ABOUT COMPUSEUM

Our aspiration for Compuseum

What is the Compuseum?

The Compuseum is a project to create a Philadelphia-region interactive museum of hardware and software to be located by the organizing committee. It is envisioned that the museum will feature theaters and multiple galleries of historically relevant digital and computing devices, in addition to showcasing newest technology releases and inventions. The Compuseum’s primary gallery is to include a display of sections of the ENIAC, the earliest digital computer created within the University of Pennsylvania and in step-wise fashion, show the march of forward progress.

Our Mission

The mission of the Compuseum is to help the public and the computer industry share information about computing and to raise public awareness of the important role the digital age has played and will continue to play in society. The Compuseum will be a springboard to teach and discuss new and emerging technologies — and their implications — within the context of prior achievement.

See The Future By Looking at The Past

Interacting with devices will make learning fun and visitors will have a great family-day-out in an uplifting environment. On display will be the early work environments of teams of computer designers and creators, such as the ENIAC at PENN. The Compuseum hopes to gain praise for its content and interactivity.

Compuseum Vision

The Compuseum should become the world’s most interactive computer museum and to be a place that is a marvel of technological innovation. Attractive floors, touch-screens, theaters, film and video, state-of-the-art studios, computer games, interactive kiosks, documentary footage and hands-on multimedia exhibits are envisioned. The Compuseum is to have both permanent and rotating/travelling exhibits.

OUR VISION

Compuseum Location Evolution Philosophy
It is envisioned that there may be a need to have a smaller first location while building the momentum for a larger final location and project. This evolutionary approach may lead to developing a deeper bench of sponsors and supporters while also providing “lessons learned” in marketing and exhibition design.

Components
Some of the components that will make-up the Compuseum will be (but not limited to): Museum, Exhibits, Visitors, Tours, Events, Awards, Library, Brown Bag Lectures, Symposium, First Fridays, Heritage Day, History Live, Innovation Day, Conference Rooms, Cafeteria, Catering, Online Presence, Fellowships, Scholarships, Publications

Design
The design team has the following goals:

To design a facility easily recognized and remembered by visitors from around the world;
To create a museum space with enriched content.
To celebrate the first releases of the milestones in computing.
To reveal the progress of computing from data management, through information handling, knowledge dissemination and wisdom achievement.
To display and describe systematic innovation and the march of progress.
To provide a venue for a center of innovation within the museum center.

The showcase environments throughout the museum will be climate-, light-, and humidity-controlled to preserve and protect legacy computing devices. Sharing the building with the Compuseum will likely be an attractive array of restaurants, book stores, and computer device and service vendors (hardware, software, smart phones, etc.)

The mission is to build the most comprehensive, evocative look at the power and impact that computing has had on society; all under one roof. We would like it to be considered an “edgy, cool and contemporary museum” and to have interactive exhibits, to house important artifacts and to do an unparalleled job of telling the computing story.

Expanding Education – How to Bridge the “Digital Divide”
The Compuseum isn’t just about interpreting the machines of the past, but inspiring a new generation to design and build the machines of tomorrow. The Compuseum “Education Coordinator” will be using classroom space to teach school children key computer science concepts, such as core memory, the binary number system, representing images with pixels, debugging and digital computing. These lessons will help pave the way for our next generation of student leaders, as well as providing additional uses for the exhibits.

Compuseum Electronic Wall
Display breaking news from around the world of the newest in computing. Our goal is to make an indelible mark on computing education by selecting a great location with high traffic volume, producing solid content, revealing important archival information and displaying legacy equipment all packaged within an interactive environment.

The Walk-Through Computer
Imagine walking through a computer to lean about its components. Recorded in 1990 – How Computers Work: A Journey Into The Walk-Through Computer is an educational video produced by The Computer Museum (Boston) and hosted by David Neil of PBS’s Newton’s Apple. Join David Neil and his four young companions on an entertaining and illuminating trek through The Computer Museum’s one-of-a-kind, two-story working model of a desktop computer. The Computer Museum in Boston, Massachusetts was the predecessor institution to the Computer History Museum located in Mountain View, California since 1996. Sadly, the walk-through computer did not move to California with the Computer Museum’s collection, but as you can see from this video, it was a very engaging exhibit. An updated version of this exhibit could be incorporated into the Compuseum.

Compuseum Public Services
Compuseum will support a vibrant and growing “speakers bureau”; a source for speakers on various topics. Expert in computers, information technology, software, hardware, museums or business are welcome.

Making the World Work Better
Consider the things we can do today that earlier generations could not even imagine. Let’s explore the way computing has improved our daily lives through the advances of the past century and consider the possibilities unleashed by this technology. This exhibit is about better information technology, computing devices, tools and software—but that’s not all. Our objective is to reveal the deeply human quest to make the world more accessible, efficient, sustainable and fun.

A unique interactive experience
The Compuseum combines hardware, software and firmware to create a unique experience to engage visitors in a conversation about how computing technology has improved the way we live and work.

Data walls
Visitors approaching the exhibit will be drawn in by striking patterns displayed on multiple digital walls. These wall panels help to visualize, in real time, live data streaming from systems around the world, including those used for weather, energy, to quality of life. Visitors will discover how we can see worldwide changes, unnecessary waste and opportunities for improvement in world systems.

Immersive films
Inside the exhibit space, visitors step into a media array composed of multiple LCD screens. As the screens come to life, visitors can read and experience immersive films surrounding them within a kaleidoscope of images. They will be enveloped in a rich narrative about the pattern of progress, told through awe-inspiring stories of the past and present of computing. They will be inspired to think about humankind’s quest for progress, and about making our world work better, today.

Interactive experience
At the conclusion of introductory immersion, visitors will be invited to interact with touchscreens to transform the experience into a world of self-discovery. Visitors can explore mankind’s quest to see more, do more and be more. They can interact with clocks, scales, microscopes and telescopes, silicon chips and biomedical devices. They can learn how maps are made and have been used. They can interact with models used to understand the complex behaviors of our bodies, our world and our universe. They can hear from world leaders and learn how they built their own ecosystems with the help of computing technologies. They can read about some of the most inspiring examples of progress around the world. Each interactive touchscreen will give visitors the opportunity to view and learn about what others were thinking then and are thinking now.

Center of Innovation
Compuseum will show innovative business leaders and interested visitors how to stop wondering what is happening in IT and instead start embracing what the future is inviting forward. The Compuseum will highlight the then-current innovations of each of its objects, thus enabling deeper understanding of the march of progress in information technology and computing. We stand on the shoulders of prior innovation, and can learn how to map the ideas forward by studying the past. Thus, in this way, we hope to help drive innovation forward into the future.

ADVISORY TEAM FOR Compuseum

Barbara Turner - When it comes to Computer Education, she is Unmatched

Hands on, deep dive, always on. Barbara D. Turner is a seasoned Professor of Business & Technology with extensive experience in both higher education and industry. She is currently affiliated with Rowan College of South Jersey and also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Rowan University. Her industry expertise includes serving as Director of Technical Support and Training for a former Unisys distributor in Norfolk, Virginia, as well as holding various positions at The Boeing Company – Rotorcraft Division, progressing from Systems Analyst to senior management within the Aerospace Support division. Additionally, she has been engaged in small business operations, overseeing marketing, data management, and product delivery logistics.

Turner is an experienced Professor Of Business & Technology with a demonstrated history of working in higher education and industry. Certified Data Management Professional. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Analytical Skills, Program Evaluation, Lecturing, and Academic Advising. Strong professional graduated from Old Dominion University and completed her doctorate in business administration at Wilmington University.

Dr. Turner is available as a speaker for your event from the Compuseum "Speakers Bureau" on the topic of computer science and education.

Robert Gillespie - Wizard of "Vacuum Tube Alley"

Early on Robert M. Gillespie recognized vacuum tubes as the core of the computing revolution; these all-electronic switches launched the computer age from "Vacuum Tube Alley". Robert has been a vacuum tube collector and historian for over 40 years. His main focus is on tube construction and early tube development fueled by World War I and the discoveries made quickly thereafter. These early triode tubes were the foundation of electronics leading up to the transistor.

At age 10 looking inside a tube television in elementary school, the intricate artwork and the glow of the tubes had Robert hooked. On to programming the TSR 80 and the Apple IIe through middle school, then high school classes teaching BASIC, C compiler, GM line code, AutoCAD9, and introduced to the IBM PS2 with 2400 baud modem as well as an ETA 10P within the high school has given Robert a real time experience in the history of consumer computer technology.

Robert went on to become a member of the TCA (Tube Collectors Association), the AWA (Antique Wireless Association) and is the USA tube administrator for Radiomuseum.org. He spends his daily freetime updating pages on RMorg, posting photos to Facebook and chatting on the TCA group.

As owner of the Gerald Tyne Collection from the famous "Saga of the Vacuum Tube" published in 1977, he uses the vast collection of paperwork and tubes to continually identify unknown tubes owned by other collectors. Robert is one of only a handful of invitees to see the Smithsonian's 5,000 tube collection. He has also viewed the immense George Clark "Radioana" paperwork collection held in the National Archives.

Robert continues to expand his tube collection along with his knowledge of tubes and is always looking to share this information with the next generation. His addition to Compuseum will give a preamble to the transistor and how vacuum tubes helped make computers what they are today.

Robert is available as a speaker for your event from the Compuseum "Speakers Bureau".

Tim Pash - Pushing the Envelope

Tim Pash is the Executive Vice President of HESFP, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of HigherEchelon, Inc. HESFP is a summit-level partner to Salesforce, delivering high-quality SaaS implementations to customers in the public sector and beyond. Tim has grown that practice from 3 people to over 100 in the last 7 years. Prior to that he was the Director of the Microsoft Technology Center (MTC) for Malvern, PA. The MTC is a showcase environment for all things related to Microsoft, and provides a marquee venue to demonstrate the value proposition of Microsoft solutions to their customers. In that role Tim had a team of 5 technical architects reporting to him who were focused on driving Digital Transformation discussion across Microsoft’s three clouds (Azure, Office 365 and Dynamics).

Over a 21-year career at Microsoft, Tim had the opportunity to work out of the Pacific Northwest at the Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, WA, running a team focused on competitive intelligence in the Productivity area. In that role he and his team supported the field in pre-sales escalations and provided evidence-based guidance to the product team on how to build out and enhance Office 365 to compete against Google and others.

Tim graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Mechanical Engineering degree from Syracuse University, and started his career with G.E. in the Manufacturing Management Program. Tim got involved in the Manufacturing Resource Planning side of the business, became APICs certified, and worked for G.E. Aerospace/Martin Marietta/Lockheed Martin for 7 years before coming to Microsoft. Tim is married with two kids aged 24 and 21. Don't let the suit fool you; Tim is a hard-driving mountain biker and take-no-prisoners runner in his spare time.

Tim is available as a speaker for your event from the Compuseum "Speakers Bureau" on topics of CRM, future-think, innovation at scale.

Charlie Landreth - Deep Philly Chops

If you want to know how Philly ticks, check with Charlie first. Charles B. Landreth is a retired executive from Fiserv Securities headquartered in Philadelphia where he had been Director of Sales, Marketing and Product Development and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee for almost six years. Prior to Fiserv, Charlie was an executive with PNC Bank and its predecessor, Provident National Bank, for twenty-eight years where he was always involved with the securities markets and most recently was Executive Vice President and Director of Sales, Marketing and Product Development for Provident Institutional Management Corp., PNC’s mutual fund subsidiary.

Charlie, along with his wife Cindy, is a partner at Wentworth Capital Partners their family office. He serves on the Advisory Board of Scherrer Resources in Exton, PA. Scherrer Resources, Inc. which makes and markets enterprise relationship management (ERM) software and other technology tools for the securities industry. He is a member of the advisory board of Compuseum a start-up museum also headed by Jim Scherrer a former CHA Science teacher, which celebrates the computer, digital age, and technology influences on society starting with ENICA a creation of two Penn students in 1941.

He is a Trustee Emeritus and former Treasurer of The Library Company of Philadelphia, founded by Ben Franklin in 1731. He is a trustee of the Lake Wentworth Foundation in Wolfeboro, NH, he is a former Trustee and Chairman of the Christ Church Preservation Trust in Philadelphia, a former trustee of the John Bartram’s Association, a former President of The CHA Alumni Association and trustee of Chestnut Hill Academy.

Charlie is the father of Charles and Kirsten born in 1977. He is a member of The Union League of Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Cricket Club, Sunnybrook Golf Club, Kingswood Golf Club in Wolfeboro, NH. The Fourth Street Club and the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution. Charlie and his talented wife Cindy (recently Deceased) are avid travelers and gatherers of experiences. They have visited 75 different countries so far. The only US state the he has not visited is South Dakota.

Charlie is available as a speaker for your event from the Compuseum "Speakers Bureau" on topics of non-profit museum success stories.

Alfred Poor - Futurist

If you want to see the future, join Alfred in a packed jawn. Alfred Poor is a full-time technology speaker and author with an international reputation. He currently focuses on health technology, and is the Editor of Health Tech Insider, a website and industry newsletter that provides curated news and original analysis of wearable and mobile devices for health and medical applications. Among his speaking engagements, he was the Keynote Speaker and Honorary Program Chair for The Digital Health Show in Melbourne, Australia.

In addition to his skills as a keynote speaker, he is in demand as an interviewer and panel moderator. He as been a moderator for the Digital Health Summit at CES (formerly the Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas for the past five years and will be there again in 2020. He recently moderated a panel for a joint meeting of the IEEE and USP on the emerging smart pill technology.

He was a Contributing Editor with PC Magazine for more than 20 years and has written for a wide range of audiences including technology associations, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and Costco. A graduate of Harvard College, he is the author or co-author of more than a dozen books.

Alfred is available as a speaker for your event from the Compuseum "Speakers Bureau" on topics of tech future, health tech, life science.