New Math Museum Gets $2 Million from Google

Move over MoMa, there’s a new museum coming to New York City and the moniker, while quite similar, is a little more….formulaic.

The Museum of Mathematics, or MoMath, received a hefty grant thanks to Google (News - Alert). The Web search giant donated $2 million to the museum, all of which will be used to support the development of the state-of-the-art museum as well as to create innovative, hands-on math exhibits that will be shared with museums around the world.

The Museum of Mathematics started due to the closing of a small museum of mathematics on Long Island, the Goudreau Museum. The Goudreau unfortunately ran out of funds and the entire collection housed in the museum was unfortunately discarded. A group of interested parties known as the “Working Group” made it a goal to create a new museum of mathematics. This group, led by Glen Whitney, an ex-hedge fund employee, discovered that the United States did not have its own math museum and thus started the project of creating the MoMath.

Exhibits and programs strive to spark curiosity and “reveal the wonders of mathematics.” It is currently under construction with new exhibits designed daily. It is slated for a 2012 opening.

“We are grateful to Google for this extremely generous gift. Google’s support will not only help us raise the bar of our own museum, but will also help us create a new repertoire of exhibits that will generate enthusiasm about mathematics in science museums throughout the country and around the world,” said Whitney, executive director of the museum.

Google awarded a total of $12 million to seven science museums across the U.S. and England to fund projects such as the construction of new facilities and the development of new exhibitions and curricula.

“By transforming the curious learners of today into the innovators of tomorrow, museums perpetuate both creativity and accomplishment. That’s why I am thrilled that Google is supporting beloved science museums including the Museum of Mathematics,” said Michael T. Jones, chief technology advocate at Google.