Hauser-Raspe Foundation funding boosts Cambridge Centre for Computing History

Following hot on the heels of the museum's opening at the end of July, this gift is the latest financial contribution to the museum's campaign to fully convert its current home in Rene Court into a 7,000-square-foot dedicated exhibition space by the end of 2013.

The funds from Dr Hermann Hauser, who is also a patron of the Centre, will support the creation of an audio-visual facility within The Hauser Studio. Adjacent to the museum’s main gallery, The Hauser Studio will be used primarily for educational purposes including the delivery of programming workshops for students. The area already includes a 1980s classroom with sixteen working BBC Micros which have proved to be a great success with children.

The Hauser Studio will also provide a home for retrospectives and special exhibitions, as well as meetings, such as that of the British Computer Society later this year, and presentations, including master classes tied to Computer History and Computer Science by industry professionals. It will be available to hire for corporate functions and as event space.

Benefactor Dr Hermann Hauser - a Founder and Director of the Cambridge Network - is one of the UK’s leading entrepreneurs and business angels, and is widely regarded as a founding father of Silicon Fen and the Cambridge Phenomenon. Having taken his PhD at the Cavendish Laboratory, Dr Hauser founded Acorn Computers 30 years ago and has remained closely involved with the Cambridge technology scene. Co-benefactor Dr Pamela Raspe is a graduate and former lecturer at Cambridge University.

Dr Hauser said: “Pamela and I welcome this opportunity to support the Centre for Computing History which we believe is a valuable asset in showing young people how innovations in personal computing have radically changed the daily landscapes of our lives, and for instilling the joys of programming into young lives.”

Jason Fitzpatrick, Curator of the Centre for Computing History (pictured centre, with Dr Pamela Raspe and Dr Hermann Hauser)  said: ‘We are absolutely delighted with Hermann and Pamela’s important support, which reflects not only their generosity but also their commitment to the Centre's future here in Cambridge.

“With The Hauser Studio we hope to celebrate and demonstrate the power of computing to encourage learning, especially for school children.  This gift will greatly enhance our ability to create something very special to engage, cultivate and inspire the programmers and tech wizards of tomorrow."



Centre for Computing History

The Centre for Computing History is a charity and non-profit company that explores the social, historical and cultural impact of personal computing (Information Age).  It has one of the finest collections of vintage computers and related artefacts in in Europe. With over 20,000 items and a website that currently attracts 20,000 visitors a month the Centre enjoys a robust reputation as an international educational resource.

Opening its doors to the public earlier this year, this new exhibition space is gradually emerging as an important destination attraction in the heart of Cambridge. Aimed at everyone from children to academics, an inventive multimedia approach allows visitors to interact with many key machines, providing a hugely entertaining and informative experience. 

The Centre for Computing History is a UK registered charity (Registration Number 1130071). Cambridge based entrepreneur and co-founder of Acorn Computers, Dr Hermann Hauser is the museum’s patron.

CCH Educational Services

The Centre for Computing History works with schools, academies and a range of regional and national bodies. Its education services are provided by trained teachers and experienced specialists.

Schools across the country are currently facing a radical overhaul of the ICT curriculum. The restructuring of the subject, which will affect children from the age of 5 upwards, will see the term ICT replaced with computing and a much stronger emphasis placed on the principles of computer science and practical programming.

In the Centre’s programming workshops students are introduced to BASIC, one of the friendliest programming languages ever invented, using vintage BBC Micro machines. Where coding is concerned the BBC Micro has two key virtues: its lack of speed and the direct connection it has with the user.

The computer science element of the new computing curriculum and the new computer science GCSE present exciting challenges for computing teachers; many will be expected to enhance their subject knowledge and skill base to include how computers work and coding. In addition to welcoming school visits, the Centre’s team offers training courses for teachers to develop skills and appropriate resources.

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The Centre for Computing History
www.ComputingHistory.org.uk

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