It’s Ada Lovelace Day at Imperial College London, where her many fans gathered to remember the 19th century mathematician commonly referred to as the world’s first computer programmer, as well as to celebrate more recent accomplishments by women in science, technology, medicine, and mathematics.

Lovelace (Dec. 10, 1815-Nov. 27, 1852) is perhaps the best known of a small cast of female pioneers of science and technology who emerged in Britain in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Along with other notable women of the era like German-British astronomer Caroline Herschel and Scots science writer Mary Somerville, Lovelace worked in an environment where female participation in math and science was discouraged, but she and her contemporaries persevered in their chosen fields of inquiry nonetheless.

The annual celebration of Lovelace and women’s contributions to the STEM disciplines at Imperial College is now in its fourth year. Organizer Suw Charman-Anderson wrote Tuesday in The Guardian(Opens in a new window) that the close collaborator with early calculating machine and computer designer Charles Babbage “is the ideal figurehead for this project.”

“She was the world’s first computer programmer, and the first person to realize that a general-purpose computing machine such as Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine could do more than just calculate large tables of numbers,” Charman-Anderson wrote. “It could, she said, create music and art, given the right inputs. The Analytical Engine, she wrote, ‘weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and leaves.'”

Lovelace’s association with computer programming in its infant stages—she is commonly credited with creating the world’s first algorithm—and prescient views of computing’s potential impact on the world has made her a favorite historical figure for technophiles in contemporary times. She featured prominently in the seminal “steampunk” novel The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, and was honored with her own Google Doodle on Dec. 10, 2012, the 197th anniversary of her birth.

This year’s celebration of Lovelace and her intellectual descendants is hosted by the comedian Helen Arney, and will highlight the work of seven women—biologist Dr. Bernadette Byrne, geologist Hazel Gibson, technologist and broadcaster Leila Johnston, engineer and MP for Newcastle Chi Onwurah, science communicator Fran Scott, cognitive neuroscientist Prof. Sophie Scott, and bioengineer Prof. Molly Stevens.

The event, now fully underway at Imperial College, features “live demos, biomedical wonders, neuroscience, inspiration, laughter, and song,” according to the organizers(Opens in a new window).

Those who couldn’t make the London event but still wish to celebrate Lovelace and other women’s achievements in the STEM subjects can check out this list of grassroots events(Opens in a new window) taking place around the world, courtesy of the Finding Ada site.

“Ada Lovelace Day is not only about raising Ada’s profile, but also shining a spotlight on the achievements of all women in STEM, both historic and modern,” Charman-Anderson wrote in The Guardian. “It’s about drawing inspiration from all women, not just the famous ones, and supporting women at every stage of their career, from the choice of what to study at school and university, through to often challenging professional milestones.”