2025 Highlights
The year 2025 was one of retrenchment and reorganization for the Museum. The Museum office was closed for the Winter and Spring terms (January to August), undergoing a major renovation designed to improve the physical space and presentation space of the Museum. This work, completed in December, now provides outstanding visibility and opportunities to display the Museum’s artifacts and provide information and interpretation to the community.
Despite the closure, Museum personnel continued to engage the public and expand awareness of the Museum. As detailed below, several exhibits and open-houses were held in 2025. The Museum continued its online presence with virtual exhibits, blogging and social media. Further, the Museum responded to public inquiries about the history of computing at Waterloo, providing information and references to other Museums and researchers.
In the fall, as the office re-opened to the public, the Museum introduced its new logo and visual identity. Designed by student Anna George (of the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business) the new logo and branding will be used in all future Museum materials (online and print).
2024 Highlights
From presentation space and offices in DC1316 and permanent remote displays in the Davis Centre and Math 3; from in-person and virtual events and an online community, the Computer Museum at the University of Waterloo has been fully engaged in achieving its mission in 2024.
Financial support from the David R Cheriton School of Computer Science in 2024 has allowed the Museum to be open daily to the public, greeting visitors and fulfilling our mission "to educate the University community and the general public about the impact of computing, and Waterloo’s role in the development of computing".
With the support of excellent co-op student staff, the Museum presented one open-house event per term, and expanded its social media presence with YouTube videos and Instagram posts and reels. The Museum's remote display cases in the Davis Centre were refreshed with a retrospective on the 40th anniversary of the Apple Macintosh computer and a look at the history of portable computing devices used in education. At the request of the Office of the President, the Museum created an exhibit "Innovation and Waterloo" highlighting commercialization of Waterloo innovation.
Late in 2024, the Museum began planning for a major renovation of our presentation space in DC1316, which, when completed, will feature a glass wall of display cabinets, additional storage space and improved visibility for the Museum. Completion is expected by the end of October 2025.
Download the complete report in PDF below.