Thelma Estrin died on February 15, 2014, in Los Angeles, California, at age 89.
Thelma Estrin passed away on February 15, 2014, in Los Angeles, California, just days before what would have been her 90th birthday. Her death marked the end of a remarkable career spanning over five decades in computer science, biomedical engineering, and advocacy for women in technical fields.
At the time of her death, Estrin was remembered by colleagues and institutions, including UCLA, as a pioneering figure whose contributions to neurophysiological signal processing, computer applications in medicine, and mentorship of women in engineering left a lasting legacy. Tributes highlighted her role in bringing computer technology into brain research and her tireless advocacy work with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and other organizations to promote opportunities for women in science and engineering.
Her passing was noted in memorial pieces from UCLA, where she had served as a professor, and from professional engineering societies that she had helped shape through her leadership roles. Her legacy continues through the scholarships, awards, and institutional programs established in her honor, as well as through the generations of women engineers and scientists she mentored and inspired throughout her long career.