MIT History
Pick Your Favorite Piece of MIT History for Anniversary Exhibit!
"At any alumni gathering, you'll hear dozens of wonderful stories," says Deborah Douglas, curator of science and technology at the MIT Museum. "There are many great storytellers in the MIT community, and the museum wants to hear from them."
That's the thinking behind the MIT 150 Exhibition, which Douglas is organizing to celebrate the Institute's 150th anniversary in 2011. MIT 150 is a twist on the success of social networking sites and collaborative science communities. The museum is asking the MIT community to nominate artifacts for the exhibit and to tell the stories behind those artifacts.
The replica of an MIT campus police cruiser with flashing lights, which
became a famous hack in May of 1994, has been nominated for the MIT 150
exhibition. The car was made from the outer metal parts of a Chevy
Cavalier attached to a multi-piece wooden frame and is on display in
the Stata Center.
Alumni, students, faculty, staff, and others may propose historical or current artifacts for the anniversary exhibit and comment on any object. People, places, things, or ideas may be suggested to illustrate MIT's extraordinary history, culture, and contributions to society. To nominate and comment on artifacts, go to the MIT 150 Exhibition.
During summer 2009, nominations will close and Web site visitors may begin voting on their favorite artifacts to help narrow the field. Smaller groups within MIT then will make the final selections. "Picking 150 artifacts that together capture the spirit of MIT—what a challenge!" says John Durant, director of the museum.
"To stay relevant, museums must embrace new media and new narrative styles to tell their stories," Douglas says, adding that the exhibit's collaborative approach takes a pioneering step in that direction. "This is a real experiment, and for a curator, it's unbelievably scary and exciting."
While the physical exhibit displayed at the museum will be limited to 150 items, the ongoing Web exhibit will feature all nominations. "It will be a permanent virtual exhibition of these stories—a Facebook for MIT's most treasured objects," she says.
By Eric Bender
Published February 23, 2009
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