MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Linda Null, associate professor of computer science in the School of Science, Engineering, and Technology at Penn State Harrisburg, was named a finalist for the Moxie Award at the 2021 Women in Technology Awards, hosted by the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania in September.
The Moxie Award is a prestigious accolade given to a woman in Pennsylvania who has accumulated great success in a science and technology field. Null was one of three finalists.
"[The Moxie Award] basically is for women that have already blazed the trail for women in technology, [for others] to try and follow in their footsteps,” Null said.
The Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania declares a new Moxie Award winner annually at the awards ceremony. The organization aims to recognize women working in science and technology and uplift them to stay in a male-dominated field.
"The organization has done a lot to help women in technology. I think women continue to be underrepresented within the technology world,” Null said, “This group has helped inspire and encourage women to take that path.”
Null knows these struggles well as she has been a trailblazer in the field for years. One of her greatest accomplishments is her textbook, “The Essentials of Computer Organization and Architecture,” which has been translated into several languages and is now going into its sixth edition.
In addition, she has won several awards at Penn State, including teaching, advising and service awards.
While Null has achieved so much in her career, she now works hard as a mentor to her female students, so they also can succeed in science and technology fields. It is her passion for mentorship that the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania found the most appealing about Null, helping her become a finalist for the Moxie Award.
"I always wonder if I’ve made a difference but having an external organization like that confirm that what I’m doing is being recognized was very rewarding and made a lot of it worthwhile,” Null said.