthened my belief in considering teaching as my profession.

My mother has been my inspiration in many ways. She started as a student and became a teacher at the same college. She then was promoted into various roles such as a lecturer, assistant professor and professor. Later she retired after serving as the head of the institution for two years. All throughout her life I have seen her struggle and fight through various phases of life. Despite everything, her achievements are inspiring and are something I am immensely proud of. Her capabilities have always left me in awe. She made me believe I can achieve anything I put my mind to. Her encouragement and my interest in STEM fields combined has led me to pursue this role as a teacher in Computer Science.

I am interested to pursue further research in the fields of machine learning and artificial intelligence. I also want to encourage more women into STEM roles and promote gender equality.

Ada lovelace is the visionary person who could predict the great era of computer technology even before anyone did. It's a immense pleasure to remember her achievements. Her works are inspirational and she has become a role model to later generations of women that want to pursue careers in STEM.

Find out more about Ada Lovelace Day here.