Claudia Villalobos
The Escuela Superior de Cómputo (Escom) will contribute to safeguarding the history and evolution of computing at the national level with the inauguration of the Computer Museum. The opening ceremony was attended by the Secretary of Research and Postgraduate Studies of the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), Ana Lilia Coria Páez; the director of Escom, Andrés Ortigoza Campos; the president of the Decanate, Modesto Cárdenas García, and the coordinator of Operation and Networks of Research and Postgraduate Studies of the IPN, Norberto Domínguez Ramírez.
The space, open to the Polytechnic community and the general public as part of the celebrations for the 30th anniversary of this academic unit, houses 15 devices with different architectures and operating systems. Notable exhibits include a Mac Cube PC, Intel 8086 and IBM 386 processors, and an overhead projector, all in working condition. The museum also features various software, video games, and mobile phones, among other artifacts.
The curator and researcher Genaro Juárez Martínez, who initiated the formation of this new area a decade ago, oversees the museum. "The collection began when I brought home the equipment I used as a student. It was later enriched by donations from professors, students, and staff from this and other IPN schools," he stated. The museum also houses significant contributions from universities and researchers from the United States, England, Japan, France, Germany, and the People's Republic of China, with whom Escom has collaborations.
Visiting this museum offers an enjoyable experience for students, the Polytechnic community, and the general public. It provides an opportunity to explore antique computers, be amazed by their functionality, and witness the rapid progress in the field of computer science.
The museum is located in the Laboratory of Artificial Life and Robotics, where the Polytechnic specialist promotes knowledge generation through applied research in Complex Systems. The exhibition also showcases projects from this laboratory, such as the construction of a Turing Machine with cubelet robots capable of simulating complex systems.
Currently, there are no computer museums in Mexico. Therefore, despite its small size, this space established by the Polytechnic represents a significant and attractive contribution. It is expected to continuously grow thanks to technological contributions from members of the Polytechnic community and Mexican society.
Gaceta Politécnica #1752. (October 31th, 2023). IPN Imagen Institucional: Read the full magazine in Spanish here
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