Silicon Chips Exhibits

The Tech Museum is seeking up to 3  interactives on the topic of microchips.

For designs chosen to be installed, we are able to offer $600 USD per team member (maximum 3 per team).

Please read closely the descriptions of the needed interactives:

Exhibit topics or "stories":

*NEW*
Properties of Silicon - The unique and fascinating properties of silicon.  (Possibly linked to a silicon ingot, the large pieces that silicon wafers are cut from.)

*NEW*
Moore's Law - Moore's Law refers to the exponential rate at which more transistors have been able to be put on silicon chips, making them exponentially faster.

*Still need more concepts*
"Speed of Processors"  This exhibit could compare a human action with the speed of a chip.  Allow the visitor to experience
     the scale and speed of the "performance" story.

*Still need more concepts*
"Transistor Unit" This exhibit should define and illustrate the function of a transistor.  What is a transistor?

"Parts of the Chip"  This experience will allow the visitor to experience the various parts of a microchip. [this subtopic largely decided, please consider the other areas to focus on above]

Or start your own here:

Exhibits should be interactive and ideally not rely on screens. A "You are the creator" result would be good to be able to put into the exhibits. This would mean that the visitor is able to retrieve some artifact from online after their visit, of something that might be unique to the interaction they had with the exhibit.  Consider this type of idea in your exhibit designs. Any ways to connect the exhibit to the online experience will be a real bonus, and may even qualify for a separate award.

More details may be added to this space.

1. Text description with details as listed at: http://thetechvirtual.org/projects/resources/list-of-exhibit-components  This goes on your project page.
2. Four (4) images describing the project uploaded to: http://www.thetechvirtual.org  These could be photos/screenshots of models, sketches, flowcharts or other visual communications of the project.  These are uploaded in the files associated with the project.
3. Work as an individual or team.  A team may not have more than 3 members.
4. Exhibit has passed at least 2 documented design reviews. During the review you will be given feedback from the project manager and curators. If your exhibit does not sufficiently meet the criteria or show progress it may be removed after the 2nd review. These are scheduled bi-weekly but can also occur as needed.
Design reviews will be conducted on the following dates (subject to change):

Extended!
Thursday, March 26, 2010  Installation completed

5. Criteria for design reviews: Exhibit must be on-topic.  Exhibit must be clearly documented with text description (#1) and images(#2). Exhibit must be feasible to be built as a  museum interaction. Exhibit must be interactive and obvious in its interactivity (do not rely on signage).  If using the virtual prototyping area, model must link to the project page.  More criteria may be added to this list.  Actual resulting fabricated exhibits will reside within a space approximately 6.5'x6.5' (2meters x 2 meters).  This challenge is to design the interactive element of the exhibit which will be paired with an existing signage system.

Exhibits that have passed 2 design reviews may be chosen for fabrication at any time during the process.

Resources:
1. Each project will  be allotted space to build a virtual model in our prototyping area.
2. Focus of work will be on individual exhibits.  For adventurous designers, we may be able to provide a model of the space itself.
3. We have assembled a list of some helpful online services which may assist in your
     work at: http://thetechvirtual.org/projects/resources
4. Get assistance and help by posting your talent needs or abilities at: http://thetechvirtual.org/helpwanted

5. Collaborate!  The purpose of this project is to generate good work.  This is a chance to show the effectiveness of distributed teams.

    This is a design exercise, not a sweepstakes. Entries will receive guidance at design reviews.

    Use various formats (sketches, screenshots encouraged) so that a wide audience can see your work.

    Remember, we are designing real, not virtual exhbits.

Or start your own here:

More about this project:

Integrated circuits, or, silicon chips, or just "computing".

This is a project for generating interactive exhibits that teach basics about silicon chips (aka. integrated circuits).

Three or more exhibits scheduled
Begun for renovation of "cleanroom" area at Tech Museum San Jose, this project has a target of developing 3 or more exhibits to installation stage.  The goal is to define as clearly as possible the content and interactive component of each exhibit.  Some equipment will be added to the list of topics, and this information will be added to this page when it is available.  Final designs on the first exhibit are expected early September 2009.  Other exhibits will be added later in the year or in early 2010 from the open source contributions.

Approaches or "stories" on the topic

      - silicon material (Ingot, wafers, chips)
      - chip production (stages, processes)
      - chip performance (heat, speed, exponential scales)
      - emphasis on career path opportunities
      - ubiqitous abundance of microchips (devices)

There are a number of ways to approach the silicon chip topic.  There is the unique "how they're made" angle, including the specialized rooms, machinery and suits.  There are lots of fascinating facts about the speed, heat and potential of the processing that goes on inside chips.  Then, there is the chip architecture, the suffusion of gadgets into our daily lives, the exponential growth of computing power, and of course - the scale story about molecular and even atomic levels at which they operate. Our exhibits will benefit from a 21st century update on all these facts.

What do you think are the most important "stories" to tell about silicon? What types of interactions might produce that "Aha!" for people to learn about silicon? Scrolling through informational videos can be a drag. What are some ways to move interactions off monitors or screens and make them more tangible?

Work on an existing project:
One concept is already underway, and available for advanced designers to begin to work on an interface.  If you wish to work on this exhibit, please join the following project:  "Multi-Core Manager"  at
http://thetechvirtual.org/projects/creative-engines/creative-engines-projects/multi-core-manager

Or start your own here:

Resources you'll need:

Itemized "fill in the blank" and checklist for exhibit design:
http://thetechvirtual.org/projects/resources/list-of-exhibit-components
Get assistance with your project or apply your expertise to an existing project:
http://thetechvirtual.org/helpwanted
Software and other resources for realizing your vision:
http://thetechvirtual.org/projects/resources

Links and resources about silicon chips:

* Wikipedia on Integrated Circuits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_circuits

* How Semiconductors work: http://wikieducator.org/How_Semiconductors_Work

* Images: (thanks Wally Oyen!)  Fab32 - Ingots - Inside a fab

* Intel archives: http://www.intel.com/museum/archives/index.htm, http://www.intel.com/museum/archives/annualreports.htm
* Intel historical documents: http://www.intel.com/museum/archives/, http://www.intel.com/museum/archives/brochures
* About Moore's Law: http://www.intel.com/museum/archives/history_docs/mooreslaw.htm

* The early 4004 microprocessor: http://www.intel.com/museum/archives/4004.htm
* "From Sand to Circuits": http://www.intel.com/museum/online/circuits.htm
* "From Sand to Silicon" Making of a Chip:  http://download.intel.com/museum/Illustrations.pdf (opens .pdf file)

* List of online exhibits: http://www.intel.com/museum/onlineexhibits.htm
* Memory Technology: http://www.intel.com/museum/online/memory_tech/index.htm (requires Shockwave)
* Teaching Tools and Resources: http://www.intel.com/education/tools/index.htm

* Design and Discovery  : Experiencing Engineering Through Design: http://educate.intel.com/en/designdiscovery/
* Evolution of the Personal Computer: http://www.intel.com/museum, http://www.intel.com/museum/archives/pctimeline.htm
* Timelines of Chip Development and more: http://www.intel.com/museum/archives/timeline/index.htm

* Stages of Chip Manufacture: Diffusion, Ion Implant, Thin Films, Planar, Lithography, Etch, E-Test

Tech Museum Opens Content Development to Experts and Educators

The Tech Museum in San Jose, with a generous grant from Intel, is beginning a project to renovate a "cleanroom" area of the museum which houses exhibits about the manufacture and functions of silicon chips.  Most of the current content was created in the late 1990's. Part renovation, part update, part complete rethinking - the space will be renovated between mid-2009 and early 2010.  Now, we're looking for a few knowledgeable people who would like to contribute content, expertise and designs towards the creation of these new exhibits.

This project will utilize The Tech Virtual (http://www.thetechvirtual.org), a collaborative online platform used to develop museum exhibits.  The Tech Museum is unique in creating and hosting this program which allows content experts, educators - essentially anyone with an internet connection - to participate in a collaborative design of museum content such as exhibits.

With a project-based website at it's core, the program allows other museums worldwide to collaborate on topics, develop concepts and content, and even test them with feedback from other users from the public.  Begun in 2007, this pioneer project also provides the support to rapidly prototype in the interactive virtual world of Second Life, where valuable feedback and testing can take place. The Tech will be using this method to prototype the entire space.  In doing so will be able to get an advance look at the interior, the interactives, and the machinery that will make up the new space. Overall, this is the most thorough virtual prototyping and development project that uses a publicly accessible virtual world.

The museum is looking towards software developers to assist in creating some of the interactive components for the exhibits or their web counterparts.  These contributions could be in the form of programs which run machinery, simulations, games, or concepts for the interactive exhibits themselves.  Achieving learning through hands-on interaction is the goal!

There are a number of ways to approach the silicon chip topic.  There is the unique "how they're made" story, including the fabs, machinery and suits.  There are lots of fascinating facts about the speed, heat and potential of the processing that goes on inside chips.  Then, there is the chip architecture, unknown to most people.  The suffusion of gadgets into our daily lives, how that is driven by the exponential growth of computing power, and of course - there is the "scale" story about the molecular and even atomic levels at which chips operate. Our exhibits will certainly benefit from a 21st century update on all these facts.

What do you think are the most important "stories" to tell about silicon? What types of interactions might produce that "Aha!" for people to learn about silicon chips? Scrolling through menus of informational videos is not very interactive. What are some ways to move interactions off monitors or screens and make them more tangible?  Since Silicon is the name of our Valley, it is one of the more important local topics people need to know!

Have a great idea for an exhibit?  Have a program or interactive website as a pet project you might consider contributing to our open source program for museums?   If you told the story of silicon chips to an 8 year old, what would you do?

Just join us online at http://www.thetechvirtual.org (or contact me personally at rketner [at] thetech.org) and look for the current project called "integrated circuits". We'll help bring your concepts to the world of museums, and the audience of the museum to your work.  This project will be documented thoroughly, so it will be an exciting one to be involved in.  Let's tell the story of these tiny engineering wonders to a large audience of future engineers!

Main URL: http://thetechvirtual.org

Cleanroom project URL: http://thetechvirtual.org/projects/integrated-circuits