The Computer History Museum, home to the world’s largest collection of computing-related artifacts and stories, today announced that it has been awarded a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation of San Francisco to fund a project to document and exhibit the history of semiconductor technology and its contributions to the advancement of computing capability.
The $546,000 grant will fund activities that focus on the paradigm-shifting invention of the integrated circuit with exhibits and educational programs aimed at improving the science literacy of Bay Area students. The effort will include recording a series of oral histories, collecting artifacts, creating an educational video, and designing an interactive display that will be incorporated into the Museum’s “Timeline of Computing History” exhibit due to open in fall 2009. It will also fund the development of a semiconductor history website and an educational outreach program that includes a speaker series and partnerships with local schools.
“Semiconductor technology fueled much of the growth and development of Silicon Valley and this grant will allow the Museum to expand its activities in collecting and presenting this history,” said Museum trustee and former Intel executive Dave House, who co-chairs the Museum’s Semiconductor Special Interest Group (SIG), a committee of industry leaders and professionals who advise the Museum on semiconductor history content. “Silicon Valley developed semiconductor technology and made the computer and most popular consumer products possible. We are grateful to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for this generous gift that will enable the Museum to make this history accessible to the public in physical and web space."
"The semiconductor is a pivotal invention in technology and computer history, and we are pleased to support this important educational effort," said Soo Venkatesan, project manager for the San Francisco Bay Area Program, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
Anyone wishing to assist the Museum’s Semiconductor SIG in documenting semiconductor history should contact David Laws at 650-810-1057 or laws@computerhistory.org.
The Museum celebrates computing history and its people through an acclaimed speaker series, dynamic website and other public events. CHM also offers self- and docent-led tours of "Visible Storage," a display of 600 items from its collection. Its newest exhibit, "Mastering the Game: A History of Computer Chess," opened in September 2005, joining its other popular exhibit, "Innovation in the Valley." Future phases will feature full exhibits and educational programs, including the Museum’s signature “Timeline of Computing History” scheduled to open in the fall of 2009, theme galleries, a research center, and much more. Please visit www.computerhistory.org or call 650.810.1010 for hours of operation and tour times. Admission is free.
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, established in 2000, seeks to advance environmental conservation and cutting-edge scientific research around the world and improve the quality of life in the San Francisco Bay Area. For more information, visit www.moore.org.
