NEWS · B2 Level - Part 3

Who is Lisa Gelobter

We are going to start today with an inspiring story about a tech trailblazer and inventor.

Level: B2 · 22 sentences

Transcript

  1. We are going to start today with an inspiring story about a tech trailblazer and inventor.
  2. One of the many figures we're highlighting this month - Women's History Month.
  3. It's a national celebration that has been honoring historic figures in some form or fashion since a congressional act in 1981.
  4. Today, we are featuring someone you may not have heard of,
  5. but there is a strong chance you are very familiar with some of the technology she's helped to create.
  6. Lisa Gelobter helped create the GIF.
  7. GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format.
  8. It's a type of image file format that often contains a short, looping animated video most often used on social media.
  9. You've probably seen or used some of these popular ones:
  10. Homer Simpson: "Uh-oh, I'm just going to stay out of this one,"
  11. or Shaq: "Oh yeah, very excited,"
  12. or how about Kermit the Frog: "Oh my goodness!"
  13. GIFs have become a part of the fabric of everyday communication.
  14. They sometimes say it all, expressing a thought or reaction without a single word needing to be said.
  15. As an engineer for the earliest interactive multimedia platform, Shockwave,
  16. Gelobter played a key role in developing the animation used to create GIFs.
  17. And her impact doesn't stop there.
  18. She's held leadership roles at BET and Hulu
  19. and even served as Chief Digital Service Officer for the U.S. Department of Education.
  20. Gelobter is a strong advocate for women's rights,
  21. using her platform as the CEO and co-founder of Techquitable
  22. to raise awareness about the importance of gender equality and fairness in the tech industry.