School of Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire backs the development of The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park
23 September 2008
The School of Computer Science at the University of Hertfordshire has made a donation towards the future of The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park, which it sees as an important local, national and international resource.
Staff from the University of Hertfordshire’s School of Computer Science visited the Museum on Friday 19 September 2008 to see the latest exhibits, to hear about expansion plans and to present the donation of £5000 which comes from the School’s commercial earnings from its innovative online degree programmes.
Professor Jill Hewitt, Head of the University’s School of Computer Science, said “Code-breaking activities at Bletchley during the war are an important part of international history. Today the National Museum of Computing based there is a fantastic educational resource enabling students to gain a unique perspective on the remarkable pace of computing advances. We believe that investment in this unique resource will be of enormous benefit to students and staff in our own institution, to the commercial and cultural development of our local region and to society as a whole in helping to understand the remarkable and increasing role of computing in our everyday lives.”
In welcoming the donation, Kevin Murrell, a trustee of The National Museum of Computing, said: “We are thrilled by this donation from one of the first Schools of Computer Science for undergraduates in the UK. We want to encourage more students in the UK to study computer science, and to work in partnership with universities to raise the profile of computing through a range of projects. The growing support of the technical community locally and across the globe is immensely gratifying.”
Opened in August 2008, The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park is home to Colossus, the world’s first programmable electronic computer. The museum is planning expansion, modernisation and to enhance the educational opportunities it offers. However, it is in urgent need of funding and is looking to raise sufficient capital to ensure its long-term survival.
The University of Hertfordshire School of Computer Science donation follows a kickstart initiative earlier this month by PGP Corporation who made a donation and called upon the technical community across the globe to support the development of The National Museum of Computing in Block H at Bletchley Park, the birthplace of modern computing.
A dedicated website (http://www.pgp.com/stationx) to facilitate the collection of individuals’ donations was launched earlier this month as part of the PGP Corporation initiative.
Notes to Editor
The University of Hertfordshire is an ambitious and entrepreneurial university. It offers excellence in teaching, learning and research and puts students at the heart of its activities. It is a model of a 21st century university, international, business-facing and business-like in its approach – making it distinctive in an ever changing higher education environment.
The University of Hertfordshire is one of the region’s largest employers with over 2,700 staff and a turnover of £205 m. With a student community of 23,000, including more than 2,000 international students from over eighty five countries, the University has a global network of over 160,000 alumni. For more information, please visit, www.herts.ac.uk
The University's Computer Science degree programme was one of the first to be established in the UK more than 40 years ago.
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