Project Tuva
Encyclopedia
Project Tuva is an enhanced video player platform released by Microsoft Research
to host the Messenger Lectures
series titled The Character of Physical Law
given at Cornell University by Richard Feynman
in 1964 and recorded by the BBC. The project was a collaborative effort between Bill Gates
and Microsoft Research
that is designed to demonstrate the potential of enhanced video to teach people about the "core scientific concepts" of Feynman's lectures using interactive media. According to his video introduction, Gates saw the lectures when he was younger. He enjoyed the physics concepts and Feynman's lecturing style, and later acquired the rights to make the video available to the public. He hopes that this will encourage others to make educational content available for free.
Project Tuva was officially released at the Microsoft Research Faculty Summit, July 13th and 14th, 2009. At its inception, Project Tuva included video of the lectures with expert commentary from Stephen D. Ellis of the University of Washington and the Student Physics Society at the University of Washington. The Silverlight application also includes text search over transcripts (which are shown synchronized with the video), support for time-stamped note-taking, and "Extras" that complement the video with external links, formulae, interactive demonstrations, and embedded WorldWide Telescope
astronomical objects and tours. Upon release the Extras and commentary were only available for the first of the seven lectures: The Law of Gravitation - An Example of Physical Law, with the others promised later in 2009. In April of 2011 Tuva was updated with new content and extras curated by MIT Jane and Otto Morningstar Professor of Physics Robert Jaffe.
The project gets its name from a late-life goal of Feynman's; namely, that he would someday travel to the Russian land of Tuva
. Unfortunately, he was never allowed to travel to Tuva during his lifetime, with permission from the Russian government coming the day following his death. The name then invokes the idea that a dream of his is now accomplished - not, of course, traveling to Tuva, but rather that the world may now be able to appreciate physics the way he did.
The original design for Project Tuva was carried out by Artefact. Stimulant provided refinements and developed the experience in Silverlight.
The lectures are made available by Microsoft Research online.
Microsoft Research
Microsoft Research is the research division of Microsoft created in 1991 for developing various computer science ideas and integrating them into Microsoft products. It currently employs Turing Award winners C.A.R. Hoare, Butler Lampson, and Charles P...
to host the Messenger Lectures
Messenger Lectures
The Messenger Lectures are a prestigious series of talks given by leading scholars and public figures at Cornell University. They were founded in 1924 by a gift from Hiram Messenger and are regarded as one of the most important of Cornell's extracurricular activities.There were initially "twelve...
series titled The Character of Physical Law
The Character of Physical Law
The Character of Physical Law are a series of seven lectures by physicist Richard Feynman concerning the nature of the laws of physics. The talks were delivered by Feynman in 1964 at Cornell University, as part of the Messenger Lectures series...
given at Cornell University by Richard Feynman
Richard Feynman
Richard Phillips Feynman was an American physicist known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics...
in 1964 and recorded by the BBC. The project was a collaborative effort between Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
and Microsoft Research
Microsoft Research
Microsoft Research is the research division of Microsoft created in 1991 for developing various computer science ideas and integrating them into Microsoft products. It currently employs Turing Award winners C.A.R. Hoare, Butler Lampson, and Charles P...
that is designed to demonstrate the potential of enhanced video to teach people about the "core scientific concepts" of Feynman's lectures using interactive media. According to his video introduction, Gates saw the lectures when he was younger. He enjoyed the physics concepts and Feynman's lecturing style, and later acquired the rights to make the video available to the public. He hopes that this will encourage others to make educational content available for free.
Project Tuva was officially released at the Microsoft Research Faculty Summit, July 13th and 14th, 2009. At its inception, Project Tuva included video of the lectures with expert commentary from Stephen D. Ellis of the University of Washington and the Student Physics Society at the University of Washington. The Silverlight application also includes text search over transcripts (which are shown synchronized with the video), support for time-stamped note-taking, and "Extras" that complement the video with external links, formulae, interactive demonstrations, and embedded WorldWide Telescope
WorldWide Telescope
The WorldWide Telescope is a computer program created by Microsoft that displays the astronomical sky as maps, the 3D Universe, visualised data sets and animations. It was announced at the TED Conference in Monterey, California in February 2008. Users are able to pan around outer space and zoom as...
astronomical objects and tours. Upon release the Extras and commentary were only available for the first of the seven lectures: The Law of Gravitation - An Example of Physical Law, with the others promised later in 2009. In April of 2011 Tuva was updated with new content and extras curated by MIT Jane and Otto Morningstar Professor of Physics Robert Jaffe.
The project gets its name from a late-life goal of Feynman's; namely, that he would someday travel to the Russian land of Tuva
Tuva
The Tyva Republic , or Tuva , is a federal subject of Russia . It lies in the geographical center of Asia, in southern Siberia. The republic borders with the Altai Republic, the Republic of Khakassia, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Irkutsk Oblast, and the Republic of Buryatia in Russia and with Mongolia to the...
. Unfortunately, he was never allowed to travel to Tuva during his lifetime, with permission from the Russian government coming the day following his death. The name then invokes the idea that a dream of his is now accomplished - not, of course, traveling to Tuva, but rather that the world may now be able to appreciate physics the way he did.
The original design for Project Tuva was carried out by Artefact. Stimulant provided refinements and developed the experience in Silverlight.
The lectures are made available by Microsoft Research online.