Events

Exhibition “The Epoch of Impulse at LCTA” will tell story of Meshcheryakov Laboratory of Information Technologies

On 17 September, the exhibition entitled “The Epoch of Impulse at LCTA” was opened at the Mir Cultural Center of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. The exhibition marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Meshcheryakov Laboratory of Information Technologies (MLIT), which was called the Laboratory of Computing Techniques and Automation (LCTA) until 2000.

The exhibition focuses on original copies of selected issues of the Impulse wall newspaper, published from 1963 to 1988 and reflecting the Laboratory’s scientific and social life. As the exhibition’s organizers pointed out, “its vibrant literary style, sharp humor, and notes on the events of those years transform Impulse into a genuine quarter-century chronicle of LCTA”. MLIT has preserved over 70 issues of its wall newspaper; unfortunately, similar publications from the other JINR Laboratories have survived only in single copies. Now, through Impulse, one can trace the history of the Laboratory and the Institute, as well as the evolution of global computer technology.

In addition, the exhibition features photos of staff members and the computing equipment of that era, as well as artifacts related to the first Directorate of LCTA, namely, Mikhail Grigorievich Meshcheryakov and Nikolay Nikolaevich Govorun, including personal belongings, documents, drawings, anniversary gifts, and biographical books. Visitors can try running an emulator of the Dubna operating system on a vintage computer set up at the exhibition. The displays provide information on both the Laboratory’s history and the development of information technology during the 1960s–1980s. Finally, the audio component of the exhibition offers the opportunity to listen to interviews with the authors, editors, and artists of Impulse.

Opening the exhibition, MLIT Director Sergei Shmatov highlighted that a true retrospective of the Laboratory was unfolding before visitors. “Here you can see how LCTA evolved not from an official standpoint, but directly through the eyes of the people who worked there, built its reputation, and forged its achievements and discoveries,” Sergei Shmatov underlined. He said that both veterans and young staff members had participated in preparing the exhibition; passing down traditions from one generation to the next helps to preserve the Laboratory’s unique atmosphere established by its founders.

The Institute’s Chief Scientific Secretary Sergey Nedelko noted that the social events held by the Institute during its anniversary year allowed both those who had lived and worked in the past and young researchers to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of that epoch. This exhibition showcases the long journey taken by the Laboratory, which has always been at the forefront of science, as well as by the IT industry as a whole.

“Almost all the colleagues and friends I started working with were members of the editorial board of our wall newspaper. The entire history of Impulse unfolded right before my eyes, and we eagerly awaited every new issue. The newspaper was known even beyond our Laboratory,” MLIT Scientific Leader Vladimir Korenkov recalled. He reminded the audience that the date chosen for the exhibition’s opening was no coincidence; 17 September marks the birthday of Mikhail Grigorievich Meshcheryakov, the founder of the Joint Institute and LCTA.

“At the exhibition, one can sense the zest for life that our Laboratory’s staff possessed. This wall newspaper has survived because it was created with love for the people, for the Laboratory, and for everything we do,” MLIT Deputy Scientific Leader Tatiana Strizh, the head of the exhibition’s project, concluded.

Over the years, the Impulse editorial board included many MLIT staff members and veterans; some of them, MLIT veteran Nellya Shirikova, researcher Genis Musulmanbekov, and sector head Tatiana Sapozhnikova, shared their recollections at the opening. That evening the grandson of M.G. Meshcheryakov Innokenty Ivanov, the daughter of N.N. Govorun Tatiana Vabishchevich, the head of the JINR Historical Archive Elena Malaya, and the exhibition’s curators Daria Priakhina and Ekaterina Voytishina also spoke with words of congratulations.

The speakers expressed their gratitude to the exhibition’s organizers, namely, MLIT staff members, the JINR Museum of the History of Science and Technology, the Institute’s Historical Archive, designers and everyone who assisted in implementing the project, for recreating the atmosphere of the epoch, fostering the continuity of generations, and preserving historical memory.

The exhibition is open until 14 October. One can visit it any day except Monday, from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Admission is free.