Computers

From designing America’s first programmable computer to creating the world’s first logical quantum processor, Harvard scholars have always pushed the limits of computer science.

These are some of the inner workings of the Harvard IBM Mark I computer, America’s first programmable computer.

Learn how to code

Harvard’s online course “Introduction to Computer Science” is free for anyone to take.

The early years

Explore the major role Harvard played in the early advancement of computer science.

Computers before computers

An old photo of women working at a desk
In the late 1800s, Harvard hired Women Astronomical Computers to study Harvard College Observatory’s findings. They discovered variable stars, studied stellar spectra, and counted galaxies. Several became famous astronomers in their day, including Henrietta Swan Leavitt.

Harvard Mark I

an old photo of people putting together a giant computer
Consisting of 765,299 parts and 530 miles of cable, the Mark I was the first programmable computer in the United States and, in 1944, easily the most complex electromechanical device ever constructed.

Grace Hopper

Grace Hopper with two military officers
Using the Mark I, Grace Hopper was tasked with writing the world’s first computer programming manual. Some of the programming practices that she developed were subroutines (chunks of code that are stored and called upon when needed) and compilers (for translating source code into the machine language used by different computer processors) which are still used today.

Ivan Sutherland

A person wearing an early virtual reality helmet

Associate professor of electrical engineering Ivan Sutherland—widely considered the father of computer graphics—invented one of the earliest virtual reality headsets with his graduate student Bob Sproull. Ivan went on to teach and mentor the likes of Edwin Catmull (co-founder of Pixar), James Clark (Silicon Graphics), and John Warnock (Adobe Systems).

Interface Message Processor

A group of scientists in front of a large computer
Many Harvard students, along with College radio station WHRB engineers, worked on the IMP, an electronic switching device that would connect computers to form the ARPAnet, the precursor to today’s internet.

TCP/IP protocol

Scott Bradner holding an old motherboard
Scott Bradner—a senior technology consultant with Harvard—remembered the rollout of the TCP/IP protocol which allowed computer networks at Harvard to talk to computer networks at Stanford, and is still used to govern the modern internet.

Learn about the Mark I

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How did the Mark I computer change the way we think about science?

Incoming Associate Professor Marc Aidinoff explores the history of the Mark I computer and why it was such a milestone in computer science.

What’s currently computing

With so much of daily life moving online, Harvard scholars are exploring the benefits and concerns around smartphones, social media, and the internet.

How are cellphones made and what happens when they are discarded

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The computers in our pockets

Smartphones are technological marvels, but they can also be addictive, distracting, and potentially dangerous. Harvard researchers are exploring how these devices can interfere with everything from sleep to creativity, when it’s appropriate to give children cellphones, and if phones should be allowed in school.

Explore the relationship between smartphones and the fall of Kodak

How did we get here? A brief history of the internet

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The worldwide web we weave

As the internet increasingly installs itself into our lives, many worry about the risk factors that come along with that. Cynthia Dwork made huge advancements in the field of data privacy, but there is more work to do. The Harvard community is exploring how data breaches and the selling of personal data could be countered with solutions like better and different regulation.

Learn how to take control of your digital data

Strategies and tools for better online civil discourse

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Reassessing social media’s impact on youth

Social media platforms generate billions in annual ad revenue from young people, while not providing transparency on the impact their algorithms have on the mental health and wellbeing of youth. With research showing that social media can negatively affect the health and wellbeing of teens, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has said it’s time for government and private industry to step up and reduce the mental health risks of social media for young people. Harvard scholars have laid out a framework for how to hold social media platforms accountable.

Learn about strategies for taking a social media break

Where the future could go

How will artificial intelligence and quantum computing change the way we understand and interact with the world?

Making quantum leaps

Harvard scientists trap molecules to perform quantum operations

A breakthrough using ultra-cold polar molecules as qubits may help make the super-high-speed experimental technology even faster.

Learn more about the breakthrough

Improving accuracy to make the next generation of computing a reality

Harvard researchers are working to understand the power of quantum computers relative to classical computers and develop efficient methods for error correction.

Learn more about the research