Engineers prepare for ENIAC's anniversary

Forty-eight years after the University first introduced ENIAC, the world's first digital computer, plans are underway for a celebration of the "birth of modern computing." The Moore School of Electrical Engineering's introduction of ENIAC, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 1996. "We're working on a whole bunch of things," said Engineering Dean Gregory Farrington. "There is a major educational outreach that comes with that too." Regional and national outreach programs which emphasize the importance of the machine that radically transformed technology are already planned for 1996, according to Farrington. "The Second American Revolution," the University's international celebration, is comprised of a year- long series of commemorative events and projects. A proposed television series, entitled The Next Age, to be produced by the University and WQED, a Pittsburgh-based PBS station, is designed to "explore, illustrate and discuss where digital technology may lead," promotional materials said. The television series, which is divided up into several one-hour programs, will explore the possibilities for computer technology and its future implications. The Franklin Institute Science Museum will also recognize the significant milestone by developing an exhibit to "provide visitors with a basic understanding of digital technology: its past, present and future applications." Farrington said this interactive exhibit will cover 10,000 square feet and be a major tourist attraction. "[The goal of the programs] is to focus attention on the impact of computers on transforming society," Farrington said. Other proposed activities, outlined in promotional literature, include a U.S. Postal Service stamp celebrating ENIAC's 50th anniversary and a United Nations declaration of 1996 as "The Year of the Computer." "The Chamber of Commerce [is planning to] use this as an opportunity to focus attention nationally on the region as a high-tech region," Farrington said. "There is a full-time staff at the Convention Bureau to make it happen." He added that plans are dependent on the $2.7 million in grants still needed for their undertaking. In addition to the national attention the event is expected to garner, local information conferences for University students are being planned as well. The Wharton School is planning a conference on computers and productivity, and the Annenberg School for Communication is planning a lecture about commerce in the cyberage. Paul Shaffer, curator of the ENIAC museum, said he eagerly anticipates the activities and national attention that will accompany the celebration. "We're really excited about it," he said. "The plans are getting underway."