IBM, Digital To Participate In MIT Education Experiment

The Wall Street Journal

June 1, 1983

CAMBRIDGE, MASS.--THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SAID INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORP. AND DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORP. WILL CONTRIBUTE A TOTAL OF $50 MILLION TO AN EXPERIMENT USING ADVANCED COMPUTERS AND COMPUTER GRAPHICS IN UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION.

THE VALUE OF THE GIFTS INCLUDES THE FULLTIME SERVICES OF AT LEAST FIVE EMPLOYEES OF EACH COMPANY.

DURING THE FIRST PHASE OF THE FIVE-YEAR EXPERIMENT, DIGITAL WILL PROVIDE MORE THAN 300 DISPLAY TERMINALS, PERSONAL COMPUTERS AND ADVANCED GRAPHICS WORK-STATIONS AS WELL AS 63 MINICOMPUTERS, MIT SAID. THE COMPANY WILL CONTRIBUTE 1,600 PERSONAL COMPUTERS DURING THE NEXT PHASE.

IBM WILL PROVIDE 500 PERSONAL COMPUTERS DURING THE FIRST PHASE AND 500 SINGLE-USER WORK STATIONS DURING THE SECOND, MIT SAID. THE COMPANY ALSO WILL PROVIDE SOFTWARE, SERVICE, MAINTENANCE, SUPPORT AND RESEARCH GRANTS, MIT SAID.

DURING THE EXPERIMENT, CALLED PROJECT ATHENA, MIT WILL EXPLORE HOW ADVANCED COMPUTERS AND GRAPHICS CAN BE USED TO "REVOLUTIONIZE" TEACHING AT THE UNDERGRADUATE LEVEL, PAUL GRAY, PRESIDENT OF MIT, SAID.

Copyright (c) 1983, Dow Jones & Co., Inc.