Press Release

Computer History Museum Names New Fellows to Honor Lifetime Achievements in Computing

Mountain View, CA  |  June 28, 2023

Annual award program recognizes honorees for significant contributions in robotics, programming languages, system design, and more

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — June 28, 2023 — The Computer History Museum (CHM), the leading institution decoding technology—its computing past, digital present, and future impact on humanity—today proudly announced its 2023 Fellow Award honorees: 

  • Rodney Brooks: For the advancement of robotics and consideration of its implications for humanity. 
  • Thomas E. Kurtz: For the co-invention of the BASIC programming language, which brought the power of computers to beginners around the world, and the Dartmouth Timesharing System.
  • Barbara Liskov: For practical and theoretical contributions to programming language and system design that continue to shape modern computing. 

The CHM Fellow Awards honor distinguished technology pioneers—unsung heroes and legends—for their outstanding merit and significant contributions to the advancement of computing and the evolution of the digital age. This year’s Fellow Awards gala, presented by headline sponsor Accenture, will take place on Saturday, November 4, 2023, at CHM

“Congratulations to the 2023 Fellow Award honorees for their outstanding achievements in advancing technology and building a better world,” says Accenture Group Chief Executive, Technology and Chief Technology Officer Paul Daugherty. “At Accenture, we celebrate the promise of technology combined with human ingenuity—which is why we are especially proud to support the Computer History Museum Fellow Awards and congratulate this year’s honorees.” 

This prestigious program is supported with collecting, education, research, and media efforts that reflect the seminal work of each Fellow honoree and preserve their stories for future generations. Fellows are selected annually through a public nomination process and honored at an exclusive gala ceremony. Selections are made by a panel of historians, researchers, industry leaders, CHM staff, and past Fellows. 

“CHM is delighted to welcome our new Fellows,” said President and CEO Dan’l Lewin. “Their achievements demonstrate not only how computing innovations can be used to extend the benefits of technology to children but also how crucial it is to consider the implications of these powerful tools for humanity.” 

Over its three-decade history, the Fellow Awards have demonstrated the diverse ways people have contributed to computing. Previous winners include Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, NASA mathematician and “hidden figure” Katherine Johnson, creator of Java James Gosling, software pioneer Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, semiconductor pioneer Gordon Moore, and World Wide Web creator Tim Berners Lee. 

For more information about the 2023 Fellow Awards and the history of the program, please visit the Museum’s website. 

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About CHM
The Computer History Museum’s (CHM) mission is to decode technology—the computing past, digital present, and future impact on humanity. From the heart of Silicon Valley, we share insights gleaned from our research, our events, and our incomparable collection of computing artifacts and oral histories to convene, inform, and empower people to build a better world. 

Press contact: Carina Sweet, csweet@computerhistory.org, 650.810.1059 

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