Tech Museum of Innovation

Tech Museum of Innovation is a family-friendly interactive science and technology center located in the heart of Downtown San Jose, California, United States. The museum was founded by Jim Gibbons and Gordon Moore, co-founder of Intel Corporation, with the goal of inspiring the next generation of NASA engineers, Google innovators, and Stanford University researchers. The museum is situated near the San Jose State University campus and is within walking distance of the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose and the San Jose Museum of Art. The museum's mission is to inspire the Silicon Valley community, including Apple Inc., Facebook, and Tesla, Inc., to learn about and engage with science and technology.

● History

The Tech Museum of Innovation was established in 1990 by a group of Silicon Valley leaders, including Jim Gibbons and Gordon Moore, who wanted to create a museum that would showcase the latest advancements in science and technology. The museum's early exhibits featured interactive displays on topics such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality, and were designed in collaboration with MIT Media Lab and California Institute of Technology. Over the years, the museum has undergone several expansions, including the addition of a new wing designed by Frank Gehry and Renzo Piano, and has hosted exhibits on topics such as space exploration with NASA, genomics with National Institutes of Health, and sustainable energy with United Nations Environment Programme. The museum has also partnered with organizations such as Google, Microsoft, and IBM to develop new exhibits and programs, including Code.org and Girls Who Code.

● Exhibits

The Tech Museum of Innovation features a wide range of interactive exhibits that allow visitors to explore science and technology concepts in a hands-on way. Some of the current exhibits include a body metrics display, where visitors can measure their heart rate and blood pressure using electrocardiography and sphygmomanometry, and a virtual reality experience, where visitors can explore Mars with NASA and European Space Agency. The museum also features exhibits on topics such as cybersecurity with National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation, climate change with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and World Meteorological Organization, and biotechnology with National Institutes of Health and World Health Organization. Visitors can also explore the museum's IMAX theater, which shows films on topics such as space exploration with NASA and European Space Agency, and oceanography with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

● Architecture

The Tech Museum of Innovation building was designed by Ricardo Legorreta and features a distinctive Mexican architecture-inspired design, similar to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao designed by Frank Gehry. The building's exterior is covered in a colorful tile façade, and the interior features a large atrium with a glass roof, similar to the Louvre Pyramid designed by I.M. Pei. The museum's architecture has been recognized with several awards, including the American Institute of Architects' Honor Award and the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Preservation Award, and has been compared to other notable buildings such as the Sydney Opera House and the Taj Mahal. The museum's design has also been influenced by the work of Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe, and features a sustainable design with green building materials and energy-efficient systems, similar to the Bullitt Center and the VanDusen Botanical Garden.

● Collections

The Tech Museum of Innovation has a large collection of science and technology artifacts, including a robotics collection with NASA and MIT Robotics Laboratory, a computer collection with Apple Inc. and Microsoft, and a medical technology collection with National Institutes of Health and World Health Organization. The museum also has a collection of historic artifacts, including a Wright brothers' flyer and a Charles Babbage's Difference Engine, and a collection of contemporary art pieces, including works by Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí. The museum's collections are used to develop exhibits and programs, and are also made available to researchers and scholars through the museum's library and archives, which include materials from Stanford University Library and University of California, Berkeley Library.

● Education

The Tech Museum of Innovation offers a range of educational programs and activities for visitors of all ages, including summer camps with Google and Microsoft, workshops with MIT and Stanford University, and lectures with NASA and National Science Foundation. The museum also offers field trips for school groups and scouting organizations, and provides professional development opportunities for teachers and educators with National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers. The museum's educational programs are designed to align with state and national science and technology standards, and are developed in partnership with organizations such as Code.org and Girls Who Code, and National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering. The museum also partners with universities and research institutions, including Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to develop new educational programs and resources.