The Tech Museum of Innovation 3 2016-05-14

The Tech Interactive (formerly The Tech Museum of Innovation, commonly known as The Tech) is a science and technology center that offers hands-on activities, labs, design challenges and other STEAM education resources. It is located in downtown

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

, adjacent to the Plaza de César Chávez.

Description

The building has a distinctive

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in Sout ...

and azure color, and has three floors. On the lower level there is a complex multi-story sculpture titled ''Origin'', inside a cylindrical tower. The artwork portrays relationships among art, technology, and natural resources of the earth. Near the entrance to the building, there is ''Science on a Roll'', a popular rolling ball sculpture by

George Rhoads George Rhoads (January 27, 1926 – July 9, 2021) was a contemporary American painter, sculptor, and origami master. He was best known for his whimsical audiokinetic sculptures in airports, science museums, shopping malls, children's hospitals, ...

. The front wall is inscribed with quotations from iconic

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Cou ...

entrepreneurs

Bill Hewlett William Redington Hewlett ( ; May 20, 1913 – January 12, 2001) was an American engineer and the co-founder, with David Packard, of the Hewlett-Packard Company (HP). Early life and education Hewlett was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where his ...

David Packard David Packard ( ; September 7, 1912 – March 26, 1996) was an American electrical engineer and co-founder, with Bill Hewlett, of Hewlett-Packard (1939), serving as president (1947–64), CEO (1964–68), and chairman of the board (1964–68 ...

Bob Noyce Robert Norton Noyce (December 12, 1927 – June 3, 1990), nicknamed "the Mayor of Silicon Valley", was an American physicist and entrepreneur who co-founded Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957 and Intel Corporation in 1968. He is also credited w ...

, and

Gordon Moore Gordon Earle Moore (born January 3, 1929) is an American businessman, engineer, and the co-founder and chairman emeritus of Intel Corporation. He is also the original proponent of Moore's law. As of March 2021, Moore's net worth is repor ...

. The building was designed by Mexican architect

Ricardo Legorreta Ricardo Legorreta Vilchis (May 7, 1931 – December 30, 2011) was a Mexican architect. He was a prolific designer of private houses, public buildings and master plans in Mexico, the United States of America and some other countries. He was awarde ...

. The IMAX Dome Theater, opened in 1998 and upgraded since then, shows mainstream movies as well as educational films. It is Northern California's only domed IMAX theater and has the first dome laser projector in the world, seating up to 280 people. The Tech is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

History

Planning began in 1978 by members of the

Junior League The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (Junior League or JL) is a private, nonprofit educational women's volunteer organization aimed at improving communities and the social, cultural, and political fabric of civil society. With ...

of Palo Alto, with later assistance by the San Jose Junior League. The City of San Jose promised funding for a Technology Center of Silicon Valley in the 1980s, but progress was slow. The first temporary exhibit opened in 1990; The Garage, named in homage to the

HP Garage The HP Garage is a private museum where the company Hewlett-Packard (HP) was founded. It is located at 367 Addison Avenue in Palo Alto, California. It is considered to be the "Birthplace of Silicon Valley". In the 1930s, Stanford University and its ...

, was housed in San Jose's former convention center. On October 31, 1998, a brand-new facility was inaugurated, named The Tech Museum of Innovation. In May 2019, the organization was renamed as The Tech Interactive and announced a partnership with Discovery Education. In 2018, an expansion of Tech Interactive by was proposed, as part of a major high-rise office development in Park Habitat. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, The Tech Interactive temporarily closed for in-person visits in March, 2020, and published online STEM resources through "The Tech Interactive at Home", in English, and "The Tech Interactive en Casa", in Spanish.

Programs

The Tech for Global Good

The Tech for Global Good is a program aimed at inspiring young people to become problem-solvers who make the world a better place. It evolved from The Tech Awards, a yearly ceremony known as the Oscars of Silicon Valley in which individuals and organizations were recognized for their technological contributions to improving the human condition. In 2016, The Tech announced it was expanding The Tech Awards program from a once-a-year event to a year-round program with educational materials and exhibits. Since then, Tech for Global Good has focused every year on a different theme, such as health care or data. It honors organizations under that theme as its laureates for the year, focusing on their problem-solving abilities in lesson plans, videos and other materials for students.

The Tech Challenge

The Tech Challenge is a design challenge competition for students Grades 4–12. Since its inception in 1988, more than 25,000 students have participated in the program, in which teams of students use the engineering design process to solve a real-world problem. In past years, participants have been asked to design and build a hovercraft; a structure to withstand an earthquake; and a device to deliver water, among other challenges. One of the program's key goals is to engage students underrepresented in STEM fields.

The Tech Academies

The Tech Academies program, launched in 2014, provides in-depth professional development for educators to help them integrate high-quality STEM curriculum in their classrooms in Silicon Valley. The two-year Tech Academies Fellowship program, through The Tech and

San José State University San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

’s College of Science, trains educators in STEM instruction, with a focus on engineering and computer science. In 2020, the Tech Academies program received the EdCom award for Innovation in Museum Education from the

American Alliance of Museums American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, and in 2019 it won the Excellence in Museum Education award from the California Association of Museums and the office of the state superintendent of education.

School programs

The Tech offers in-person and virtual field trips to school groups from September to June each year. The in-person field trip program includes options such a
Science LabsInnovation Labs
and educationa
IMAX filmsVirtual programs
include hands-on design challenges, multimedia experiences, and an expert speaker program called Book a Biologist. The Tech offers field trip scholarships to underserved schools.

Exhibits

Lower level

* Social Robots: Using sensors, controllers, and actuators, this exhibit allows visitors to design and build robots. * Body Motion: Sensors in this exhibit allow visitors to see how their movement and interactions affect their physical, social, and emotional health. * Space Exploration: This exhibit showcases innovations in space, including a maneuverable Jet Pack chair. * Solve for Earth: This exhibit opened in 2021 and teaches guests about living sustainably and how their actions impact the environment, highlighting the work of scientists and emerging technologies to battle the climate crisis. * Cyber Detectives: Presented by Palo Alto Networks, this interactive exhibit opened on June 3, 2015 and teaches visitors cyber security through “training modules” and a cybersecurity mission. * The Tech Studio: An open-to-the-public workshop space where visitors participate in maker-style activities.

Upper level

* Body Worlds Decoded: Opened on October 15, 2017, this permanent exhibition in partnership with

Body Worlds ''Body Worlds'' (German title: ''Körperwelten'') is a traveling exposition of dissected human bodies, animals, and other anatomical structures of the body that have been preserved through the process of plastination. Gunther von Hagens develop ...

and sponsored by

venture capitalist Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth potential or which ha ...

John Doerr L. John Doerr (born June 29, 1951) is an American investor and venture capitalist at Kleiner Perkins in Menlo Park, California. In February 2009, Doerr was appointed a member of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board to provide the Pre ...

and his wife Ann, features plastinated human anatomical specimens, supplemented by augmented reality created in partnership with the

Institute for the Future The Institute for the Future (IFTF) is a Palo Alto, California, US–based not-for-profit think tank. It was established, in 1968, as a spin-off from the RAND Corporation to help organizations plan for the long-term future, a subject known as ...

and a
Anatomage

virtual dissection Dissection (from Latin ' "to cut to pieces"; also called anatomization) is the dismembering of the body of a deceased animal or plant to study its anatomical structure. Autopsy is used in pathology and forensic medicine to determine the cause ...

table. * The Tech for Global Good: Opened in 2017, this exhibit features stories of innovators who have used technology to create solutions to pressing global problems, such as vaccine delivery, homelessness, and wildlife poaching. It is a part of the Tech for Global Good program. * Reboot Reality: Opened on May 26, 2017, visitors to this space can experience various types of immersive media. * Innovations in Healthcare: Presented by

El Camino Hospital El Camino Health is a non-profit hospital with 420 beds (Mountain View Main Campus) based on a campus in Mountain View, California. There is a second, smaller hospital campus, El Camino Hospital, Los Gatos, in Los Gatos, with additional satellit ...

, this exhibit opened in 2016 and showcases the innovation process as seen in advances in health care technology. * Biodesign Studio: Opened in 2016, this exhibit allows visitors an exploration of the fields of

synthetic biology Synthetic biology (SynBio) is a multidisciplinary area of research that seeks to create new biological parts, devices, and systems, or to redesign systems that are already found in nature. It is a branch of science that encompasses a broad ran ...

, bioengineering, biological design, and DIY biology.

Past exhibits

1998 – Grand Opening, five galleries: Innovation: Silicon Valley and Beyond, Life Tech: The Human Machine, Exploration: New Frontiers, Communications: Global Connections, and Center of the Edge (for shorter-term exhibits) 2002 – Imagination Playground exhibits: You Cannot Catch Me, Fuzzy Spot, PlayPath Dots, Bend The Rule, Glow Stones (Nami Orbs), Spy Houses, Maracas, Light Beads, Elusive Dots, Bug Puppet 2004 – Genetics: Technology with a Twist exhibits: A letter to policymaker, GeneKid Phone, Counselor Phone, Incubator, Gene Array Simulator, Wet Lab Counters 2004 – Silicon Workshop exhibits: Hardwired Chip, Potato Head exhibit 2005 – NetPlanet (a.k.a. Internet 2004) exhibits: Crazy Connection, Internet Globe exhibit, Whack A Spam, Arm Wrestling, TrendPlay 2005 – Calpine (repurposed later into Green by Design) exhibit: Calpine bike-generator 2006 – Green by Design exhibits: SuperCap Cars exhibit, Energy Tower, Regenerative Braking, Sage Glass, Smart Window, Solar Collector, Solar Hybrid Lighting 2007 – Idea House 2008 – The Tech Virtual Test Zone (Art Film and Music) exhibits: WikiSonic, Avatar Mirror, Connecting Point, Mashup Easel, MIDI VJ, Musical Chair, Tilty Table 2009 – Tech Awards Gallery (a.k.a. UcanTu) exhibits: Life-Line Radio, Bare Foot College, Tree of Hope, Adaptive Lens, Cell Bazaar, Canopy, MorSand Filter 2010 – Silicon Valley Innovation Gallery Phase I exhibits: Transistors, Speed of Processor, Intel Microchip, and sponsored exhibits from

Nvidia Nvidia CorporationOfficially written as NVIDIA and stylized in its logo as VIDIA with the lowercase "n" the same height as the uppercase "VIDIA"; formerly stylized as VIDIA with a large italicized lowercase "n" on products from the mid 1990s to ...

Google Google LLC () is an American Multinational corporation, multinational technology company focusing on Search Engine, search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, software, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, ar ...

, and Adobe 2011 – The Tech Test Zone exhibits: Digital Foam, PIXEL, Sound Circles, GigaPixel Viewer, Mmmtsss 2012 – Silicon Valley Innovation Gallery Phase II exhibits: ReFace, Social Circles, Reactable 2014 – REBOOT: Music exhibit: Tim Thompson's ''Space Palette'' 2014 – Body Metrics In the past, The Tech rented out Parkside Hall from the City of San José to host traveling exhibits. In 2007, this hall was the home to the exhibit known as '' Body Worlds 2'', which brought in more than 280,000 guests. In winter of 2008, there was a special

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

exhibit (called ''Leonardo: 500 Years into the Future'') that displayed some of his inventions, discoveries, and artwork; it ended January 25, 2009, after a three-week extension. The Tech also hosted '' Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination'' from October 19, 2013, to March 23, 2014.

References

External links

Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tech Interactive, The Technology museums in California Museums in San Jose, California Children's museums in California Computer museums in California Science centers Science museums in California IMAX venues Science and technology in the San Francisco Bay Area Tourist attractions in Silicon Valley Museums established in 1990 1990 establishments in California Association of Science-Technology Centers member institutions Charities based in California Domes 1990s architecture in the United States Postmodern architecture in California Ricardo Legorreta buildings 501(c)(3) organizations