In this new Legacy Lecture, author Laurie Wallmark tells the stories of three women and their groundbreaking contributions to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) during the Second World War. Viewers will learn how Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr developed a radio guidance system, separate the myths of Grace Hopper's contribution to modern computing from the facts, and discover how cryptanalyst Elizebeth Friedman's remarkable career was hidden for decades.

Laurie Wallmark, a former software engineer and computer science professor, specializes in writing STEM books for young readers; her latest, Code Breaker, Spy Hunter is a Junior Library Guild selection. Her earlier titles include award-winning Hedy Lamarr’s Double Life and Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code. Wallmark has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and am co-chair of the Rutgers University Council on Children's Literature. She lives in New Jersey with her husband; they have two daughters who are both software engineers.