The Computer History Museum, the world’s leading institution exploring the history of computing and its ongoing impact on society, announced today the winner of the 2013 Computer History Museum Book Prize. This year’s winner is Dr. Joe November's for his book Biomedical Computing: Digitizing Life in the United States (John Hopkins Press, 2012).
The Award citation reads:
In the mid-twentieth century, digital computers began to transform biomedicine. In Biomedical Computing, Joseph November presents an original and compelling account of the processes by which diverse communities in biology and medicine came to embrace digital methods and machines. Furthermore, while historians have demonstrated the influence of physical sciences on early computing, November also demonstrates the forgotten ways in which the demands of biomedical communities shaped computing. In addition to bringing an often neglected scientific community into clear view for historians of computing, Biomedical Computing establishes an important dialogue with the history of science. While historians of technology and business have found ample reason to study computing, Biomedical Computing makes the computer--and thus the history of computing--relevant for science and medicine audiences in general. We expect it to enjoy a broad readership, and to inspire new kinds of computer history.
Museum’s Senior Curator Dag Spicer notes: “We’re delighted to learn of Professor November’s recognition, in particular since he conducted significant research for his book at the CHM archives. His works shines a light on a neglected corner of history in which computers and medicine are linked much earlier than we thought.”
The Computer History Museum Prize is awarded to the author of an outstanding book in the history of computing broadly conceived, published during the prior three years. The prize of $1,000 is awarded by SIGCIS, the Special Interest Group for Computers, Information and Society, part of the Society for the History of Technology. The prize was made possible by a permanent endowment by computer pioneer and Museum Fellow (2005) Dr. Paul Baran.
Visit www.sigcis.org/chmprize for more information about committee members and previous Book Prize winners. All CHM Book Prize winning books are available in the Museum store.
The Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California is a nonprofit organization with a four-decade history as the world’s leading institution exploring the history of computing and its ongoing impact on society. The Museum is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of computer history and is home to the largest international collection of computing artifacts in the world, encompassing computer hardware, software, documentation, ephemera, photographs and moving images.
The Museum brings computer history to life through large-scale exhibits, an acclaimed speaker series, a dynamic website, docent-led tours and an award-winning education program. The Museum’s signature exhibition is “Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing,” described by USA Today as “the Valley’s answer to the Smithsonian.” Other current exhibits include “Charles Babbage's Difference Engine No. 2,” and “Going Places: The History of Google Maps with Street View.”
For more information and updates, call (650) 810-1059, visit www.computerhistory.org, check us out on Facebook, and follow @computerhistory on Twitter.
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