New Exhibit: Thanks for the memory: 50+ years of computing at MIT

 Jay Forrester with Whirlwind staff and computer

Photograph of Jay Forrester with Whirlwind staff and computer, Barta Building, MIT campus

MIT’s wide-ranging impact on computer science is the focus of an exhibit that has just opened in the Libraries’ Maihaugen Gallery. From Project Whirlwind to Project Athena, MIT’s numerous contributions to the science of computing have affected society in ways no one could have imagined a century ago – though we take most of those developments for granted today.

Since World War II researchers at MIT have pushed computers to work faster, and more efficiently. They’ve explored applications for industry and government, and found ways to incorporate computers into research and teaching. This exhibit highlights some of the projects and research that have contributed to the development of computer theory, applications, software and hardware. The exhibit also celebrates the recent 50th anniversary of Project MAC – a project in which collaborative interdepartmental experimentation and research focused on time-sharing, human-computer interfaces, and interactive modeling.

The Maihaugen Gallery (14N-130) is open to the public Monday through Friday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, except for Institute holidays and special events. The exhibit will run through July 2014.