Khan Academy Founder Sal Khan Among Tech for Humanity Inaugural Prize Winners
- The Bangladeshi American receives the Patrick J. McGovern Tech for Humanity Luminary award for a lifetime of achievement and his extraordinary impact expanding access to learning worldwide.
The Computer History Museum (CHM) announced the inaugural Patrick J. McGovern Tech for Humanity Prize winners on April 28. Khan Academy founder Sal Khan found himself among the honorees. The Bangladeshi American received the Patrick J. McGovern Tech for Humanity Luminary award for a lifetime of achievement and his extraordinary impact expanding access to learning worldwide. Providing free online education to anyone, Khan Academy has reached more than 120 million registered users in 190 countries, CHM said in a news release.
Khan started Khan Academy in 2005 to help his cousins (and soon other people’s cousins). In addition to setting the vision and direction for Khan Academy, the Indian American entrepreneur still makes a lot of instructional videos (although he’s not the only one anymore).
“The Patrick J. McGovern Tech for Humanity Prize program is part of CHM’s expanding work in advancing tech in service to humanity,” said Museum CEO Dan’l Lewin in the statement. “We decode technology for everyone, not only telling stories about the pioneers of our computing past, but also decoding our ever-evolving digital world with the stories of innovators creating new tech solutions today.”
Other winners of the inaugural award were bioengineer and Schmidt Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT, Mercy Nyamewaa Asiedu and Stanford Computer Science Professor, Michael Beernstein. “The Committee selected the honorees and finalists from a pool of 80 extraordinary candidates, all of whom are pursuing audacious innovations focused on meeting urgent challenges,” said Paul Saffo, futurist and the selection committee chair. “Three or ten or even a hundred innovators alone can’t secure humanity’s future. By drawing attention to the work of these changemakers, CHM’s McGovern Prize is a powerful innovation multiplier, inspiring countless others to pursue visionary projects in the service of humankind.”
The Patrick J. McGovern Tech for Humanity Prize fosters a global community committed to tech for good, advancing work for social impact, highlighting role models, and inspiring the next generation of innovators. The awards honor the legacy of visionary business leader and technology publisher Patrick J. McGovern (1937-2014), the founder of global media company IDG, who was a founding board member of CHM’s precursor, the Computer Museum.
“We are thrilled to honor the remarkable legacy of Patrick J. McGovern with these outstanding Tech for Humanity prizewinners,” said Patrick McGovern, chair of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, which supports the prize. “Their innovation, leadership, and accomplishments serve as an inspiration for what is possible when we apply technology for the good of humanity.”
A global, 21st century philanthropy, the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation is committed to bridging the frontiers of artificial intelligence, data science, and social impact. The Foundation invests in the exploration, enhancement, and development of AI and data science for good.
The Computer History Museum (CHM) explores the computing past, digital present, and future impact of technology on humanity. Through research, events, and an extensive collection of computing artifacts and oral histories, CHM is committed to shaping a better world by decoding technology for everyone. CHM awards $100,000 to the Patrick J. McGovern Tech for Humanity Changemakers for their dedication to tech for good, their future promise, and the potential impact of their proposed projects.